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VSS error "Unexpected error DeviceIocontrol" during backup

CCS_Support
Level 3
Greetings all,

I've been getting this error when Backup Exec runs its nightly backups for about the past 2 weeks. Backup Exec itself generates this in its job log:

OFO: Initialization failure on: "Shadow?Copy?Components". Advanced Open File Option used: Microsoft Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS).
VSS Snapshot error. DoSnapshotSet error. Check event log for more details.

And when I look at the corresponding event in the Application Log in the Event Viewer, it shows:

Event Type:Error
Event Source:VSS
Event Category:None
Event ID:12289
Date:9/6/2005
Time:11:56:26 PM
User:N/A
Computer:MATRIX
Description:
Volume Shadow Copy Service error: Unexpected error DeviceIoControl(\\?\Volume{a1eb7d8e-54ed-11d9-8ccb-806e6f6e6963} - 00000128,0x0053c008,002A6B60,0,002A7B68,4096,). hr = 0x8007045d.

For more information, see Help and Support Center at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.
Data:
0000: 49 4e 43 49 43 48 4c 48 INCICHLH
0008: 33 38 38 00 00 00 00 00 388.....
0010: 53 50 52 51 53 4e 50 43 SPRQSNPC
0018: 31 36 35 00 00 00 00 00 165.....

I am running Backup Exec 9.1 Small Business Edition w/ SP3 on a Windows 2003 Small Business Server. The server is a single-Xeon Dell PowerEdge 2650. The server is fully updated through Windows Update. (There is still no SP1 for SBS2003 yet.) We are backing up to external USB 2.0 hard drives. The backups appear to still be running OK, but I'm concerned about this VSS error. Microsoft's knowledgebase has been, as usual, less than helpful. I have, of course, tried rebooting the server, but it has not made a difference.

Any ideas/suggestions?

Thanks in advance!

Bryce Newall
Computer & Communication Services, LLC
5 REPLIES 5

Ajit_Kulkarni
Level 6
Hello Bryce,

The mentioned error occurs while running a backup job with selections made for a local or remote Windows 2003 machine from under the Shadow Copy Components irrespective of whether the VERITAS Backup Exec (tm) Advanced Open File Option is installed on the Backup Exec server or not
OFO: Initialization failure on: "Shadow?Copy?Components" Advanced Open File Option used: Microsoft Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS). VSS Snapshot error. Unexpected provider error.
http://seer.support.veritas.com/docs/265927.htm

Hope this helps you.

Regards


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CCS_Support
Level 3
Thanks, that seems to have done the trick. (Now, I wonder how that service got set to manual....)

Peter_van_Leeuw
Level 4
That's easy, that's how both services are installed by Microsoft, they're supposed to be set to start manual so the system can start them when needed.

The solution doesn't tell you to change this anyway, it's only telling you that the services should be running when you make the selections in BE.

Peter

CCS_Support
Level 3
> That's easy, that's how both services are installed
> by Microsoft, they're supposed to be set to start
> manual so the system can start them when needed.
>
> The solution doesn't tell you to change this anyway,
> it's only telling you that the services should be
> running when you make the selections in BE.

The problem wasn't with selecting files; I was able to select things with no problem. The error only occurred when the backup would actually run.

CCS_Support
Level 3
Ok... I'm quite sure the service was running before, but I have just freshly rebooted the server (after adding some more memory), made sure the Microsoft Software Shadow Copy Provider service was running (it was, and was set to Automatic startup), and I then went into Backup Exec and removed all Shadow Copy Components items and re-submitted my backup job. Then, I made sure the service was STILL running (it was), edited my job again, and re-selected the Shadow Copy Components. Let's see what happens when the backup runs tonight.