Error -519 troubleshooting

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Introduction

Error 519 means Retrospect had established a network connection with another computer and was communicating through that connection when something caused the connection to be severed.

This error is one of Retrospect’s most challenging errors to troubleshoot because networks involve a large number of variables. Causes of error 519 range from a simple software conflict on an individual workstation to a faulty network component that does not cause trouble during normal (non-backup, less intensive) use. Weak links can exist in the software or hardware level, on the backup computer or the client computer, or in the infrastructure of your network. This document aims to help you narrow down what might at first seem like an unwieldy problem to solve.

How To Use This Document

Read the Troubleshooting Roadmap below for an understanding of where to begin. Try to determine whether you should focus you’re troubleshooting on the backup computer, the client computers, or your network. To determine this, read the "Troubleshooting Roadmap" and "Network Integrity" sections of this document. If you are certain the problem lies with the client computer or the backup computer, skip to the sections entitled, "Troubleshooting Client Computers" or "Troubleshooting The Backup Computer." We recommend you read this entire document for a complete overview.

Troubleshooting Roadmap

Some obvious ways for you or another person to cause error 519 during an operation is to put to sleep a notebook computer, to unplug a computer’s network cabling, and to crash or restart a computer. These human actions are often the cause of network failures during work hours. During nights, weekends, or other periods when the client computers are not in use by people, you should track network failures over a period of time and gather information to examine in order to resolve the problem.

Before you can solve a 519 error, you need to determine the scope of the problem. The first step is to find out whether the 519 error is isolated to one computer or occurs with multiple computers. You can determine this in part by reviewing the Retrospect operations log. From the log, create a network map, noting whether the 519 errors occur on random computers or specific computers. Look for patterns. Does a particular computer produce error 519 each time? Does it only happen to clients on a certain network segment? Do these computers have any commonality like version of operating system, computer model, or network card? If there does not seem to be a pattern or if it seems random, start by troubleshooting the backup computer or network integrity.

If, after reviewing the log, you determine the 519 errors are associated with one or more specific clients, you should follow the troubleshooting tips in the "Troubleshooting Client Computers" section of this document.

When evaluating the integrity of your network, it is important to understand the different levels of connectivity and stress which can be tested. You must quantify the connectivity by testing network connections, from simple to complex. Start by using a utility to "ping" a client computer, which tests only the most basic connectivity between two computers.

A more stressful test is to use Apple’s file sharing or Microsoft Windows networking to connect to other computers and copy files over the network, which tests basic throughput for a short period of time. Among the most stressful of network activities is network backup, which can reveal weak links in your network infrastructure not readily apparent during less stressful activities. Network backups often sustain continuous network throughput with a large and fast stream of packets for long periods of time.

You might be able to copy files to and from a network workstation using file sharing, yet copying those same files from that same workstation through its Retrospect client software may produce error 519. This proves only that networking is not completely broken; it does not prove Retrospect or its client software is at fault.

When troubleshooting network failures, it helps to have "the big picture" of your network. A "map" of your network layout would be helpful. This map can be a diagram displaying the logical location of routers and hubs, trouble-free workstations on your network nodes, and problematic workstations which are producing error 519. Note on your diagram whether or not hubs are switched. The act of creating a diagram like this may itself be a useful troubleshooting aid. For example, the visual representation of your network may show you that all problematic workstations are on a single network branch or hub.

You need to be familiar with network hardware components like switchs, hubs, and routers. For example, if clients on a certain node or segment of your network are the only ones producing error 519, use Retrospect on a computer on the same side of the router as the problematic clients to determine whether the router is involved. Much of your troubleshooting necessarily involves this kind of process of elimination.

There are software programs and hardware devices you can use to monitor your network for traffic, collisions, or network utilization which could provide clues about the causes of the connection failures. Get the help of a network administrator if these tools are not readily available to you. If these tools are beyond your experience and you have exhausted as much of the other basic troubleshooting steps in this document as you could, it may be necessary to get help from a network consultant.

When troubleshooting the client computer, the first step is to determine whether the problem is with the computer’s software or with its network hardware.

Check for software conflicts. Firewall software, virus checking or file encryption utilities may cause problems. Restart the client Macintosh and try to back up again.

Ensure there are no unnecessary activities such as disk optimization, screen savers, or memory-intensive or processing-intensive applications running on the client during the backup. Also, verify there is not an energy saver that turns off the client computer during the backup.

Change the time of the script execution or rearrange the backup order of the clients. Backing up the client computer at a different time may access the computer when it is not busy. If backups work at other times, review what is happening at the original time on your network or on this client.

Run Apple Disk Utility, which checks for directory corruption in the disk.

Connect the machine to a different port on the hub. Swap ports and cables with a nearby client that is not experiencing network trouble or producing errors.

If the client is on a wireless connection, check the signal strength. A poor wireless signal will result in slow backups and dropped connections. A 5GHz connection can sometimes have a shorter network range and could cause more network connection to drop if the client is a longer distance from the Wireless access point.

Try switching a wireless client to a wired connection to see if it helps.

Check the Client connection speed Sources>Refresh (Macintosh). How does one client speed compare with clients that are backing up successfully?

Try new hub, switch, connectors, and a network cable.

Disconnect all external peripherals from the client computer and try backing up the internal hard drive.

Install a copy of the Retrospect application on a different computer. Try a backup from this new computer to see if the original backup computer was causing the problem.

Try defragmenting the hard disk. Never defragment without a good backup!

Try to back up through a direct connection between the host and client computer. A crossover ethernet cable between the backup computer and a problem client allows you to do this.

Verify TCP/IP settings are correct and proper for the client computer. Make sure to bind retrospect client to the right network card (if you have two network cards).

Ensure there are no unnecessary activities such as disk optimization, virus scans, screen savers, or memory-intensive or processing-intensive applications running on the client during the backup. Also, verify there is not an energy saver that turns off the client computer during the backup. Also try turn off any firewall program which can cause the backup to hang.

Change the time of the script execution or rearrange the backup order of the clients. Backing up the client computer at a different time may access the computer when it is not busy. If backups work at other times, review what is happening at the original time on your network or on this client.

Run Check Disk or disk verification on the volumes associated with this client computer.

Verify there are current versions of the network drivers on the client computer. In addition, if it is a laptop, it may have a different boot setup (Hardware Profile) while it is docked. If it can only be backed up while docked, then it may be loading different drivers when running as a stand-alone portable.

Connect the machine to a different port on the hub. Swap ports and cables with a nearby client that is not experiencing network trouble or producing errors.

Try another ethernet card. This can sometimes help isolate the problem to a problematic hardware component. Make sure you have the most recent version of the ethernet drivers, and that the drivers are compatible with your operating system.

Try new hub, switch, connectors, and a network cable.

If the client is on a wireless connection, check the signal strength. A poor wireless signal will result in slow backups and dropped connections. A 5GHz connection can sometimes have a shorter network range and could cause more network connection to drop if the client is a longer distance from the Wireless access point.

Try switching a wireless client to a wired connection to see if it helps.

Install the latest service pack for your operating system. If you have recently installed new software, the service pack may also need to be reinstalled.

Reinstall networking software and drivers. Try a clean installation of the operating system.

Check the Client connection speed under Configure>Clients>Properties>Refresh (Windows). How does one client speed compare with clients that are backing up successfully? . Try to back up with a direct connection between the host and client computer. A crossover ethernet cable between the backup computer and a problem client allows you to do this.

Ensure there are no unnecessary activities such as disk optimization, virus scans, screen savers, or memory-intensive or processing-intensive applications running on the client or backup computer during the backup. This includes things like mail servers, gateways, web hosting, virus checking programs, and other CPU- and resource-intensive activities. It is generally fine to run file serving software on the same computer as Retrospect but keep in mind the more you ask your server to do, the more likely you will run into problems or conflicts.

Turn off any firewall program which can cause the backup to hang

Connect the machine to a different port on the hub. Swap ports and cables with a nearby client that is not experiencing network trouble or producing errors.

Try new hub, switch, connectors, and a network cable.

Verify you have current versions of the network drivers on the backup computer.

Reinstall the networking software and drivers and trash any network-related preferences. Try a clean installation of the operating system.

Device problems can affect CPU performance and cause network disconnections or hangs. Disconnect all external peripherals from the computer except the backup. Then try backing up client computers. If the problem involves the backup drive itself, test another backup drive for comparison or, as in the next step, move the drive to another computer to see if the problems follow the backup drive.

Install a copy of Retrospect on a different computer. Try a backup from this computer to see if the original backup computer was causing the problem.

Ensure there are no unnecessary activities such as disk optimization, screen savers, or memory-intensive or processing-intensive applications running on the client or backup server during the backup. This includes things like mail servers, gateways, web hosting, virus checking programs, and other CPU and resource-intensive activities. It is generally fine to run file serving software on the same computer as Retrospect but keep in mind the more you ask your server to do, the more likely you will run into problems or conflicts.

Turn off any firewall program which can cause the backup to hang

Connect the machine to a different port on the hub. Swap ports and cables with a nearby client that is not experiencing network trouble or producing errors.

Try new hub, switch, connectors, and a network cable.

Verify you have current versions of the network drivers on the backup computer.

Reinstall the networking software and drivers and trash any network-related preferences. Try a clean installation of the operating system.

Device problems can affect CPU performance and cause network disconnections or hangs. Disconnect all external peripherals from the computer except the backup. Then try backing up client computers. If the problem involves the backup drive itself, test another backup drive for comparison or, as in the next step, move the drive to another computer to see if the problems follow the backup drive.

Install a copy of Retrospect on a different computer. Try a backup from this computer to see if the original backup computer was causing the problem.

Last Update: July 22, 2016