One idea:

I've lost track of what all you have done to the failing machines.
But, in the README for the WIN32 backup client at PTF6, it describes a
known problem with damaged registry entries if someone tries to run the
install a second time without uninstalling the service first.
The damaged entries cannot be recreated by running dsmsvci again, you
have to use REGEDIT to clean them up.
The README describes what to do.
Could that have happened on this machine?


 =======================================================================
Wanda Prather
Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab
301-953-6000 X8769
wanda_prather AT jhuapl DOT edu

"Intelligence has much less practical application than you'd think."
              - Scott Adams/Dilbert
 =======================================================================

        ----------
        From:   Moir,Elizabeth[SMTP:Elizabeth.Moir AT ln.ssw.abbott DOT com]
        Sent:   Monday, November 17, 1997 11:05 AM
        To:     ADSM-L AT vm.marist DOT edu
        Subject:        Re: ADSM and the NT Service

        I creep painfully, centimeter by centimeter closer to the
possible cause of
        the problem - After uninstalling and reinstalling both the
service and the
        software, I ran the scheduler using the DOS command line and it
just
        blipped.  Then I tried to run the incremental using the command
line and at
        last I got some messages anyway.  Apparently, when I use the
DSMCSVCI, either
        from the GUI or from the command line, it's not creating a
nodename registry
        entry.  The message stated that and when I went to look for it
there was
        nothing there.

        We use this software on several NT servers and on a couple NT
workstations,
        but I have two clients that this is happening to.  With this
further
        information, anybody have any thoughts?  And thanks to everybody
for their
        suggestions so far.  I would NEVER have gotten this far without
you.
        ---------------------- Forwarded by Elizabeth D
Moir/LAKE/CHMS/ABBOTT on
        11/17/97 09:54 AM ---------------------------


        ADSM-L AT VM.MARIST DOT EDU on 11/13/97 11:21:29 AM
        To: ADSM-L AT VM.MARIST DOT EDU @ INTERNET
        cc:
        Subject: Re: ADSM and the NT Service

        Beth,

         Check your NT event logs.  This is a really strange problem and
hopefully
        something will show up in either the system or application log.
This
        sounds like a relatively serious problem, a corrupt DLL or bad
memory chip
        or something.  If you see nothing wrong with any other
application I would
        definitely open a problem with IBM.

        Let us know,
         Dan T.

        ----------
        > From: Moir,Elizabeth <Elizabeth.Moir AT LN.SSW.ABBOTT DOT COM>
        > To: ADSM-L AT VM.MARIST DOT EDU
        > Subject: Re: ADSM and the NT Service
        > Date: Thursday, November 13, 1997 7:26 AM
        >
        > I'm really appreciate everybody's input on this.  To answer
some of the
        > questions . . . . .
        >
        > I have installed the latest V2 version.
        > I checked the dsmerror.log and there is nothing in there.
        >
        > I just went over to run dsmc to look at the messages as
suggested here
        and lo
        > and behold it doesn't even run.  There's a little blip on the
screen and
        I'm
        > right back to the C:\Win32app\IBM\ADSM\BACLIENT prompt.  I
checked to see
        if
        > the executable was even there and it is.  I ran DSMSCVC.exe
and that ran
        > fine.
        >
        > Does anybody think this could possibly be a memory problem?
        >
        > Again, thanks for all the help so far.
        >
        >
        >
        >
        > ADSM-L AT VM.MARIST DOT EDU on 11/13/97 06:57:05 AM
        > To: ADSM-L AT VM.MARIST DOT EDU @ INTERNET
        > cc:
        > Subject: Re: ADSM and the NT Service
        >
        > Beth,
        >
        >   I agree with the advice of attempting to run the DSMC.exe
from a
        command
        >   prompt to see if it will display other messages.  I have run
into ADSM
        > complaining about not finding certain files before.  FYI.  The
nodename
        > being unreadable in the registry is not right.  If you had run
the
        dsmcsvci
        > (I assume you had) it should have been fine.  I have had to
manually
        enter
        > the the clientnodename correctly before.
        >
        > Are you on the latest client code? 2.1.0.6g, I think.
        >
        > Dan T.
        >
        > ----------
        > > From: Moir,Elizabeth <Elizabeth.Moir AT LN.SSW.ABBOTT DOT COM>
        > > To: ADSM-L AT VM.MARIST DOT EDU
        > > Subject: Re: ADSM and the NT Service
        > > Date: Wednesday, November 12, 1997 2:25 PM
        > >
        > > Here's what I've done so far.
        > >
        > > 1.  I pinged VM (that's the alias for our ADSM server) -
That worked
        > okay.
        > > 2.  I pinged the ADSM server IP address - That worked okay.
        > > 3.  I  changed the TCPServerAddress in the options file to
the full
        > address
        > > instead of the alias.  I tried to execute the ADSM Client.
It blipped
        on
        > the
        > > screen and disappeared.
        > > 4.  I uninstalled the NT Service and tried to execute the
ADSM Client.
        > Same
        > > blip.
        > > 5.  I uninstalled the entire ADSM client and reinstalled it.
(Compact
        > > install, all defaults accepted.)  Tried to execute the ADSM
Client.
        Same
        > > blip.
        > >
        > > When I look at my ADSM server logs, this node isn't even
making it to
        the
        > > server.  There's no activity there at all.
        > >
        > > At one point when I was just trying to look at the registry
entries
        (via
        > > dsmcscvi) it showed the clientnodename as being one of those
playing
        card
        > > unprintables (a spade, I think) which leads me to believe
the registry
        > isn't
        > > getting updated.
        > >
        > > Also, I made sure this person had administrator and backup
operator
        > rights.
        > >
        > > Everything seems to be working except ADSM and I am at a
complete loss
        as
        > to
        > > why.  Does anybody think I should try Version 3.  At this
point, I
        don't.
        >  My
        > > instincts tell me this has something to do with NT not ADSM.
I even
        > > uninstalled my own NT machine and reinstalled it just to
make sure
        > everything
        > > still worked on my machine.  It did.  We have lots of NT
servers using
        > ADSM,
        > > but only a couple workstations (mine being one of them).
Two of these
        > > workstations won't work.  I'm open to any and all, creative
or bizarre
        > ideas.
        > >
        > > Thanks.
        > >
        > >
        > >
        > >
        > >
        > > ADSM-L AT VM.MARIST DOT EDU on 11/11/97 09:16:56 AM
        > > To: ADSM-L AT VM.MARIST DOT EDU @ INTERNET
        > > cc:
        > > Subject: Re: ADSM and the NT Service
        > >
        > > We had this problem.
        > >
        > > In our case, DNS was not resolving the ADSM Server machine
name as
        > specified
        > > in
        > > the dsm.opt file.
        > >
        > > Check this by issuing a PING command from your client to the
server to
        > check
        > > the
        > > network connectivity between the machines.
        > >
        > > Regards
        > >
        > > Phil
        > >
        > > Phil Chissell       phil.chissell AT research.natpower.co DOT uk
        > >
        > > This represents the view of the author alone and is not to
be
        > > considered as the position of National Power PLC