Hi All We run a script (generated from the backup wizard) as a scheduled task to backup our server and 2 other clients servers. It works perfectly if run interactively but only works intermittently as a scheduled task. I have checked permissions, installed SP1, etc. No errors are generated when the backup fails-it appears to start, and an empty log is generated. If you look in the task scheduler, it shows it as having run and ended with 0x0. If you go and look at the files on the tape however, there is nothing there. Some days it runs, others, it doesn't (mostly). I have spent hours troubleshooting it at this point, and am getting nowhere slowly. Right now I am checking it nightly and running it interactively if it fails, but this is getting a little ridiculous. Anyone else out there experienced a problem like this? Any suggestions?

Backups in ntbackup can be a little tricky. The following link is to a microsoft web page explaining how to created managed/unmanaged backup sets: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;239892&Product=win2000 The best way I've found is unmanaged sets. This way it doesn't matter what tape you have in the drive. This is convenient in the case of long weekends. Instead of missing a backup (which you would with a managed set) the tape in the drive is over written. The trick to making it work is copying the command line from within ntbackup and using that in the batchfile with the /um switch at the end of the command line. NOTE: You will still want to prepare all your tapes as per the instructions on that web page. Once you have your batch file ready. Run it to ensure the backup works. Once you've confirmed the backup runs properly, then you create the scheduled task and link it to the backup batchfile. While running the backup wizard to create the backup set you will want to set the logging to "detail". I've found 2003's ntbackup is a little quirky in the logging department and if you set it to detail, it will report properly. Include the refresh command in the batchfile (ie: start /wait rsm.exe refresh /lf"Your_Library_Name").

FYI There is a Microsoft ntbackup.exe Hot fix 821730 for the problem that ntbackup not working from a batch job in Scheduler correctly.