Basic troubleshooting for "Device not seen" alerts

Topic

This article describes basic troubleshooting for "Device not seen" alerts.

Environment

  • Datto SIRIS
  • Datto ALTO
  • Datto NAS

Description

You can configure the Datto Partner Portal to send you email alerts when your Datto device is having trouble communicating with our servers. You can set alerts for each device in your fleet. You can also adjust the time threshold that will trigger the alert.

For more information on setting up device alerts, see our Datto alerts and notifications resource guide.

Things to check when you receive an alert

Is the device checking in?

If your Datto device is not being seen by our servers, you will not be able to connect to the device via the Datto Device Web. In rare cases, a service outage on Datto's end can cause this issue. You can check the Datto Status page to see if any outages are reported.

To check device connectivity

  1. Log in to the Partner Portal. Navigate to Status > BCDR Status

You'll see the last check in listed on the top right of the device listing. A device should check in with Datto's servers approximately every ten minutes, and should always check in immediately after an initial boot or reboot.

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Figure 1: Last Check In

  1. Click the Device Web link for the Datto device having the issue to see if you can connect to the device.

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Figure 2: Device Web link

  • If a connection can be established, the Datto Device Web homepage displays the last check in time. You can click the displayed check in time to force a new check in.

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Figure 3: Last checkin

  • If the device is unable to check in, navigate to Configure > Networking to review the Network Settings page. In the DNS Settings section, make sure you have one of the secondary DNS addresses set to Google's public DNS address of 8.8.8.8. If you make any changes, click Apply and go back to the home page to attempt to force a check in again.

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Figure 4: DNS Settings

  • If you are unable to access your Datto device, Datto Technical Support will also be unable to access it.
  • If your Datto device is unable to check in, You will also not see it listed on https://device.dattobackup.com.
  • If you have remote access to the network that the device resides on, see if you can access the device via IP or hostname on the local network.
  • If your device is IPMI enabled, attempt to connect via IPMI.
  • If you don't have IPMI set up yet, make a plan to enable and configure IPMI for later remote access.

On-site troubleshooting

You will need to have someone on-site to perform the following steps:

  • Check all cable connections.
  • If the device has a redundant power supply, you should have all connections plugged in.
  • Having a power supply unplugged will put the device into a panic mode.

If the Datto device is off

  • Power the Datto device on.
  • Was there a recent power outage? You may need to reboot the Datto device.
  • Is the device on a battery backup? If the battery backup has diagnostics or logs, they can help determine if the battery backup is the cause of the power failure.
  • If the device powers off again in the next few minutes, try another power source without the battery backup.
  • If the device continues to shut off, the Datto device could be overheating. Check to see if the fans are running. See Hard drive temperature alert troubleshooting for more information.
  • If the device is now checking in and does not power off after 5 minutes, it should continue to stay online.

If the Datto device is on

  • Are there any activity lights blinking? High disk activity normally indicates the device is performing backups.
  • Attach a monitor and keyboard to the Datto device. Usually, this will be a VGA monitor or HDMI for ALTO3 and other smaller chassis models.
  • If the keyboard is responsive, you can attempt to configure networking via the console and run the network test. If the networking test completes with no errors, then you should be able to check in.
  • If the device does not respond to keyboard input, take a photo of the screen. It may help Datto Technical Support determine the cause of the problem.

Open a ticket with Datto Technical Support

If the device remains inaccessible, open a ticket with Datto Technical Support detailing the issue and what troubleshooting steps you have taken. If you have taken a picture of what was on the monitor, attach it to your ticket.