Brtieve configuration

You didn't say what the error was or what versions of Arcserve and Btrieve you are using.  Here is an atempted answer in the form of Novell TIDs.
BSTART.NCF Parameters and What They Mean  (Last modified: 27JUL1995)

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     Symptom

     This document shows the parameters in the BSTART.NCF file and how they relate to the
     BSETUP utility.

     Solution

     BSETUP AND CONFIGURATION PARAMETERS

     BSETUP should always be run on a new install of Btrieve so the parameters can be written to the
     BSTART.NCF file.

     When running BSETUP from the server, parameters are set and configured in the BSTART.NCF
     file in the SYS:SYSTEM subdirectory on the server.

     DEFAULT SETTINGS:

     The BSTART.NCF file will look like the following:

     LOAD BTRIEVE -p=4096 -f=20 -h=60 -l=20 -t=15 -u=0 -s=30 -m=256
     LOAD BSPXCOM -d=8192 -s=15 -w=3

     Each parameters associations are contained in the following table:

       Number of Open Files: 20 -f
       Number of Handles: 60 -h
       Number of Locks: 20 -l
       Number of Transactions: 15 -t
       Largest Compressed Record Size: 0 -u
       Largest Record Size: 8192 -d
       Largest Page Size: 4096 -p
       Number of Remote Sessions: 15 -s
       Cache Allocation: 256 -m
       Perform Index Balancing: No -c
       Create Files as Transactional: No -i
       Logging of Selected Files: No -a
       Create Btrieve files in pre v6.x format: No -d
       Configure BSTART.NCF to Load BRouter: No

     SETTINGS WITH THE LAST FIVE PARAMETERS SET TO YES:

     The BSTART.NCF file will look like the following:

     LOAD BTRIEVE -p=4096 -f=20 -h=60 -l=20 -t=15 -u=0 -s=30 -m=256 -i -a -d -c
     LOAD BSPXCOM -d=8192 -s=15 -w=3
     LOAD BROUTER

     Each parameters associations are contained in the following table:

       Number of Open Files: 20 -f
       Number of Handles: 60 -h
       Number of Locks: 20 -l
       Number of Transactions: 15 -t
       Largest Compressed Record Size: 0 -u
       Largest Record Size: 8192 -d
       Largest Page Size: 4096 -p
       Number of Remote Sessions: 15 -s
       Cache Allocation: 256 -m
       Perform Index Balancing: Yes -c
       Create Files as Transactional: Yes -i
       Logging of Selected Files: Yes -a
       Create Btrieve files in pre v6.x format: Yes -d
       Configure BSTART.NCF to Load BRouter: Yes

     Note: The "-s" parameter in the BTRIEVE LOAD is set to twice that of the BSPXCOM LOAD to
     facilitate the loading of other NLMs in the server that may be using Btrieve.

     Note: The LOAD BROUTER statement is added to the NSTART.NCF when you answer yes to
     "Configure BSTART.NCF to Load BRouter:" prompt.

     BSTOP.NCF will look like the following:

     UNLOAD BROUTER
     UNLOAD BSPXCOM
     UNLOAD BTRIEVE

====
Server Maintenance  (Last modified: 09JAN1998)

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     Issue

     Maintaining NDS Information for a NetWare 4.11 Server During a Brief Shutdown or Hardware
     Upgrade

     The NetWare 4.11 INSTALL.NLM utility includes several new options to help you preserve
     Novell Directory Services (NDS) information when you need to bring down a server for
     maintenance operations. The new options are found by selecting "Directory options (install
     NetWare Directory Services)" from INSTALL's main menu and then selecting "Directory backup
     and restore options" (see Figure 1).

     These options offer the same functionality that DSMAINT.NLM provides for NetWare 4.1
     servers. These enhancements to the INSTALL utility address two cases of planned server
     outages: shutting down a server temporarily, and upgrading server hardware.

     Maintaining Server Object References During a Brief Shutdown

     At times, it is necessary to remove a NetWare Server object from the NDS tree for a brief period
     of time. For example, if an authentication key is corrupted, it is necessary to reinstall NDS on the
     server. During the uninstall process, the Server object is removed from the tree and other
     objects that reference the Server object in their required attributes can become Unknown
     objects. A similar type of problem can occur with services such as printing that are associated
     with a physical server. If the server referenced in a Queue object's Host Server attribute is
     removed, the Queue remains a known object but it is useless because it has lost the link to the
     queue directory on the server.

     With the enhanced INSTALL, you can avoid losing objects and ease re-installation by
     substituting references to the server with references to another object that you create for this
     purpose. After reinstalling NDS on the server, you can use INSTALL to replace these references
     to the server in other objects' Host Server, Host Device, or Message (Default) Server attributes.

     Here are the steps for performing this procedure:

          Note:You must have at least two servers on your network in order for
               this procedure to work.

          1. Load INSTALL.NLM on the server you are going to shut down. Select
             "Directory options" and then "Remove Directory Services from this
             server." When prompted, enter the Admin username and password.

          2. INSTALL displays the prompt "Enter the placeholder object
             distinguished name" with the name of the current server listed as a
             default. This is where you select another object for "holding" the
             server references. The object you use must not be a NetWare Server
             object, but it can be an existing User object. The user object you
             have logged in as would be an appropriate choice. Enter the object's
             full distinguished name; for example, .CN=Admin.O=ABC.

          3. The next prompt is "Change from which distinguished name and below"
             with the default of [Root] displayed. This is where you enter the
             full distinguished name of the container where you want to begin
             searching for objects that reference this server's NetWare Server
             object. In most cases, you should leave this option set to [Root].

             If this server holds a master replica, INSTALL will prompt you to
             select an option to switch the master replica to another server in
             the replica ring.

          4. At this point, you can continue the process of removing Novell
             Directory Services and bringing down the server.

          5. Once you have completed the required maintenance operation on the
             server, reload INSTALL and select "Directory options", followed by
             "Directory backup and restore options." Select the "Restore
             references from another object to this server" option to reverse the
             substitutions made previously in Steps 2 and 3. You will again be
             required to provide the full name of the temporary object that is
             holding the references.

             Note: INSTALL automatically removes volume IDs from the physical
                   volumes on the server so that Volume objects are not removed
                   during an uninstall.

     Upgrading Server Hardware

     There are times when a server requires an upgrade that does not affect the server as an NDS
     object. For example, the SYS volume may be physically located on an old hard disk drive that
     needs to be upgraded. In these situations, you no longer need to uninstall NDS from the server.
     You can use INSTALL to save NDS information in preparation for the planned hardware upgrade
     of the server. After the upgrade, you can restore this NDS information to the server with
     INSTALL.

     Before you run INSTALL, you should have a current backup of the entire server.

     The "Save local DS information prior to hardware upgrade" option prepares the NDS information
     on this server prior to the upgrade. When you select this option, INSTALL creates a file called
     BACKUP.NDS in the server's SYS:SYSTEM directory. This file stores all the NDS information for
     this server, including replica information. This file should be included in backup procedures
     before bringing the server down.

     Using this option locks and disables the NDS database on this server, preventing any data
     changes from taking place. To other servers that normally communicate with this server, the
     server appears to be down. Any NDS information that normally is sent to the locked server is
     held by other servers in the tree; when the server comes back online, this "stored" information is
     used to resynchronize the server.

     Because other servers in the tree are expecting the server to come back online quickly, you
     should not plan to take several days to upgrade the server. Complete the upgrade promptly and
     restore NDS information on the server as soon as possible.

     The "Restore local DS information after hardware upgrade" option uses the BACKUP.NDS file
     created by the "Save local DS information..." option to restore NDS information on this server.
     Before the NDS information is restored, INSTALL verifies that the server is in the same relative
     state as before the upgrade. INSTALL verifies that the server's object and authentication keys
     still exist and that the server still exists in all the replica rings for copies that were on this server
     before the upgrade.

     It is important that NDS partition and replica information remain consistent during the entire
     upgrade process. No replicas should be added or removed, nor should any replica/partition
     types be changed during this time. Likewise, no existing servers should be uninstalled and
     reinstalled, nor should any new servers be installed until the Save and Restore procedure is
     complete. If consistency of the tree (including partitions, replicas and placement of replicas, and
     servers) is not maintained, the INSTALL verification process will return a -601error during the
     Restore phase and the process cannot be completed.

     As always, be aware of the dependencies that other servers currently have on the server you are
     upgrading. Take into consideration processes such as NDS time synchronization. If the server
     plays an crucial part in the time synchronization of the NDS tree (for example, if it is a Reference
     time provider), you need to reassign the time server functions and responsibilities to another
     server before you run INSTALL. Check to make sure the tree has valid time synchronization
     status before continuing. (See TID 2908156 "Time Synchronization Issues and Definitions" and
     TID 2911661 "Changing Time Source Type" for additional information. Both documents are
     available on the World Wide Web at http://support.novell.com.)

     Before starting the procedure, use NDS Manager to verify the integrity of the tree and the
     synchronization status of the partitions/replicas that the candidate server contains. Resolve any
     errors before continuing. (See the NetWare 4.11 document-ation for instructions.)

     Note: For this procedure, you need at least two NetWare servers in your NDS
           tree and replicas of all partitions contained on the candidate server.

     Here are the steps for performing this procedure:

     1. If you already have a current backup, log in from a client workstation as
        Admin. Skip to Step 3.

     2. If you don't have a current backup, use an SMS-compatible backup program
        to do a file system backup of the server's volume(s). For additional
        information on backup and restore, refer to "Backing Up and Restoring NDS
        in NetWare 4.11" in this issue of AppNotes.

     3. Load INSTALL and choose "Directory options" from the main menu, then
        select "Directory backup and restore options".

     4. Select the "Save local DS information prior to hardware upgrade" option
        and authenticate as prompted. The BACKUP.NDS file is created in the
        server's SYS:SYSTEM directory.

     5. When prompted to copy the file, choose the path. The default is A: for
        copying to a diskette. Press <F3> to specify a different path. Type the
        second server's name and path, and authenticate to the remote server as
        prompted.

     6. Exit the INSTALL utility.

     7. Bring down the server and perform the hardware upgrade. then, if the SYS: volume
        has been replaced, reinstall NetWare 4.11.

     8. Start up the INSTALL utility again. When prompted to select an NDS tree, don't.
        Press <F5> instead, and then press <F3>.

     9. Choose the "Restore local DS information after hardware upgrade" option.
        When prompted for the file path, press <F3> and enter the path to the
        BACKUP.NDS file on the second server. Re-authenticate as prompted. The
        correct NDS information will be restored to the server.

     10. Load TSA410.NLM on the server and start your backup program. From the
         backup performed in Step 2, restore data to any volumes that were affected by the hardware
     upgrade.
               

     Permanently Removing a Functional Server from an NDS Tree

     Customers frequently ask about the proper way to remove a NetWare 4 server
     from the network. It is important to remember that NetWare 4 is a distributed
     network environment in which servers are constantly communicating with each
     other. If you need to permanently remove a functioning NetWare 4 server from
     an NDS tree, it must be done properly using INSTALL.NLM. Do not just
     disconnect the server from the network! If a server is removed incorrectly,
     it could cause NDS synchronization problems.

        Here are the steps:

        1. Load the Install utility by typing LOAD INSTALL.

        2. From the Installation Options menu, select "Directory Options (install
           NetWare Directory Services)."

        3. From the Directory Services Options menu, select "Remove Directory
           Services from this server." Answer "Yes" to the confirmation prompt,
           and type the password for an administrative user when prompted.

        4. Respond to the on-screen prompts to continue through the process.
           INSTALL checks to make sure it is safe to remove NDS from the server.
           If the server holds a master replica, the utility will take care of
           placing the master on another server and changing this one to a
           read/write replica. If no downed servers or links to servers in a
           replica list exist, INSTALL removes NDS and deletes the Server object
           and its associated Volume objects from the tree. When this process is
           finished, press <Esc> to exit Install.

        5. In NETADMIN or NWAdmin, confirm that the Server object and its
           associated Volume objects have indeed been removed from the tree.

     411MAINT.TXT TID 2919565

                    Please select if this document solved your problem.

      Document Title:
                          Server Maintenance
      Document ID:
                          2924690
      Creation Date:
                          01MAY97
      Modified Date:
                          09JAN98
      Document Revision:
                          5
      Novell Product Class:
                          NetWare OS
      Novell Product and Version:
                          intraNetWare
                          NetWare 4.11


     DISCLAIMER

     The Origin of this information may be internal or external to Novell. Novell makes all reasonable efforts to verify this
     information. However, the information provided in this document is for your information only. Novell makes no
     explicit or implied claims to the validity of this information.

     Any trademarks referenced in this document are the property of their respective owners. Consult your product
     manuals for complete trademark information.

So what do all of these switches do for me?

I am using arcserve 6.1 and the btrieve errors are I/O errors.  This is of little consequence since since this server will be removed from service soon.

You have more information than I on what your needs are, I have only what your question and comment say.