Netbackup/VSS client launching VNX snap

[Daniel_Jastredo]

I have a Netbackup 7.5.0.3 client launching a VNX snapshot even though the policy option "Perform snapshot backups" is disabled. My guess is that even thought the policy is not set to do snaps the VSS 4.6 provider is finding the LUN on the VNX and then snaps and mounts the LUN on the local host to back it up. This client was originally set up to do off-host backups but now is not. How do I get this policy not to snap in the VNX and handle the "Windows Open File Backup" locally? My guess is to disable "Open File Backups" in Netbackup but then I will have trouble with the C & D drives.

Thanks.

[Will_Restore]

How to verify Windows Open File Backup operation using VSSADMIN step by step procedures shown in this technote: Article URL http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH47808

[RLeon · Accepted solution]

It would seem that the client has at least two VSS providers, one "Microsoft Software Shadow Copy provider" and another one from EMC.

If you run this command you should see both VSS providers listed: vssadmin list providers

Netbackup by default always go for the hardware VSS provider (the EMC one) if available.

If you are no longer doing off host alternate client backups, then the easist thing to do would be to simply uninstall the EMC VSS provider from the client.
Also, since you are not using it, you should have disabled/deleted the snapview-snapshot or snapview-clone for that lun in your VNX, and remove them from any Storage Groups, so that they will not be created or mounted by any host.

If you for some reason do not want to have to uninstall the EMC VSS provider, then you can follow the below technote to force NetBackup to always use the Microsoft VSS provider on this particular client, i.e., to use the default OS based snapshot provider that stores copy-on-write data inside local volumes.
  http://www.symantec.com/business/support/index?page=content&id=TECH87754

I never tried this in Windows newer than 2003, but it is still worth a try.

[Daniel_Jastredo]

This makes sense, thanks!