VSS Writer Timed Out

[SpidexGary]

Hi,

My first time logging an issue, so feel free to comment if anything is missing.

We must get this error 'The job failed with the following error: A failure occurred querying the Writer status. See the job log for details about the error.' Once or twice a week. The backup mostly backups but will fail on VSS right at the end.

I have spoken with symantec staff and tried numerous suggestions however this keeps on occuring. Anyone have any suggestions what to try?

I forgot to mention when i run VSSADMIN LIST WRITERS there are always no issues.

V-79-57344-65233 - AOFO: Initialization failure on: "Shadow?Copy?Components". Advanced Open File Option used: Microsoft Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS).
Snapshot provider error (0xE000FED1): A failure occurred querying the Writer status. See the job log for details about the error.

Check the Windows Event Viewer for details.

Writer Name: Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol, Writer ID: {BE9AC81E-3619-421F-920F-4C6FEA9E93AD}, Last error: The VSS Writer timed out (0x800423f2), State: Failed during freeze operation (9).

Writer Name: File Server Resource Manager, Writer ID: {12CE4370-5BB7-4C58-A76A-E5D5097E3674}, Last error: The VSS Writer timed out (0x800423f2), State: Failed during freeze operation (9).

Writer Name: Network Policy Server, Writer ID: {35E81631-13E1-48DB-97FC-D5BC721BB18A}, Last error: The VSS Writer timed out (0x800423f2), State: Failed during freeze operation (9).

Writer Name: Terminal Services Gateway, Writer ID: {368753EC-572E-4FC7-B4B9-CCD9BDC624CB}, Last error: The VSS Writer timed out (0x800423f2), State: Failed during freeze operation (9).

Writer Name: Windows Management Instrumentation, Writer ID: {A6AD56C2-B509-4E6C-BB19-49D8F43532F0}, Last error: The VSS Writer timed out (0x800423f2), State: Failed during freeze operation (9).
 

[lmosla]

Hello,

A few questions:  What type of job is this (Exchange, SQL).

What is the version of Backup Exec?

What are your Windows server versions for the Remote machine and the Media Server?

Do you have AOFO enabled?  

Make sure that any maintenance isnt running during the backup and that all the Live updates have been ran with the updated agent pushed out to the Remote servers.

Also, if there is antivirus running make sure there are exclusions for the Backup Exec processes

[SpidexGary]

Hi,

A few questions:  What type of job is this (Exchange, SQL). Exchange

What is the version of Backup Exec? 2010 R3

What are your Windows server versions for the Remote machine and the Media Server? Windows SBS2008

Do you have AOFO enabled?  No

I ran live updates last week. i do have exclusions in places for our anti virus but not too sure which processes to ignore can you suggest any?

[lmosla]

the processes to exclude include:

• C:\Program Files\Symantec\Backup Exec\beremote.exe
• C:\Program Files\Symantec\Backup Exec\beserver.exe
• C:\Program Files\Symantec\Backup Exec\bengine.exe
• C:\Program Files\Symantec\Backup Exec\benetns.exe
• C:\Program Files\Symantec\Backup Exec\pvlsvr.exe
• C:\Program Files\Symantec\Backup Exec\BkUpexec.exe
• C:\Program Files\Symantec\Backup Exec\RAWS\beremote.exe
• and the Backup Exec temp directory C:\Temp\Backup Exec on the Exchange server 

[SpidexGary]

Hi,

Added all of the exceptions moved our windows backup to later in the day. It ran fine for a few days but once again the same error occured.

V-79-57344-65233 - AOFO: Initialization failure on: "Shadow?Copy?Components". Advanced Open File Option used: Microsoft Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS).

Snapshot provider error (0xE000FED1): A failure occurred querying the Writer status. See the job log for details about the error.

Any other ideas?

Cheers

[SpidexGary]

Hi,

Just ran VSSADMIN LIST WRITERS and some are failing again why does this happen? is there anything we can do to stop this from happening?

Writer name: 'ASR Writer'

   Writer Id: {be000cbe-11fe-4426-9c58-531aa6355fc4}

   Writer Instance Id: {daca8ff1-a63d-4d06-b1ec-408de72aeb4b}

   State: [1] Stable

   Last error: No error

Writer name: 'SharePoint Services Writer'

   Writer Id: {c2f52614-5e53-4858-a589-38eeb25c6184}

   Writer Instance Id: {d4e63bf0-04f8-4647-b366-8cc2c1dcda12}

   State: [1] Stable

   Last error: No error

Writer name: 'System Writer'

   Writer Id: {e8132975-6f93-4464-a53e-1050253ae220}

   Writer Instance Id: {554c991e-2ade-423f-86e7-faa32da33aab}

   State: [1] Stable

   Last error: No error

Writer name: 'SqlServerWriter'

   Writer Id: {a65faa63-5ea8-4ebc-9dbd-a0c4db26912a}

   Writer Instance Id: {a7032e07-8297-4e01-bbf9-566818d3562a}

   State: [1] Stable

   Last error: No error

Writer name: 'FRS Writer'

   Writer Id: {d76f5a28-3092-4589-ba48-2958fb88ce29}

   Writer Instance Id: {56825eeb-72d8-4fca-b9fd-10211a06c1cd}

   State: [1] Stable

   Last error: No error

Writer name: 'FSRM Writer'

   Writer Id: {12ce4370-5bb7-4c58-a76a-e5d5097e3674}

   Writer Instance Id: {ef7b785f-10e2-4e8d-9651-b54878582528}

   State: [9] Failed

   Last error: Timed out

Writer name: 'NTDS'

   Writer Id: {b2014c9e-8711-4c5c-a5a9-3cf384484757}

   Writer Instance Id: {875ec260-419f-4c07-8114-0718f2fd7419}

   State: [1] Stable

   Last error: No error

Writer name: 'TS Gateway Writer'

   Writer Id: {368753ec-572e-4fc7-b4b9-ccd9bdc624cb}

   Writer Instance Id: {d336e75d-8e86-4bf1-8206-8c72c751989e}

   State: [9] Failed

   Last error: Timed out

Writer name: 'IIS Config Writer'

   Writer Id: {2a40fd15-dfca-4aa8-a654-1f8c654603f6}

   Writer Instance Id: {a6649b40-a639-4672-85e5-5140f2a767e1}

   State: [1] Stable

   Last error: No error

Writer name: 'NPS VSS Writer'

   Writer Id: {35e81631-13e1-48db-97fc-d5bc721bb18a}

   Writer Instance Id: {88beb9fc-34f7-42c5-a282-2316eac88f09}

   State: [9] Failed

   Last error: Timed out

Writer name: 'Dhcp Jet Writer'

   Writer Id: {be9ac81e-3619-421f-920f-4c6fea9e93ad}

   Writer Instance Id: {8fb235d4-c7ec-4f0f-8e97-43f8d418dcd7}

   State: [9] Failed

   Last error: Timed out

Writer name: 'WMI Writer'

   Writer Id: {a6ad56c2-b509-4e6c-bb19-49d8f43532f0}

   Writer Instance Id: {5cab1b42-a4ac-46fe-9762-ba1cadd241bc}

   State: [9] Failed

   Last error: Timed out

Writer name: 'Shadow Copy Optimization Writer'

   Writer Id: {4dc3bdd4-ab48-4d07-adb0-3bee2926fd7f}

   Writer Instance Id: {09296b9d-9283-49d9-9ba5-9c79cca673e0}

   State: [1] Stable

   Last error: No error

Writer name: 'BITS Writer'

   Writer Id: {4969d978-be47-48b0-b100-f328f07ac1e0}

   Writer Instance Id: {e3743248-33bd-4244-87e9-c1c89768d567}

   State: [1] Stable

   Last error: No error

Writer name: 'Microsoft Exchange Writer'

   Writer Id: {76fe1ac4-15f7-4bcd-987e-8e1acb462fb7}

   Writer Instance Id: {0887db37-9b3c-48ab-b642-1e6912db7e17}

   State: [1] Stable

   Last error: No error

Writer name: 'Registry Writer'

   Writer Id: {afbab4a2-367d-4d15-a586-71dbb18f8485}

   Writer Instance Id: {788fe709-27e8-4396-8043-0f4942eacac6}

   State: [1] Stable

   Last error: No error

Writer name: 'COM+ REGDB Writer'

   Writer Id: {542da469-d3e1-473c-9f4f-7847f01fc64f}

   Writer Instance Id: {56e269da-d9d4-45f1-ad67-fcf1bd3fd123}

   State: [1] Stable

   Last error: No error

Writer name: 'IIS Metabase Writer'

   Writer Id: {59b1f0cf-90ef-465f-9609-6ca8b2938366}

   Writer Instance Id: {601709fe-e98f-4e95-8a9a-a9d80a1fb323}

   State: [1] Stable

   Last error: No error

Writer name: 'Certificate Authority'

   Writer Id: {6f5b15b5-da24-4d88-b737-63063e3a1f86}

   Writer Instance Id: {152f905c-d357-462e-905a-26bfde3ac71e}

   State: [1] Stable

   Last error: No error

[lmosla]

In Windows Application Event Logs are you getting any errors during the backup job time?

also use this document to help find a solution http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH173983

If you would like, please message me your support case # so I can use the information and resource there to further troubleshoot this problem

thanks,

[SpidexGary]

Hi,

Straight after the backup fails this occurs from exchange An internal transport certificate expired. Thumbprint:B9C07B19231AFF2128A7B85FC313B238F01DD489.

I haven't got a case open at this present moment.

[CraigV]

Looks like that Exchange error is related directly to Exchange itself, and not BE:

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb218165(v=exchg.80).aspx

Thanks!

[SpidexGary]

Hi,

I have rebooted the server and restarted the microsoft information store but vssadmin list writers keeps on failing. We have now gone 5 days without a full backup which isnt ideal.

I have logged a cal with microsoft about the VSS stuff.

Is there anything else we can try? Would an upgrade to Backup exec 2012 help?

[CraigV]

Hi Gary,

An upgrade might help...but there are many changes in BE 2012 that you should consider first!

Have you made sure that BE 2010 R3 SP3 is installed with any subsequent patches, and have these patches been push-installed to any remote servers you might have?

IF not, do so, and then try again. You can also try uninstalling the RAWS agent from the Exchange server and reinstalling it.

Thanks!