Backup Issue

[Gigabyte]

Hi all ,

  When we are running Vmware backups , some of the client backups are failing with error code 156(snapshot creation failed )   Here i have given my bpfis log file . Please suggest me how to fix this issue..

[rrosario]

3 things which i know which applies if you are using VCB to take VM backups

1. LUN has to be presented to the VCB procy server. If you are using the VCB procxy server.
2. you have to go to the snapshot manager and have to see if you have a hung snapshot present. IF you find then u have to delete and restart the backup again.
3. on the VM client. check if these services are running. microsft shadow copy provideer and volume shadow copy


hope this helps..

[AlGon]

Are the clients in question running SQL, ORACLE or any other database application?

Can you initiate a snapshot from within the VC on one of these virtual machines or does the snapshot creation process fail?

Are you doing file level or fullvm backups?

Also, take a look at this thread. Some useful info in here.

https://www-secure.symantec.com/connect/forums/snapshot-error-status-156-using-vcb

Cheers.

[Gigabyte]

Hey I have checked all the above steps which you have mentioned .

1.LUN has presented to the VCB proxy server (Our media server)
2.Can you tell me how to check this Snapshot Manager.
3.Checked client and found that both the services are running .
============
We are running this policy with 25 clients only one client backup is failing with this error.When i opened failed job on activity monitor , it the file selection list its showing NEW_STREAM ,ALL_LOCAL_DRIVE . But for successfull clinets file selection list , its showing \\BACKUP \\.\F:\mount\USING \\.\F:\ OPTIONS:ALT_PATH_PREFIX=C:\Program Files\Veritas\NetBackup\temp\_vrts_frzn_img_3268,FITYPE=MIRROR,FSTYPE=NTFS.

 Please help me ...

[Gigabyte]

We are running option 2(Mapped Full Vm backups )
Its not failing for all clients , its failing for only one client.

Please tell me how to initiate snapshot with in VC on these Virtual Machine ..??

[AlGon]

OK.

First make sure no snapshots are currently still running on this virtual machine. (If your backup tried to run when there is still a snapshot running it will fail with a 156 error).

To check this do the following:

Start up your VMware infrastructure client.
Right click on the VMware client.
Select snapshot, then snapshot manager.

This will show you if a snapshot is running.

If there isn't a snapshot running then do the following to take a snapshot.

Start up your VMware infrastructure client
Right click on the VMware client
Select snapshot, then select take snapshot.
Give the snapshot a name and click ok.

You will be able to see the status of this happening in the recent task list.

If the snapshot is created successfully you will then want to delete it. To do this go back into snapshot manager, highlight the snapshot and select delete. This should commit the snapshot.

Is client in question running SQL, ORACLE or any other database application?

[rrosario]

Silly but its ture...see the VM is ON and running..

[jsclifton]

If you run out of space while creating your snapshot on your backup proxy you will get this error. 

Jason

[Gigabyte]

Hi ,


  When i opened Snapshot Manager , I can see the following details ,
--Servre Name (My Vmware client Name)
   -_VCB_BACKUP_
    - You are here
Automatically created by VCB Framework on host <proxy server name > at Mon Jul 13 08:28:32 2009 (UTC).

Is t like the snapshot has been created already ?? When i opened snapshot manager for other clients (backups are completed ) its not showing _VCB_BACKUP file . Do i need to delete this snapshot and create a new snapshot again ??

[AlGon · Accepted solution]

Yes the reason your backup failed is because a snapshot has been left open by a previous backup job. The backup job will fail if a previous snapshot is still in place. The VCB snapshot is called (VCB_BACKUP).

You can delete this snapshot as described above. Depending on how long the snapshot has been left open will have an impact on how log it takes to commit\delete the snapshot. If it's been running a while and it’s a busy server (lots of changes being made) then this can take a while.

Once the snapshot has been successfully committed re-run the backup job manually and monitor the progress.

[dfinley]

As AlGon stated, depending on how long the snapshot has been sitting out there it can take quite a while to commit the changes since it was created. I recently had a large SQL server that took hours to commit an orphaned snapshot. It may appear to timeout to the Virtual Center server (by default it will give up waiting for a status update after 15 minutes), but it will commit eventually - the ESX host is processing the changes in the background. You'll see the snapshot options will be greyed out while the commit is in progress.

To get a heads up on problems like this, we have a scheduled task on our Virtual Center server that runs every morning that emails a report with all of the snapshots that exist in our clusters.

[Gigabyte]

Thanks AIGon !!!

Sorry for late reply ,

  After I have deleted the old snapshot , the backup has been completed successfully.

Once again Thank You Very Much !!

[rrosario]

hope i get points to for that i had also given the resolution ..heheheh

[Andy_Welburn]

... Allow for more than one solution & you may get what you wish for ! ;)

Will vote for your post so you at least get some credit for it :D

[backmeupson]

We made the changes described in this Vmware KB article to address the 15 minute timeout.... http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?language=en_US&cmd=displayKC&externalId=1004790

Should we not be using VCB to backup any VM with a local database (SQL, Oracle, whatever)?  I really wish this would defined in the Netbackup documentation (among other things).