Troubleshooting

Last updated on 2019-08-21 15:44:38

The following diagnostic tools should help you troubleshoot most problems. Please read this article before contacting Barracuda Networks Technical Support. See also Replacing a Failed System.

Basic Troubleshooting Tools

The ADVANCED > Troubleshooting page provides a suite of tools that help troubleshoot network connectivity issues that may be impacting the performance of your Barracuda Email Security Gateway.

For example, you can test your Barracuda Email Security Gateway’s connection to the Barracuda Networks update servers to make sure that it can successfully download the latest Energize Updates definitions. You can also ping or telnet to other devices from the Barracuda Email Security Gateway, perform dig/NS-lookup, TCP dump and perform a trace route from the Barracuda Email Security Gateway to any another system.

Connect to Barracuda Networks Support Servers

In the Support Diagnostics section of the ADVANCED > Troubleshooting page, you can initiate a connection between your Barracuda Email Security Gateway and the Barracuda Networks Technical Support Center which will allow technical support engineers to troubleshoot any issues you may be experiencing. See How to Open a Support Tunnel for details.

Rebooting the System in Recovery Mode

If your Barracuda Email Security Gateway experiences a serious issue that impacts its core functionality, you can use diagnostic and recovery tools that are available from the reboot menu (see below) to return your system to an operational state.

Before you use the diagnostic and recovery tools, do the following:

Use the built-in troubleshooting tools on the ADVANCED > Troubleshooting page to help diagnose the problem.
Perform a system restore from the last known good backup file.
Contact Barracuda Networks Technical Support for additional troubleshooting tips.

As a last resort, you can reboot your Barracuda Email Security Gateway and run a memory test or perform a complete system recovery, as described below.

To perform a system recovery or hardware test

Connect a monitor and keyboard directly to your Barracuda Email Security Gateway.
Reboot the system by doing one of the following:
- In the web interface: Go to the BASIC > Administration page, navigate to the System Management section, and click Restart.
- At the front panel of the Barracuda Email Security Gateway: Press the Power button on the front panel to turn off the system, and then press the Power button again to turn the system on.
The splash screen displays with the following three boot options:
Barracuda
Recovery
Hardware_Test
Use your keyboard to select the desired boot option, and press the Enter key. You must select the boot option within three seconds after the splash screen appears. If you do not select an option within three seconds, the Barracuda Email Security Gateway starts up in Normal mode (first option). For a description of each boot option, refer to Reboot Options below.

To stop a hardware test, reboot your Barracuda Email Security Gateway by pressing the Ctrl-Alt-Del keys.

Reboot options

The table below describes the options available at the reboot menu.

Reboot Options	Description
Barracuda	Starts the Barracuda Email Security Gateway in the normal (default) mode. This option is automatically selected if no other option is specified within the first three seconds of the splash screen appearing.
Recovery	Displays the Recovery Console, where you can select the following options: Barracuda Repair (no data loss) – Repairs the file system on the Barracuda Email Security Gateway. Full Barracuda Recovery (all data lost) – Restores the factory settings on your Barracuda Email Security Gateway and clears out the configuration information. Enable remote administration (reverse runnel) – Turns on reverse tunnel that allows Barracuda Networks Technical Support to access the system. Another method for enabling remote administration is to click Establish Connection to Barracuda Networks Support Center on the ADVANCED >Troubleshooting page. Diagnostic memory test – Runs a diagnostic memory test from the operating system. If problems are reported when running this option, Barracuda recommends running the Hardware_Test option next.
Hardware_Test	Performs a thorough memory test that shows most memory related errors within a two-hour time period. The memory test is performed outside of the operating system and can take a long time to complete. Reboot your Barracuda Email Security Gateway to stop the hardware test.

Reboot Options

Description

Barracuda

Starts the Barracuda Email Security Gateway in the normal (default) mode. This option is automatically selected if no other option is specified within the first three seconds of the splash screen appearing.

Recovery

Displays the Recovery Console, where you can select the following options:

Barracuda Repair (no data loss) – Repairs the file system on the Barracuda Email Security Gateway.
Full Barracuda Recovery (all data lost) – Restores the factory settings on your Barracuda Email Security Gateway and clears out the configuration information.
Enable remote administration (reverse runnel) – Turns on reverse tunnel that allows Barracuda Networks Technical Support to access the system. Another method for enabling remote administration is to click Establish Connection to Barracuda Networks Support Center on the ADVANCED >Troubleshooting page.
Diagnostic memory test – Runs a diagnostic memory test from the operating system. If problems are reported when running this option, Barracuda recommends running the Hardware_Test option next.

Hardware_Test

Performs a thorough memory test that shows most memory related errors within a two-hour time period. The memory test is performed outside of the operating system and can take a long time to complete. Reboot your Barracuda Email Security Gateway to stop the hardware test.