Please carefully read this document

April 28, 2024

This document contains information about the limitations of the use of the product..
It is highly recommended that you read through this document before using this product.

For system requirements, please visit System Requirements.

Basic Points

• This version supports the following agents.

  • ActiveImage Protector 2022
    • Management and operation of agent version 6.0.0.7292 or later are supported.
  • ActiveImage Protector 2018
    • Management and operation (except for push install) of agent version 5.1.11.6454 or later are supported.

• It is recommended that you operate the Linux agent using a remote console. As you need root privileges to access the Linux agent, please register as the root user. When the agent is installed on the computer and added to the list from Active Directory, please log in as the root user. Only the following operations are supported if you do not use a remote console.

  • Monitor task status, log information

  • Operation of existing backup tasks

  • Activation

  • Reboot/shutdown system

• Uninstallation of the Linux agent does not update the information.

• ActiveVisor does not support the management, monitoring, or operation of agents whose annual support service contract has expired, even with a product key applied.

  • Obtaining updated information of agents

  • Push Install

  • PXE Boot

  • Deploy

  • Create Task

  • Obtaining support information

  • Launch command line interface

  • Add target client for monitoring

  • Power-on

  • QuickRecovery / RescueBoot

• The settings configured in ActiveVisor are always given priority for email notifications. If the agent settings for email notifications are configured, or if task(s) or settings are deployed from ActiveVisor with the option [Use ActiveVisor to send email] set, or if agent settings are directly changed, then the agent settings for email notification are cleared, and email notifications will not be sent directly from the agent. When resending an email from the agent, please select [Use custom settings] in Agent Settings in ActiveVisor and configure the agent settings for email notifications again.

• When an IP address is duplicated among PCs, the information of the PCs needs to be correctly displayed, or the operation may fail. Please keep that in mind when you obtain the IP address through DHCP.

• When the information in the network computer list in Client view is not updated, right-click on the computer, select [Delete], and try restarting it.

• When referring to Active Directory, even when the computer on which ActiveImage Protector is installed joins the domain, if the computer’s IP address is not registered to DNS, it is recognized as a “Network Computer.” In this case, register the computer’s IP address to DNS and try rebooting the computer.

• The client may be moved to unmanaged when the patch program is automatically applied. To move the computer to [Managed], right-click and select [Move to Managed] from the right-click menu.

• When ActiveVisor is not accessible from the client booted from RescueBoot, the client’s management/operation is disabled. It is recommended that you confirm the following points in advance.

  • NIC is recognized.

  • A Valid IP address is obtained.

• Domain computers selected from Active Directory and registered to the list cannot be deleted from the client list. Uninstallation of ActiveImage Protector enables you to move a computer from the [All clients] list to the [Networked computer] list.

• When a task is created on the agent by deploying a backup template by enabling the [Create sub-folder for each client] option with an earlier version and the agent is moved to Managed, the backup destination is registered in [Site Configuration]—[Storage Device], including the sub-folder named with the computer name. With the Version 2022 agent, under the sub-folder, a subsequent sub-folder with a unique name is created for backup storage, saving the backup images.

• In an environment without [SMB 1.0/CIFS client] installed, [Add Computer]—[Auto-discovery] fails with Windows system error 1231.

• ActiveVisor installed on local host does not support management of ActiveImage Protector installed on a virtual machine in cloud. ActiveVisor has to be installed on the same VLAN as the virtual machine in managed cloud.

• PXE Boot supports iPXE Boot only. Secure Boot must be disabled in the environment that does not support iPXE boot, such as second-generation virtual machine on Hyper-V with Secure Boot enabled.

• Use PXE boot in the environment where network is available with DHCP server.

• When PXE booted, please do not disable PXE Boot before the connection between PXE client and ActiveVisor is established.

• Please do not enable PXE Boot on multiple ActiveVisors over the same network.

• When DHCP server features are configured on the computer on which ActriveVisor is running, PXE boot feature is not available.

• When there exists a computer, on which Actiphy Rapid Deploy ImageCast Server Version 5.1.0 or later is installed, over the same network, PXE boot may fail. In this case, please stop or uninstall Actiphy ImageCast Service and try PXE boot again.

• On PXE booted client, the following hot keys are available.

  • ctrl + alt + s : Shut down client
  • ctrl + alt + c : Display command prompt
  • ctrl + alt + e : Display File Explorer

• Please do not install Actiphy Rapid Deploy ImageCast Server Version 5.1.0 or later on the same computer. If installed, PXE Boot in ActiveVisor does not properly behave.

• When PXE booting an unmanaged computer, a boot image of Default Boot Environment is selected. When NIC driver for the target computer is not added to the boot image, Remote Recovery fails since the PXE booted computer cannot access ActiveVisor.
  In this case, please install ActiveImage Protector on the target computer and add the computer to ActiveVisor’s managed list. Then create a boot image of the computer by adding the required drivers to the image, configure the settings and try PXE boot again.

Upgrade

• Please be aware of the following limitations when upgrading from Version 6.0.2.1507.

  • After upgrading, you are not allowed to launch the console from update dialog. Please launch the console from Start menu.

  • Regarding the templates and the product key for version 2018, hypervisors other than Hyper-V/ESXi have yet to be migrated.

  • Web access, if enabled, is disabled.

  • After upgrading, the configured settings and logs remain in the install path of the earlier version. If you do not want them, please delete them.

  When launching the console after logging in as a user of the Administrators group of the local computer and selecting [Ready for update] to install the update, a debug dialog may be displayed during the update process. In this case, please close the dialog. {: .alert .alert-info }

• When upgrading from Version 7.0.x or earlier and the migrated templates are deployed to the client on which ActiveImage Protector agent Version 7.0.0 or later is configured, the parameters may not be correctly configured. You are recommended to create the templates again.

• Default Boot Environment will be rebuilt after upgrading.

Initial Settings

• When you select Active Directory for the network type, you must configure the settings to register a passphrase. To do so, you must be authenticated as a domain administrator or have an account in the Domain Admins group.

Push Install

• Push Install supports Setup and patch files for version 6.0.0.7292 or later agents only.

• Please configure the firewall settings to allow [File and printer sharing] on the computer. If the firewall settings are configured for group policy, please select [Network] - [Network Connection] - [Windows Firewall] and enable [Allow inbound file and printer sharing exception].

• The push-installed products can be uninstalled by using the following operating procedures.

  • Push uninstall from ActiveVisor.

  • Run the uninstaller in silent mode on the local computer.
    Run “C:\Program Files\Actiphy\ActiveImage Protector\uninstaller.exe” /qn on the command prompt.

• When this product is installed in an environment where the MSI installer created from Setup of ActiveImage Protector 2022 (6.0.0.7292) is used for installation, push-installation to a remote computer using Setup of the same version is not supported. You can push install using the MSI installer created during installation or try again after uninstalling ActiveImage Protector.

  This case is applied to the environment where the product is installed by pushing the Setup of ActiveImage Protector 2022 (6.0.0.7292) from ActiveVisor.

• When the connection from the computer this product runs to the Actiphy Activation Server or Actiphy Authentication Service (AAS) cannot be established, activation may fail on the agent push-installed by using Virtual (Guest). Please ensure that this product’s connection to Actiphy Authentication Service or Actiphy Authentication Service (AAS) can be established. Then, please try activation on the agent push-installed by using the Virtual (Guest) key.

• If you use Actiphy Authentication Service (AAS) connected from an agent, please use the following operating procedures.

  • Right-click on the agent and select [Launch command line interface]. Then, run the following command in the command prompt window.
    config AASIP <IP Address>

  • Right-click on the agent and select [Edit client setting] - [Backup and Standby], enter the following command in the displayed dialog, and click [Submit]. Press the Ctrl or Shift key and select multiple agents to edit the agent settings collectively. AASIP <IP Address>

• Upgrading from Version 2018 fails when using the Setup wizard of Version 2022 (6.5.0.7616). Please uninstall Version 2018 and then install Version 2022.

• Only Administrators (Administrators group users) who cannot obtain OS and other information from WMI can perform Push installation.

Deploy

• You cannot deploy to an agent on a computer whose icon to the left of the [Managed by this ActiveVisor] list in the Client View is not green (connected).

• If ActiveImage Protector installed on the deployed target computer does not provide the option, the option is disabled.

• If the destination is not accessible from the deploy target agent, the deploy task fails.

Backup

• The deploy task only works if the target client’s disk information is correctly obtained. If you encounter this problem, move the computer to [Unmanaged] and then back to [Managed] again. Then, please make sure that the disk information is obtained correctly.

Site Configuration

• The addition/deletion of an item in the following settings is immediately applied.

  • Storage Device

  • Hypervisor

• Regarding hypervisor settings, you cannot edit the credentials information for the registered host if not the Microsoft Hyper-V host. If you need to make any changes, delete the host’s registration and re-register it.

• Before registering Citrix Hypervisor settings, please ensure that libvirt is configured on the target host, and that port 16509 is opened in the Windows Firewall settings on the target host. We do not provide support if you change the port on the target host.

• Regarding hypervisor settings, if you need to add Nutanix Acropolis, please specify CVM for the connection target and enter the credentials information for Prism.

• When changing the credential information for accessing SFTP/cloud registered for a storage device, please delete the registered information and register it again.

• In Remote Recovery setting, when selecting multiple clients and performing [Add Destination for Client], the process time may increase.

File Recovery

If you try to create a new task while executing a file recovery task, Mount Image may fail, or the running task process may take longer.

• File Recovery in ActiveImage Protector Version 8.0.0 or earlier does not support the use of file backup image created with ActiveImage Protector Version 7.5.0 or later.

Remote Recovery

• Remote Recovery supports PXE booted or RescueBoot booted clients only.

Restore to RescueBoot booted computer

• The backup image files accessible from ActiveVisor and restore target computer are supported to use for recovery.

• Restore target computer is restored by establishing connection with respectively specified backup image file. When running restore process in parallel on multiple restore target computers, the process time may increase.

Restore to PXE booted computer

• The backup image files accessible from ActiveVisor are supported to use for recovery.

• When restoring the same backup image file simultaneously to multiple restore target computers, the process goes as follows:

  • The process is performed via ActiveVisor. Since the data are transmitted and received among computers, in the event of network failure, some computers may stop processing. Parallel restore processing on computers selected from different segments is allowed if communication between each computer is available.

  • Restore supports a backup image in destination storage except for SFTP, even if the backup image cannot be directly accessed from the restore target computer. When using a backup image file saved in Actiphy StorageServer or cloud storage, please do not disable [PXE boot] during processing. When using the following backup image, the restore target computers respectively access ActiveVisor to perform restore process.

    • Backup images created by enabling [Backup by disk] option for multiple disks
    • Backup images created by enabling [Split image into xx MB files] option.

  • When restoring a backup image in Actiphy StorageServer Version 1.1.1 or earlier, the restore target computer accesses the respectively specified backup image file. Therefore the process time may increase.

  • When the process fails on PXE booted computer, use hot key [ctrl + alt + s] to shut down the client computer and try Restore again. When you collect log information, connect USB memory, etc., to client computer, use hot key [ctrl + alt + e] to launch File Explorer and copy the following folder and file.

    • x:\Program Files\ActiveImageProtector\logs
    • x:\Program Files\ActiveImageProtector\aip.log

Remote Console

• [Virtual Conversion]—[Conversion from image] does not support backup files located in a network-shared folder.

• When the version of the built-in console for remote management is higher than the version of the managed agent, the features and options that the agent does not support may be displayed. Since the unsupported features and options do not work correctly, please refrain from using them.

• When you go to [Recovery] - [HyperRecovery LIVE!], the status of the virtual machine in recovery process is not displayed in thumbnail. Remote operation of a virtual machine in recovery process fails.

Web Console

• When using an SSL certificate, please copy it to the [SSL-Certs] folder in the installation folder.

• The following features are disabled.

  • Delete a template.

  • Delete a task created on a client and export the task log.

Supplementary

• The following ports are used for communication.

  • Host (ActiveVisor)

    • 135 (Windows Management Interface (WMI))

    • 139 (File and printer sharing)

    • 445 (File and printer sharing)

    • 57236 (Web access)

    • 57237 (Web access)

    • 60236

• To use the Power-on feature on a physical computer client, please confirm that Wake on LAN (WOL) works correctly on the computer. The following are the examples of the checkpoints and settings to configure when Wake on LAN (WOL) does not work properly. If Wake on LAN (WOL) does not work even after properly configuring settings, please contact the computer maker.

• The status of NIC driver Wake on LAN (WOL) may not work due to improper driver installation, or updating to a supported version may be required.

• Windows 10 or later Fast Startup feature is enabled. When the Windows 10 or later Fast Startup feature is enabled, Wake on LAN (WOL) may not work. For example, Go to [Control Panel]—[Power Options]. Click [Choose what the power buttons do]—[Change settings that are currently unavailable] and uncheck [Turn on fast startup].

• PCI Express in power save mode. When the power save mode option is enabled for PCI Express (Link State Power Management), Wake on LAN (WOL) may not work. Ex: Go to [Control Panel]—[Power Options]—[Change plan settings]—[Change advanced power settings]—[PCI Express] and set [Link State Power Management] to “Off.”