Volume Shadow Copy

[snootalope]

Hello

I've been testing VSS on a 2003 server box for a couple of months right, I had the limit set at 30gb and scheduled to run twice daily. Anyway, I come in this morning to find that ALL of the past months snapshots are gone on that server. No Volume Shadow copies at all.

The service is still running and I don't see any errors in the event log. I right away created another snapshot and it looks like it saved fine.

What the heck happend? Is this by design? If it reaches it's limit, it doesn't delete ALL of the snapshots does it??? I went to another box and deleted 5 of probably 20 snapshots and the "currently using" data amount didn't change...??? I thoght I read up on this that Windows will delete the oldest shapshot to make room for the new...am i wrong there?? Anyone else experiencing this?

Thanks
-snooter

 

[porkchopexpress]

This can happen when the store fails to grow in time, but you are right usually only the oldest is deleted.

Is this on a DC?

Are you sure there wasn't an error in the system event log?

 

[porkchopexpress]

Take a look at this link it shows the problem. I've had this twice in two years and haven't had it since installing SP1, but i'm not certain it was fixed in SP1 it could be coincidence.

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;826936

 

[snootalope]

Yep I lied, there were TWO errors in the event log that i missed:

************************************************************

Event Type: Error
Event Source: VolSnap
Event Category: None
Event ID: 25
Date: 2/28/2006
Time: 12:01:11 AM
User: N/A
Computer: MBCNT3
Description:
The shadow copies of volume D: were deleted because the shadow copy storage could not grow in time. Consider reducing the IO load on the system or choose a shadow copy storage volume that is not being shadow copied.


************************************************************

Event Type: Error
Event Source: VSS
Event Category: None
Event ID: 7001
Date: 2/28/2006
Time: 12:01:13 AM
User: N/A
Computer: MBCNT3
Description:
VssAdmin: Unable to create a shadow copy: The shadow copy provider had an error. Please see the system and application event logs for more information.
Command-line: 'C:\WINDOWS\system32\vssadmin.exe Create Shadow /AutoRetry=5 /For=\\?\Volume{5c82d20f-86b9-11da-80a5-0014c2c2a7b9}\'.


I just got off the phone with M$ and got the hotfixes 826396 & 833167

Looks like 826396 is the one I really need here. Porkchopexpress, did you install this hotfix? Did it work ok afterward? Did you install it on SP1 machines?

 

[snootalope]

Oh, this is only a member server.

 

[porkchopexpress]

I installed SP1 and haven't seen the error since so i held off on the hotfix. Did MS say that it's not fixed in SP1?

 

[snootalope]

Didn't ask, but I can tell you I definitly have SP1, and all updates till last week applied..

I'm gonna install the patch on one of my replication servers and see what happens. I'm a little nervous about installing it on the server I'm seeing the errors on cause it's my primary file server.

 

[porkchopexpress]

Seems to be more info here on 833167.

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?kbid=833167

 

[snootalope]

Yeah, I got that hotfix right away too, but none of the errors in 833167 apply to me... I'm gonna hold off on installing it for right now.

 

[porkchopexpress]

Hmmmm well it's upto you if you install it or not. As i say i've only ever had it twice in two years so it might be worth seeing if it happens if you are worried.

 

[porkchopexpress]

Ah you posted in between my posts yes it's worth holding off i would think. At least untill you can apply it at a safe time.

 

[snootalope]

Yeah.. I hear ya. I might give it another week before doing anything. All my data is on replication servers, but it makes me extremely nervous that it's happening on my most important server..

 

[snootalope]

Well, it happened again..

This time the error appeared at 11:42pm, and the last one happend just before midnight.

I tried installing BOTH patches from M$ relating to this issue and neither would install because I have sp1 on 2003 already.

great..

 

[porkchopexpress]

Did they not ask if you were running SP1?

 

[snootalope]

Nope, I think I got the India call station so I could hardly understand a word they were saying. I asked them about SP1 but I don't think they understood me..

Looks like I'm stuck with it.. great.

 

[porkchopexpress]

I thought MS support are supposed to follow a call through to a solution.

Have you tried increasing the storage size that is talked about in the MORE INFORMATION section at the bottom of this link?

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;826936

 

[snootalope]

Yep, I bumped mine to 400 before I recieved the last error.. I was thinking about taking it up a little more.