Physical Windows Server 2008 R2 w/SP1 Standard server. Acts as a dedicated media server for Symantec Backup Exec 2010 R3. When performing a system state backup of this media server, the job fails with a VSS error. I have attempted to run the system state backup with Microsoft's backup utility. It also fails. I have a 6 TB LUN connected via iSCSI for a backup target which I did not use for the Microsoft backup test. All other backup jobs run successfully for the physical and virtual environment.
Backup Exec logs report the following:
- AOFO: Initialization failure on: "\\bemsvr System?State". Advanced Open File Option used: Microsoft Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS).
V-79-10000-11226 - VSS Snapshot error. The Microsoft Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) snapshot provider selected returned: "Unexpected provider error". Ensure that all provider services are enabled and can be started. Check the Windows Event Viewer for details.
The application event log reports the following:
Log Name: Application
Source: VSS
Date: 9/1/2011 12:21:56 PM
Event ID: 12293
Task Category: None
Level: Error
Keywords: Classic
User: N/A
Computer: bemsvr
Description:
Volume Shadow Copy Service error: Error calling a routine on a Shadow Copy Provider {b5946137-7b9f-4925-af80-51abd60b20d5}. Routine details EndPrepareSnapshots({99321340-ad58-44b0-b8b3-34c66d8343ea}) [hr = 0x80070015, The device is not ready.
].
Operation:
Executing Asynchronous Operation
Context:
Current State: DoSnapshotSet
Event Xml:
<Event xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/win/2004/08/events/event">
<System>
<Provider Name="VSS" />
<EventID Qualifiers="0">12293</EventID>
<Level>2</Level>
<Task>0</Task>
<Keywords>0x80000000000000</Keywords>
<TimeCreated SystemTime="2011-09-01T17:21:56.000000000Z" />
<EventRecordID>26504</EventRecordID>
<Channel>Application</Channel>
<Computer>bemsvr</Computer>
<Security />
</System>
<EventData>
<Data>{b5946137-7b9f-4925-af80-51abd60b20d5}</Data>
<Data>EndPrepareSnapshots({99321340-ad58-44b0-b8b3-34c66d8343ea})</Data>
<Data>0x80070015, The device is not ready.
</Data>
<Data>
Operation:
Executing Asynchronous Operation
Context:
Current State: DoSnapshotSet
I contacted Symantec support and they volunteered to pass this one on to Microsoft, which I have not contacted. I have searched and researched many different variations of VSS issues. Some technotes that I found suggested re-registering the dll's, changing permissions on a couple folders under the \Windows\winsxs\ folder, changing permissions on DWord values, as well as a few others. So far, nothing has worked.
VSSAdmin reports the following:
C:\>vssadmin list providers
vssadmin 1.1 - Volume Shadow Copy Service administrative command-line tool
(C) Copyright 2001-2005 Microsoft Corp.
Provider name: 'Microsoft Software Shadow Copy provider 1.0'
Provider type: System
Provider Id: {b5946137-7b9f-4925-af80-51abd60b20d5}
Version: 1.0.0.7
C:\>vssadmin list writers
vssadmin 1.1 - Volume Shadow Copy Service administrative command-line tool
(C) Copyright 2001-2005 Microsoft Corp.
Writer name: 'Task Scheduler Writer'
Writer Id: {d61d61c8-d73a-4eee-8cdd-f6f9786b7124}
Writer Instance Id: {1bddd48e-5052-49db-9b07-b96f96727e6b}
State: [1] Stable
Last error: No error
Writer name: 'VSS Metadata Store Writer'
Writer Id: {75dfb225-e2e4-4d39-9ac9-ffaff65ddf06}
Writer Instance Id: {088e7a7d-09a8-4cc6-a609-ad90e75ddc93}
State: [1] Stable
Last error: No error
Writer name: 'Performance Counters Writer'
Writer Id: {0bada1de-01a9-4625-8278-69e735f39dd2}
Writer Instance Id: {f0086dda-9efc-47c5-8eb6-a944c3d09381}
State: [1] Stable
Last error: No error
Writer name: 'ASR Writer'
Writer Id: {be000cbe-11fe-4426-9c58-531aa6355fc4}
Writer Instance Id: {a9900084-3a02-4d5e-a648-d9ff82ce18f5}
State: [1] Stable
Last error: No error
Writer name: 'System Writer'
Writer Id: {e8132975-6f93-4464-a53e-1050253ae220}
Writer Instance Id: {45aba776-c328-4fa8-8532-ad4648a3f663}
State: [7] Failed
Last error: Timed out
Writer name: 'SqlServerWriter'
Writer Id: {a65faa63-5ea8-4ebc-9dbd-a0c4db26912a}
Writer Instance Id: {20b36274-9908-4984-a94b-4641e3fdcf99}
State: [1] Stable
Last error: No error
Writer name: 'Backup Exec Deduplication Storage Writer'
Writer Id: {55f6d76d-8617-4fc8-81e9-df0de529b555}
Writer Instance Id: {55bbca04-1f46-4476-b9fa-a2745fcca28f}
State: [1] Stable
Last error: No error
Writer name: 'Shadow Copy Optimization Writer'
Writer Id: {4dc3bdd4-ab48-4d07-adb0-3bee2926fd7f}
Writer Instance Id: {2ffe9624-ce3e-4748-a527-c7ef1ebb52c9}
State: [1] Stable
Last error: No error
Writer name: 'Registry Writer'
Writer Id: {afbab4a2-367d-4d15-a586-71dbb18f8485}
Writer Instance Id: {bbe27b77-d304-4ff7-84b6-73dd61527e22}
State: [1] Stable
Last error: No error
Writer name: 'COM+ REGDB Writer'
Writer Id: {542da469-d3e1-473c-9f4f-7847f01fc64f}
Writer Instance Id: {0e0cc0a8-5eac-4e1d-aed9-d2a7ad9a9d7b}
State: [1] Stable
Last error: No error
Writer name: 'WMI Writer'
Writer Id: {a6ad56c2-b509-4e6c-bb19-49d8f43532f0}
Writer Instance Id: {a11bedf0-f837-449c-bcae-bcf9ad9f91f0}
State: [1] Stable
Last error: No error
Stopping and Restarting the Cryptographic Service will put the System Writer back into a stable state.
By the way, at one time the system state backup ran successfully on this media server. I don't know what broke it.