Well don't I feel silly, I forgot the URL that I advised to bookmark. ;-)
https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/recovering-microsoft-windows-systems-using-ibm-spectrum-protect-backup-archive-client
Andrew Raibeck
IBM Spectrum Protect Level 3
IBM Systems, Storage
stor...@us.ibm.com
IBM
"ADSM: Dist Stor Manager" <ADSM-L@VM.MARIST.EDU> wrote on 2021-02-26
12:49:55:
> From: Andrew Raibeck <stor...@us.ibm.com>
> To: ADSM-L@VM.MARIST.EDU
> Date: 2021-02-26 12:50
> Subject: [EXTERNAL] Re: snapshot error
> Sent by: "ADSM: Dist Stor Manager" <ADSM-L@VM.MARIST.EDU>
>
> A few more thoughts and comments:
>
> 1. In general, if VSS snapshots are not working, that is not good. Yet
> another case where IBM Spectrum Protect is the "canary in the coal
> mine" :-). These errors should be identified and corrected, very likely
> rooted in an OS issue (not specific to IBM code). That said, another
> possibility is if you have a hardware snapshot provider installed, then
try
> adding VSSUSESYSTEMPROVIDER YES to the dsm.opt file, and see if that
> corrects the issue. You can use the command VSSADMIN LIST PROVIDERS to
see
> what is installed (or run the DISKSHADOW command, then enter the LIST
> PROVIDERS command).
>
> 2. This issue looks related to system state backup processing, the ASR
> Writer in particular (which usually does not get along with hardware
> providers, see comment 1). Without the ASR Writer, you cannot have a good
> system state backup. As Marc pointed out, using VSSSNAPSHOTPROVIDERFS
NONE
> has no effect on this, as system state backups inherently require VSS.
>
> 3. Beginning with client version 8.1.8, the default VSSSNAPSHOTPROVIDERFS
> setting is changed to YES, since it is "best practice" to use snapshot
> backups. If you are not already familiar with it, this is a good URL too
> bookmark and refer to, regarding Windows backup and recovery, as it links
> to other important documents.
>
> 4. For help with problem isolation, here are my own "raw" notes on using
> DISKSHADOW to test snapshots. This test comes close to doing the same
> things that IBM Spectrum Protect does to create the snapshots:
>
> ===== BEGIN ANDY'S NOTES =====
> See if diskshadow is able to take a snapshot of the system state. This
> technique
> does not actually produce a backup, but it does create a snapshot that is
> deleted at the end of the test.
>
> To use diskshadow, you will need to identify all the local disks on the
> volume.
> If the system also has an unmounted volume with BCD data on it, that
needs
> to be
> included too (in order to back up ASR data).
>
> The Windows mountvol command can be used to display local disks, and it
> will
> also show any unmounted volumes. The unmounted volume will appear as just
a
> GUID, with no drive letter. If such a volume appears, then you can use
> mountvol
> to temporarily mount it to a drive letter (let us say X:), and then issue
> dir x:\ /ad to see if a directory named Boot appears in the root of the
> file
> system. The presence of Boot suggests this is BCD data, and you would
want
> to
> include this volume's GUID in the snapshot. Use mountvol with the /d
> parameter
> to unmount the volume.
>
> Next, create a plain text file with this content. I call it script.ds in
> this
> example.
>
> Notes:
> You will need to customize the add volume commands according to the local
> drives
> on your system.
>
> In my example, I have drives C: and E, F:, G:, and an unmounted volume
with
> BCD
> information (this is the EFI system partition).
>
> Do not include floppy or CD drives.
>
> Note the names that appear after each alias keyword in the add volume
> statements. The names are slightly different, to align with the drive
> letters.
>
> The proivider GUID parts of the add volume statements tell diskshadow to
> use
> the Windows system provider (same as using VSSUSESYSTEMPROVIDER YES in
the
> dsm.opt file).
>
> Here is the script example:
> --------------------------------------------------
> set metadata testshadow.cab
> set verbose on
> begin backup
> add volume c: provider {b5946137-7b9f-4925-af80-51abd60b20d5} alias
> testshadow_c
> add volume e: provider {b5946137-7b9f-4925-af80-51abd60b20d5} alias
> testshadow_e
> add volume f: provider {b5946137-7b9f-4925-af80-51abd60b20d5} alias
> testshadow_f
> add volume g: provider {b5946137-7b9f-4925-af80-51abd60b20d5} alias
> testshadow_g
> add volume \\?\Volume{7e6853b6-ed18-11e3-bb7a-806e6f6e6963}\ provider
> {b5946137-7b9f-4925-af80-51abd60b20d5} alias testshadow_bcd
> create
> list shadows all
> end backup
> list shadows all
> --------------------------------------------------
> End of example
>
> Note: after the "add volume" commands and before the "create" command, a
> line
> could be added like this to exclude the VSS SQL Server Writer:
>
> writer exclude {a65faa63-5ea8-4ebc-9dbd-a0c4db26912a}
>
> This is the Writer ID as shown by the "vssadmin list writers" command or
> the
> diskshadow "list writers" command.
>
> Note: After the "create" command finishes, it shows the shadow copies;
thus
> the first "list shadows all" command above might be redundant.
>
> 2. Run the script like this, from an OS prompt (cmd.exe):
>
> diskshadow /s script.ds /l script.out
>
> On screen observe the diskshadow output, and it will also be saved to
> script.out. The shadow copy will be only temporary, it will be deleted
> (just the
> test shadow copy) when the script completes, as the second "list shadows
> all" in
> the script will show. If it fails, then they could share this output with
> Microsoft to troubleshoot further.
>
> Other notes:
>
> If the above script successfully creates a snapshot, then modify the
script
> by
> removing the provider GUID elements from each add volume statement, then
> try it
> again. See if the error occurs this time. If the error does not occur
when
> provider GUID is used, but the error does occur when the provider GUID is
> not
> used, then try the system state backup with option VSSUSESYSTEMPROVIDER
YES
> again.
> ===== END ANDY'S NOTES =====
>
> Andrew Raibeck
> IBM Spectrum Protect Level 3
> IBM Systems, Storage
> stor...@us.ibm.com
>
> IBM
>
> "ADSM: Dist Stor Manager" <ADSM-L@VM.MARIST.EDU> wrote on 2021-02-26
> 10:46:41:
>
> > From: Marc Lanteigne <marclantei...@ca.ibm.com>
> > To: ADSM-L@VM.MARIST.EDU
> > Date: 2021-02-26 10:47
> > Subject: [EXTERNAL] Re: snapshot error
> > Sent by: "ADSM: Dist Stor Manager" <ADSM-L@VM.MARIST.EDU>
> >
> > Hi Mike,
> >
> > If that is your entire option file, you have systemstate included in
your
> > backup by default. And the systemstate backup will always use VSS as
per
> > Microsoft's design.
> >
> > The " SNAPSHOTPROVIDERFS NONE" option just stops to use VSS for
> filesystem
> > backups, not for systemstate.
> >
> >
> > -
> > Thanks,
> > Marc...
> >
> > Marc Lanteigne
> > Spectrum Protect Specialist AVP / SRT
> > IBM Systems, Spectrum Protect / Plus
> > +1-506-460-9074 <- New phone number
> > marclantei...@ca.ibm.com
> > Office Hours: Monday to Friday, 7:00 to 15:30 Eastern
> >
> > IBM
> >
> >
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Michael Hizny <mhi...@binghamton.edu>
> > Sent: Friday, February 26, 2021 10:41 AM
> > To: ADSM-L@VM.MARIST.EDU
> > Subject: [EXTERNAL] [ADSM-L] snapshot error
> >
> > Hi,
> >
> > We are trying to run a normal backup on a windows 2016 server. We are
> not
> > using snapshots, yet every time the scheduler starts a backup, it fails
> by
> > trying to start a snapshot. Has anyone seen this and is there a way to
> > disable the VSS snapshot attempt?
> >
> > *Here is the error:*
> >
> > 02/25/2021 20:36:07 ANS5250E An unexpected error was encountered.
> > IBM Spectrum Protect function name : StartSnapshotSet()
> > IBM Spectrum Protect function : 'StartSnapshotSet() failed with
> > error VSS_E_SNAPSHOT_SET_IN_PROGRESS. 0X80042316'
> > IBM Spectrum Protect return code : -2147212522
> > IBM Spectrum Protect file : ..\..\common\winnt\asrutil.cpp
> > (1928)
> >
> >
> > *Here is the opt file where we have VSS disabled:*
> >
> > NODENAME XXXXXXX
> > TCPSERVERADDRESS xxx.xx.xxxxx.xxx
> > EXCLUDE.BACKUP "*:\microsoft uam volume\...\*"
> > EXCLUDE.ARCHIVE "*:\...\system32\Perflib*.dat"
> >
> > SNAPSHOTPROVIDERFS NONE
> > SNAPSHOTPROVIDERIMAGE NONE
> > PASSWORDACCESS GENERATE
> >
> > Thanks,
> > Mike
> > --
> >
>
