Alex Scoble's IT Notes - An Information Technology Blog

Decent Bulk Mail Solution?

We send out invitations for our Chautauqua seminars on a montly basis to about 500 people or so now. More and more mail servers are starting to quarantine or reject the messages out of turn now because they get identified as "bulk mail".

I've been asked to find a solution that will automatically send the emails to each addressee individually as opposed to just sending one email to all 500 addressees.

Just another example of how spammers make it hard to use email for legitimate business.

Anyhow if anyone out there knows of any products that do this, please let me know. Thanks in advance.

New Netscreen-25 Firewall

Just got in our new firewall. A Juniper Netscreen-25. Now I just need to figure out how to migrate the configuration of the current firewall (Netscreen-10) to the new one.

Will try to blog as much as possible about how I do it.

How to Manually Uninstall Veritas Backup Exec 9.x

Sorry for the length of this post, but this is verbatim from what the Veritas support tech sent me and since it's not available on their website, I figured I'd post it here for your use as well as mine.


How to properly uninstall Backup Exec 9.x if unable to uninstall using Add/Remove Programs.

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Details:

This procedure should only be used if uninstalling Backup Exec (tm) 9.x for Windows Servers fails from Add/Remove Programs and subsequent installs of Backup Exec also fail due to a corrupt installation.

To manually uninstall Backup Exec 9.x, follow the instructions given below:

1. Download the Microsoft Installer (MSI) Cleanup utility, and install it on the system in question.

The MSI Installer Cleanup utility can be currently obtained from the Microsoft Web site:    http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?kbid=290301 .

2. After the application is installed, run it from Start | Programs | Windows Install Clean Up

3. Select VERITAS Update and VERITAS Backup Exec for Windows Servers, and then click Remove (Figure 1)

Figure 1

4. Click Exit to end the clean up process

5. Open Services from Control Panel in Windows NT 4.0, or from Administrative Tools in Windows 2000. Stop all Backup Exec services and the MSSQL$BKUPEXEC service (Figures 2 and 3). If Desktop and Laptop Option (DLO) is installed, stop the MSSQL$BKUPEXECDLO service as well

Figure 2

Figure 3

6. Click Start | Run, type regedt32, and click OK

Warning: Incorrect use of the Windows Registry Editor may prevent the operating system from functioning properly. Great care should be taken when making changes to a Windows registry. Registry modifications should only be carried out by persons experienced in the use of the registry editor application. It is recommended that a complete backup of the registry and workstation be made prior to making any registry changes.

7. Remove the following VERITAS registry keys (Figure 4):

a. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\VERITAS\Adamm

b. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\VERITAS\Agent Accelerator for Windows NT/2000

c. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\VERITAS\Backup Exec

d. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\VERITAS\Common

e. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\VERITAS\DLO

f. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\VERITAS\Exec View

g. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\VERITAS\SigLogger

h. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\VERITAS (only if empty)

i. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\VERITAS Backup Exec

Figure 4

8. If the Backup Exec Web Administration Console is installed (BEWAC), remove the following keys:

a. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\ServerAppliance\ElementManager\WebElementDefinitions\TabBE* (all keys that start with TabBE)

b. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\ServerAppliance\ElementManager\WebElementDefinitions\ContextHelpBE* (all keys that start with ContextHelpBE)

c. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\ServerAppliance\ElementManager\WebElementDefinitions\AboutBoxBE

d. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\ServerAppliance\ElementManager\WebElementDefinitions\HELPTOC_* (all keys that start with HELPTOC_. The underscore is important.)

e. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\ServerAppliance\ApplianceManager\ObjectManagers\Microsoft_SA_Task\BackupJobTask

f. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\ServerAppliance\ApplianceManager\ObjectManagers\Microsoft_SA_Task\RestoreJobTask

g. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\ServerAppliance\ApplianceManager\ObjectManagers\Microsoft_SA_Task\TemplateJobTask

9. Remove the Backup Exec services by removing the following registry keys (Figure 5):

a. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\BackupExecAgentAccelerator

b. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\BackupExecAgentBrowser

c. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\BackupExecDeviceMediaService

d. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\BackupExecJobEngine

e. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\BackupExecNamingService

f. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\BBackupExecRPCService

g. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\ECM Service

h. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\besakalert (BEWAC only)

i. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\DLOAdminSvcu (DLO only)

j. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\SCSIChanger

k. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\SCSIChanger

Figure 5

10. Remove all Microsoft SQL Server Desktop Engine (MSDE) and Backup Exec associated SQL components by removing the following registry keys:

a. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Microsoft SQL Server\BKUPEXEC

b. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Microsoft SQL Server\BKUPEXECDLO (only when DLO is installed)

c. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Microsoft SQL Server\Component Set\InstanceComponentSet.1 or InstanceComponentSet.2.

Remove only the value where it matches one of the following global unique identifiers (GUIDs):

{44FE936D-2B47-40D3-9109-FC1360BFB85D} - Backup Exec 9.0 revision 4367

{78B54B0C-5280-4236-8DF2-7EC6DC45C364} - Backup Exec 9.0 revision 4454

{E09B48B5-E141-427A-AB0C-D3605127224A} - Backup Exec 9.1 (Backup Exec Instance)

{689404D2-1C94-44B3-9203-BEC5594FDA7A} - Backup Exec 9.1 (DLO Instance)

d. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Microsoft SQL Server (only if there is no other Microsoft SQL Server Instances installed)

e. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\MSSQL$BKUPEXEC

f. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\SQLAgent$BKUPEXEC

g. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\ MSSQL$BKUPEXECDLO (only when DLO is installed)

h. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\SQLAgent$BKUPEXECDLO (only when DLO is installed)

11. Reboot the computer

12. Remove all files from the Backup Exec install directory, that is C:\Program Files\VERITAS\Backup Exec\NT

13. If BEWAC is installed, remove the following files:

a. %SystemRoot%\system32\ServerAppliance\web\Admin\BE

b. %SystemRoot%\system32\ServerAppliance\web\Admin\help\0C0A\BE

c. %SystemRoot%\system32\ServerAppliance\web\Admin\help\040C\BE

d. %SystemRoot%\system32\ServerAppliance\web\Admin\help\0404\BE

e. %SystemRoot%\system32\ServerAppliance\web\Admin\help\0407\BE

f. %SystemRoot%\system32\ServerAppliance\web\Admin\help\0409\BE

g. %SystemRoot%\system32\ServerAppliance\web\Admin\help\0410\BE

h. %SystemRoot%\system32\ServerAppliance\web\Admin\help\0411\BE

i. %SystemRoot%\system32\ServerAppliance\web\Admin\help\0412\BE

j. %SystemRoot%\system32\ServerAppliance\web\Admin\help\0804\BE

Note: For the folders given below (k-r), remove the files listed after the folder list.

k. %SystemRoot%\system32\ServerAppliance\mui\0411

l. %SystemRoot%\system32\ServerAppliance\mui\0412

m. %SystemRoot%\system32\ServerAppliance\mui\0804

n. %SystemRoot%\system32\ServerAppliance\mui\0C0A

o. %SystemRoot%\system32\ServerAppliance\mui\040C

p. %SystemRoot%\system32\ServerAppliance\mui\0404

q. %SystemRoot%\system32\ServerAppliance\mui\0407

r. %SystemRoot%\system32\ServerAppliance\mui\0409

i. besakfirstwizres.dll

ii. BESigSchedulerRes.dll

iii. BEUtilityJobRes.dll

iv. BEUtilityJobUIRes.dll

v. BEUtilsRes.dll

vi. BEActLogRes.dll

vii. bealertconfigres.dll

viii. BEAlertsRes.dll

ix. BEAuditLogRes.dll

x. BEBackupJobOptionsRes.dll

xi. BEBackupJobOptionsSummaryRes.dll

xii. BECreateJobRes.dll

xiii. BECreateMiscRes.dll

xiv. BEDeviceMgmtRes.dll

xv. BEDevMediaRes.dll

xvi. BEDiagsLogRes.dll

xvii. BEDrivePoolMgmtRes.dll

xviii. BEErrorRulesRes.dll

xix. BEHelpFilesRes.dll

xx. BEJobMonitorRes.dll

xxi. BEJobPropsRes.dll

xxii. BEJobSettingsRes.dll

xxiii. BEJobsetupRes.dll

xiv. BELicenseRes.dll

xv. BeLogonAccountsRes.dll

xvi. BEMediaMgmtRes.dll

xvii. BEMediaRotationRes.dll

xviii. BEMediaSetMgmtRes.dll

xxix. BENotification.dll

xxx. BENotificationConfigRes.dll

xxxi. BEOptionsResource.dll

xxxii. beoverviewres.dll

xxxiii. BEReportsRes.dll

xxxiv. BEResource.dll

xxxv. BEResourceDiscoveryRes.dll

xxxvi. BERestoreJobOptionsRes.dll

14. Open Task Manager, and end the process VxTaskBarMgr.exe (Figure 6)

Figure 6

15. Remove the directory C:\Program Files\VERITAS\VxUpdate

16. Remove the directory C:\Program Files\VERITAS, only if there is no other VERITAS Applications installed on the server

17. Remove the directory C:\Program Files\Common Files\VERITAS Shared, only if there is no other VERITAS Application installed on the computer

18. Remove the directory C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL$BKUPEXEC

19. Remove the directory C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL$BKUPEXECDLO (only when DLO is installed)

20. Remove the directory C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server, only if there is no other Microsoft SQL Instance installed on the computer

Fix For Veritas Backup Exec 9.1 Issue

Yet another inelegant fix for a problem. The higher tier tech first had me make a backup of the database and then had me manually uninstall of Veritas BE. I will post the exact procedure for that later.

Then we had to fix the problem with Remote Server Manager and then reinstall BE 9.1 and SP2.

Now it seems to be working 100% again.

And there was much rejoicing...yay.

Server Missing Remote Server Manager (appmgr.exe)

For some reason, the backup server/domain controller (DC) was missing Remote Server Manager (actual filename for the server is appmgr.exe).

This was screwing with our attempts to reinstall BE 9.1.

To get it reinstalled, I had to install Remote Administration (HTML) a component of World Wide Web Service which is a module of Internet Information Server (IIS) on Windows Server 2003.

Sounds like this module is needed by Backup Exec for the Remote Web Admin module to work.

Update to Veritas Backup Exec 9.1 Issue

Two Wednesdays ago I posted about an issue I was having with Backup Exec. I finally found time to call Veritas about it today.

Mostly the tech person had me try a few things and send her some log files. Nothing worked so the call was escalated. Will get a call tomorrow from a higher level tech to work on the issue.

About the only thing she had me do that I hadn't tried was install the Microsoft XML 4.0 SP2 patch. Didn't help the problem, but seeing as how the problem I'm having is pretty obscure, a quick fix at this juncture wasn't expected.

RIM Quadband Blackberries Not Good for "Low" Coverage Areas

Well, if you are in a marginal or low coverage area for your GPRS carrier like T-Mobile, I highly suggest that you not get one of the newer quad-band phones. In other words, if you only get 2 bars of signal on your 7730 in your office or home, don't upgrade to the 7100 or the 7290. They both have the same issues of needing higher signal strength than the 7730 in order to properly find the network.

By the way, I should mention that I'm totally not happy with either T-Mobile's or RIM's support on this issue. On T-Mobile's end, it's clearly a coverage issue and should be remedied by increasing tower signal strength or whatever. On RIM's end, it's clearly a matter of phone design since the 7730 and the 6230s work fine in this building or in other marginal coverage areas.

Anyhow, guess I have to do another BB replacement. These quad band Blackberries have been a total pain in the ass. They have the features that people want/need (more memory and Bluetooth) but don't work properly in the building. What sucks even more is that if/when RIM comes out with an updated 7730, I'm sure that it too will be quad band and have the same issues.

And no, moving is not an option. Besides, there's no guarantee that we won't have the same problem in a different location. It's not like our particular corner of Palo Alto is the only place in the country/world with this problem.

So if you want a Blackberry with the best reach possible, don't get a quad band model. You might have better experience with a Cingular model since they are on a different band, but the phones will still have the same higher signal requirement vs the 77xxs.