DFSR & VSS enabled - small backups?

[surfnturf81]

Hello, we recently enabled DFSR replication from one file server to another and enabled VSS/Shadow copies on these servers.  Since that time my full backups of the primary server reduced from 1220GB to about 18GB and my differentials are slightly smaller (~15GB).  Initially I removed backing up of the Shadow copy components because I saw a couple of other exceptions and later stopped the backup job from using AOFO which didn't seem to help either.  We do not manage the backups of the secondary server.

I am not very familiar with these technologies, DFSR and the shadow copies component as they were recently deployed by an integretor without much thought to training and our current backup protocals.

We are using Backup Exec 2012 v14r1798 and the target is MS Server 2012 R2.

What's going on here and how do I configure this job to backup my shares?

Currently Backup Exec is backing up all the physical drives of the VM and the system state, shadow copy components are not selected.

Thanks in advance!

[pkh · Accepted solution]

When a folder is under DSFR and you backup the folder, nothing will be backed up. You can only backup these folders under DSFR if you back up the shadow copy component. You need to enable AOF so that opened files are backed up

[Sym-cr · Accepted solution]

Have a look at the below mentioned article for Backup and restore of DFSR data (applicable to any version of BE above 10d):

Restoring DFSR (Distributed File System Replication) Data with Backup Exec

http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH85354

DFSR data should always be backed up through Shadow Copy Components only, otherwise the data is not getting backed up when you select it at the drive level.

Restore of the DFSR data when initiated from the drive level...it restores 0 bytes of data.

Thanks!!

[surfnturf81]

Are you saying when I deslected the Shadow Copy Components, essentially I stopped backing up the data I meant to back up all along?  I will go back and enable that data set and test thanks.

I will also re-enable AOF, thanks.

[pkh]

Yes

[surfnturf81]

The backup failed some 66GB in with "The job failed with the following error: The data being read from the media is inconsistent."  I received this message intiailly also before I deselected the shadow copy component set.  This job ran alongside our VSS jobs which normally isn't the case, is that what's causing it?