Troubleshooting off-host backups
Off-host backup requires that the VSS providers and the volumes that are to be transported are set up correctly. Not all arrays are supported with the Advanced Disk-based feature.
You can find a list of compatible types of storage in the Backup Exec Hardware Compatibility List.
To troubleshoot off-host backup issues, it is recommended that you use the tools that are available from the VSS provider to verify the required setup for off-host backup.
The minimum setup requirements are as follows:
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Volumes that you want to back up are snappable.
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Volumes are shared between the remote computer and the Backup Exec server.
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An off-host backup job can only contain the volumes that can be transported to the Backup Exec server for backup.
Other factors to consider are as follows:
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Windows Server 2008 with Service Pack 2 or later must be installed on both the Backup Exec server and on the remote computer. Both computers must have the most recent Volume Shadow Copy Services (VSS) patches.
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Microsoft XML Core Services (MSXML 6.0 SP2) must be installed and running on both the Backup Exec server and the remote computer.
Troubleshooting off-host backup issues depends to an extent on the VSS provider that is used for the snapshots.
The following setup issues that are common to all providers may cause off-host backup to fail:
Related information
Table: Common setup issues for off-host backup
| Issue | Solution |
|---|---|
| The volumes are not shared. | You must ensure that all of the volumes reside on the disks that are shared between the remote computer and the Backup Exec server. If the volumes are not shared, the import operation fails. You may need to clean up the snapshots and resynchronize the volumes manually. |
| The VSS provider is not installed on the Backup Exec server and the remote computer. | The provider that is used for the snapshot must be installed on both the Backup Exec server and on the remote computer. If the provider is not installed on the Backup Exec server, the import operation fails. You may need to clean up the snapshots and resynchronize the volumes manually. |
| All volumes are not transportable. | All of the volumes that are selected for backup must be transportable to the Backup Exec server. If Microsoft SQL, Microsoft Exchange, or other database applications are selected for backup, make sure that the databases and log files reside on transportable volumes. |
| The VSS provider cannot snap all of the selected volumes. | All of the volumes that are selected for backup must be transportable to the Backup Exec server. All volumes that you select for backup must be snappable by the same provider. You must ensure that the same VSS provider supports all of the volumes in a backup job. |
| The log path location is incorrect. | If the provider or the supporting application creates log files during normal snapshot operation, the log files should not reside on any of the volumes that are being snapped. VSS cannot flush the write buffers, and the snapshot times out. Change the log path to another volume. |
| The provider or VSS services are not started. | The provider service should be running and the Microsoft Windows "Volume Shadow Copy" service should not be disabled. |
| The credentials are incorrect. | The machine-level credentials that are used for the job should be the same on both the Backup Exec server and the remote computer. Incorrect credentials cause snapshots or the backup to fail. |
| The VSS provider is not installed on all Backup Exec servers in a Central Admin Server feature (CAS) environment. | If you configure a backup job in a CAS environment, you must send the job to managed Backup Exec servers on which the selected VSS provider is installed. You should not let the central administration server delegate the job. Otherwise, the job may be delegated to a managed Backup Exec server that does not have off-host capability. |
| The Backup Exec server and the remote computer are in the same cluster group. | For an off-host backup in a Microsoft Cluster environment, the Backup Exec server and the remote computer must not be in the same cluster group. The cluster applications cannot support the devices' logical unit numbers (LUNs) that have duplicate signatures and partition layouts. Therefore, you must transport the snapshots that contain the LUNs to a Backup Exec server that is outside the cluster in which the host cluster resides. |
| See How Backup Exec works in a Microsoft Cluster Server environment . | |
| If you use a Hitachi 9970 and attempt to back up Microsoft Cluster data by using the Advanced Disk-based Backup feature, you may receive the following error message: | |
| The job failed with the following error: A failure occurred querying the Writer status. | |
| To correct this problem, ensure that the RM Shadow Copy Provider for Volume Snapshot Service is present and running. If the service is not running, run RMVSSPRV.exe from c:\horcm\tool. If the service is still not running, contact Hitachi for support. |
Off-host backup issues with hardware providers
Hardware disk array vendors may support VSS snapshots and the transporting of volumes to the Backup Exec server for backup in a SAN environment. Using hardware providers requires a sound understanding of how disk arrays are configured for shared access between the remote computer and the Backup Exec server in a SAN.
Consult the documentation for your hardware disk array on how to set up such disk arrays for off-host backup . Specifically, note any limitations on using the disk arrays in context with VSS snapshots, and note how to verify that the volumes are transportable. It is recommended that you make use of any tools that vendors provide to help verify the setup and to troubleshoot issues.
An off-host backup issue that can occur when you use Hitachi hardware may be that Hitachi supports only basic disks for off-host backup. The off-host backup feature is not supported if a computer uses a combination of dynamic and basic disks, and the Hitachi provider.
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