Dr. Bob's Tips & Tricks

I want to use VERITAS Software's Backup Exec 8.6 with my Sony Electronics' LIB-162/A2 tape library. Do you know why the software can't see my tape library?

You need to update your Backup Exec 8.6 tape and library drivers. At the time of this writing, the latest drivers file is bnt86idrv32_246206.exe, which VERITAS released April 10, 2002. (The October 2001 release of bnt86idrv30_240650.exe also supports the LIB-162/A2 tape library.) To update the drivers, go to http://seer.support.veritas.com/docs/246206.htm and download the bnt86idrv32_24606.exe update. Run the executable file, which offers you several options: Choose to update all tape and library drivers and to use VERITAS drivers for all tape devices.

My organization recently replaced our routers at branch locations. Since then, users have been unable to access shared resources across our WAN. Before we replaced the routers, all branch locations operated on the same subnet (i.e., 192.168.0.***) and the routers created a bridge to a dedicated 56Kbps modem connection. After we installed the new routers, we had to change to a multiple subnet scheme (i.e., 192.168.0.***, 192.168.1.***, and 192.168.2.***). Why are our shared resources unavailable?

Your inability to access shared resources likely stems from a Network Address Translation (NAT) configuration problem in the router. You probably failed to include all appropriate subnets in the router's NAT configuration. Because this configuration varies by router type, you'll need to use the method appropriate for your router.

An individual in my organization doesn't have a workstation in the office, so I need to forward this person's email from our Microsoft Exchange Server 5.5 system. How do I automatically forward all messages sent to this user's mailbox?

To automatically forward mail from the Exchange server, create an Internet address (Contact) in Exchange 5.5, then set the delivery option on the person's primary Exchange account to send incoming mail to the Internet address. You can then open the Internet contact account's Advanced Properties dialog box and hide the account from the Global Address List (GAL).

We recently upgraded several Windows NT servers and workstations. We used Symantec's Norton Ghost to copy everything to larger disks, but we created multiple volumes on a disk (e.g., C, D, E). How can we consolidate these volumes to make C the only volume on the disk?

Although several applications let you resize disks on both NT Server and NT Workstation machines, I'm most familiar with PowerQuest's VolumeManager and PartitionMagic (http://www.powerquest.com) and TeraByte Unlimited's BootIt Next Generation (NG—http://www.terabyteunlimited.com) applications. VolumeManager lets you manage server volumes, and PartitionMagic lets you manage workstation volumes. This product separation makes using the applications expensive, particularly on the server side. Both VolumeManager and PartitionMagic are 32-bit applications native to Windows 2000 and NT, and both products let you easily delete, resize, merge, and create new partitions. If you delete a partition, both applications shred the data on that partition, making undelete impossible.

BootIt NG gives you more than one boot option (as many as 200 primary partitions are possible), but you can also use the product to delete, resize, and create partitions. BootIT NG works with both servers and workstations, and thus is cheaper to use than the PowerQuest products. BootIt NG is shareware: You can use it free for 30 days, after which you should purchase the software ($29.95) if you continue to use it. PartitionMagic costs $69.95 per copy, and VolumeManager costs $595 per server. I prefer the PowerQuest applications because they're more complete solutions, but if cost is a concern, BootIT NG can solve your problem.