VSS backup issue

[Yamoo]

Hi all,

I am just wondering if any of you have seen this issue before. I have 4 node Microsoft clusters(window 2008 ent). I use Flashbackup-windows policy type to backup file resources on this cluster that have LUN presentations on HP EVA using off-host backup. As such HPVSS component was installed on all the nodes to make this off-host backup work.

The snapshot backup is working fine for this policy type. However there are other resources on this cluster that uses MS-windows-NT (network) policy type to backup their own resources. I suppose by default the open file backup for those reaource should use microsoft VSS and not creating snapshot on the EVA. But i found out that even the MS-windows-NT policy is creating snapshot on the EVA for LUN presented to those resources that are being backed up by MS-windows-NT policy.

Does this mean that because HPVSS is installed on those nodes, it has over taken or wrapped up the microsoft VSS and It is choosen as the default VSS provider for all policies . and where the drives being backed up reside on array, a snapshot of that volume is created on the array?  The backup of the nodes( local drives C and shadow copy component) them self seem to use microsoft VSS provider as the backup selection includes no LUNs that resides on EVA.- right?

Any idea? Please.

Thanks.

Ade

[Oddy]

To find out which VSS snapshot providers you is installed on the client run

vssadmin list providers

from the command line on the client.

To find out which VSS provider that is doing the snapshot when you run the backup you can check the application log in the event viewer on the client and the off-host host backup server.

I would think that if you have installed the HP VSS  snapshot hardware provider on the client think it will override the Microsoft VSS snapshot provider and use the third party snapshot provider for the backup. But you need to check the logs to find out which one that is used.

Create following netbackup log directories on the client and offhost machine,

<install dir>\netbackup\logs\bpfis
<install dir>\netbackup\logs\bpbkar

I hope this helps.

/Oddy

[Yogesh9881]

The drives you want to back up is shared / Clustered with all 4 nodes ?

If yes then you can not configure Flash Backup policy b'coz NBU flash backup is not supported for microsoft clusered environment

But you can configure MS-windows Policy.

plz correct me if i undrestand wrong.