Backup using Microsoft VSS (Volume Shadow Copies)

Backup using Microsoft VSS (Volume Shadow Copies)

Creation Date: February 05, 2008

Revision Date: January 21, 2015

Product: DS‑Client (Windows)

Summary

This article covers the backup of Windows Servers using Microsoft VSS (Volume Shadow Copy Service). It explains how DS-Client works with VSS and when it is recommended to use VSS to perform backups.

Details

File system backup sets for Windows Servers can be configured to use VSS to perform the backup. This option must be specifically enabled for each backup set in the Set Properties Advanced Options tab.

During backup of sets configured to use VSS:

1.DS-Client will connect to the source machine and will instruct the VSS service to take a snapshot of that machine.

2.After the snapshot is generated, DS-Client will continue its backup using the VSS snapshot.

NOTE:  To use the VSS backup method, sufficient storage must be available on the source machine to hold the snapshot.

NOTE:  Only one VSS snapshot of a volume can be taken at a time. This means that simultaneous snapshots of the same volume from different VSS-aware backup sets is not possible. If this is attempted, the error “Another VSS backup already in progress. Failed to create new VSS Snapshots.” will be reported. To work around these situations, you can either edit the backup schedules so that the backups run at different times, or adjust the “VSSWaitSnapshotTimeout” Advanced DS-Client Parameter (Setup menu > Configuration > Advanced Tab: Miscellaneous).

3.If any problems occur during the backup from the snapshot (or if the VSS snapshot fails), DS-Client will try to back up using the traditional ‘agentless’ backup (lock the files, open them, read the files, process the files for incremental forever, compression, encryption and send the files to the DS-System).

4.By default, the Do not involve writers option is not selected (recommended). This means DS-Client will communicate with the applications that integrate with Microsoft VSS to produce the most consistent backup of data.

Backup of Windows VISTA and newer servers (File system backup sets)

For Windows VISTA and newer operating systems, VSS is always used to backup the System State and Services Database.

Common scenarios when to backup using VSS

•Bare Metal Restore

•Other databases (not part of the special backup types available in the New Backup Wizard) if the database engine you are trying to backup integrates with VSS (has writers).

Excluding specific VSS Writers or Components from a VSS-aware backup

This option allows you to apply the Do not involve writers feature to a specific VSS writer or component.

1.In the Set Properties Advanced Options Tab, select Exclude some writers / components.

A list of all VSS Writers and components on the target Windows source machine appears.

2.Browse and select the item(s) you want to exclude.

Any item you select will not be asked by DS-Client to perform a VSS snapshot when a backup of this set is performed.

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