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OldDOgVT's avatar
14 years ago

VSS Writer "retryable error" Exchange 2010 Windows 2008R2

 

I have seen many posts about this error, but most of them are for Exchange 2003 or 2007 or Windows 2003.  This is happening on:
  • Backup Exec 2010 R3
  • Windows 2008 R2, SP1
  • Exchange 2010 SP1 RU4
  • Preferred Server list has passive node first
  • "Let Backup Exec automatically choose ..." is enabled
  • AOFO turned off
  • GRT enabled
  • Error happens repeatedly, but not consistently
Backup- DAGName2V-79-57344-65233 - AOFO: Initialization failure on: "\\DAGName\Microsoft Information Store\DataBase1". Advanced Open File Option used: Microsoft Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS).
 
Snapshot provider error (0xE000FED1): A failure occurred querying the Writer status.
 
Check the Windows Event Viewer for details.
 
Writer Name: Exchange Server, Writer ID: {76FE1AC4-15F7-4BCD-987E-8E1ACB462FB7}, Last error: The VSS Writer failed, but the operation can be retried (0x800423f3), State: Failed during prepare backup operation (7).
 
The VSS Writer list always shows "retryable error" for the Microsoft Exchange Replication Writer, and the condition only occurs on this database, which is the largest of 5 databases, at 500GB, and is the last DB to be backed up.
 
Followed all recommendations found so far: AOFO turned off, tried re-registering VSS, but a re-boot of the passive node is the only thing that works ... sometimes.  Again, no consistency, not even in the failures or successes.  The past 2 nightly backups failed while the previous 3 ran successfully.
 
Re-booting the Exchange server(s) to fix this error is ludicrous, as well as costly to our user community.  Anyone have an idea of wheer/how to pursue this?
 
 
  • You are already using the MS recommended solution for a retryable VSS writer state....In certain cases, restart of the Exchange IS services might work, but its usually the reboot which works...

    Have you logged a support case with MS regarding this ?

  • We get the same error, and suggesting we log a support case with MS regarding this is not a solution.  The Exchange server works perfectly, it's when Backup Exec tries to access the server that the VSS writer fails.  We should get a better solution to this common problem.

  • Has Symantec come up with any solution???

    Facing the same problem here...

  • Having the same issues with the SAME environment and Symantec Support had no other ideas in resolving any issues, however the "engineer" (and I use that word VERY loosely) wasn't willing to admit that he didn't, in fact, have all of the answers and escalate to an actual Symantec Engineer so I closed the case as recommendations of continually rebooting servers is NOT a solution...

    Server: w2k8R2_ENT

    Backup Exec: 2010 R3 SP2

    Exchange: 2010

    Backup of Virtual Cluster Name for Exchange results in:  Microsoft Exchange Writer Error: [8] Failed.

     

    Also having issues with a few other servers;  Separated the C:\ backup and System State/Shadow copy and noticed that the Shadow Copy/System State is what is causing the following VSS errors, which clear when the server is rebooted but that is not a solution (although that is all that Symantec tech support was able to suggest):

    VSSADMIN LIST WRITERS

    ‘System Writer’

     ‘IIS Config Writer’

     ‘WMI Writer’

    ‘NPS VSS Writer’

    ‘IIS Metabase Writer’

    ‘Cluster Database’

    ALL OF THE ABOVE:::

    State: [7] Failed

    Last Error: Timed Out

     

    I will be trying the MS patch per http://support.microsoft.com/kb/976099 and have reviewed the following article from Symantec: TECH141421