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TSM backup errors in dsmerror.log: ANS0361I DIAG: VssRequestor::checkWriterStatus: VssRequestor::checkWriterStatus failed with hr=VSS_E_WRITERERROR_TIMEOUT

We are using TSM for backups. I am getting this error in the dsmerror.log of a 2008 R2 server:

12/05/2013 05:28:49 ANS1512E Scheduled event 'DAILY_SCHEDULE' failed. Return code = 12.
12/05/2013 23:00:50 ANS0361I DIAG: VssRequestor::checkWriterStatus: VssRequestor::checkWriterStatus failed with hr=VSS_E_WRITERERROR_TIMEOUT
12/05/2013 23:00:50 ANS5268W The Microsoft Volume Shadow Copy Services writer 'System Writer' current state (VSS_WS_FAILED_AT_FREEZE) is not valid for the current operation.
12/05/2013 23:01:20 ANS0361I DIAG: VssRequestor::checkWriterStatus: VssRequestor::checkWriterStatus failed with hr=VSS_E_WRITERERROR_TIMEOUT
12/05/2013 23:01:20 ANS5268W The Microsoft Volume Shadow Copy Services writer 'System Writer' current state (VSS_WS_FAILED_AT_FREEZE) is not valid for the current operation.
12/05/2013 23:01:50 ANS0361I DIAG: VssRequestor::checkWriterStatus: VssRequestor::checkWriterStatus failed with hr=VSS_E_WRITERERROR_TIMEOUT
12/05/2013 23:01:50 ANS5268W The Microsoft Volume Shadow Copy Services writer 'System Writer' current state (VSS_WS_FAILED_AT_FREEZE) is not valid for the current operation.
12/05/2013 23:02:20 ANS0361I DIAG: VssRequestor::checkWriterStatus: VssRequestor::checkWriterStatus failed with hr=VSS_E_WRITERERROR_TIMEOUT
12/05/2013 23:02:20 ANS5268W The Microsoft Volume Shadow Copy Services writer 'System Writer' current state (VSS_WS_FAILED_AT_FREEZE) is not valid for the current operation.
12/05/2013 23:02:20 ANS5273E A Microsoft Volume Shadow Copy Services writer is in an invalid state after taking a snapshot.
12/05/2013 23:02:20 ANS5258E Microsoft volume shadow copy snapshot initialization failed.
12/05/2013 23:02:20 ANS1327W The snapshot operation for 'SERVERNAME\SystemState\NULL\System State\SystemState' failed with error code: 4353.
12/05/2013 23:02:21 ANS1228E Sending of object 'SERVERNAME\SystemState\NULL\System State\SystemState' failed
12/05/2013 23:02:21 ANS5258E Microsoft volume shadow copy snapshot initialization failed.

I tried going through the solution steps in this article: https://www-304.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg21295294

1. I don't know of any patches that remedy this for Windows 2008 R2.
2. All checked OK.
3. vssadmin list writers shows that several writers have status error. I restart theyr corresponding services this way:

 
@echo off
sc stop "Altiris Deployment Agent"
sc stop VSS
sc stop BITS
sc stop AppHostSvc
sc stop CryptSvc
sc stop tmlisten
sc stop iphlpsvc
cd /d %windir%\system32  
net stop swprv 
ping -n 16 -w 1000 127.0.0.1
regsvr32 /s ole32.dll 
regsvr32 /s oleaut32.dll 
regsvr32 /s vss_ps.dll 
vssvc /register 
regsvr32 /s /i swprv.dll 
regsvr32 /s /i eventcls.dll 
regsvr32 /s es.dll 
regsvr32 /s stdprov.dll 
regsvr32 /s vssui.dll 
regsvr32 /s msxml.dll 
regsvr32 /s msxml3.dll 
regsvr32 /s msxml4.dll
ping -n 16 -w 1000 127.0.0.1
sc stop Winmgmt
ping -n 32 -w 1000 127.0.0.1
net start swprv
sc start VSS
sc start BITS
sc start AppHostSvc
sc start CryptSvc
sc start Winmgmt
ping -n 16 -w 1000 127.0.0.1
sc start "Altiris Deployment Agent"
sc start tmlisten
sc start iphlpsvc

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This script is actually run as a PRENSCHEDULECMD option in dsm.opt before the backups are run every day. The errors are then cleared and the writers should be ready to be used. They did not state anything else then "error" anyway.

4. I downloaded MS Windows Software Development Kit (SDK) and tested the following commands:

vshadow -nw C: >vss_nw.out
vshadow -p C: >vss_p.out
vshadow -wm2 >vshadow_wm2.out
vshadow -ws >vshadow_ws.out

None of them yielded any errors in the output files. I tested System state backups with Windows System Backup and wbadmin command line tool. This all worked fine. I also tested a system state backup with the TSM Storage Manager Backup Client. This also worked fine.

For a period I made the TSM backup run fine by first running a scheduled system state backup with Windows System Backup every day(resets the whole VSS thing I am guessing), but that has no effect anymore.

So, I have no idea where to go from here. All works when testing, but when the schedule runs the errors appear in the error log and the backup appears more or less failed.

Venugopal N

Can you post the result of vssadmin list writers command.

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Venugopal N

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itnifl

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To show you the errors from vssadmin list writers I will have to wait until next time the backup fails. When doing the steps in the first URL you sent me(http://support.microsoft.com/kb/940184), I get the attached error when registering the following dlls:
regsvr32 /i swprv.dll
regsvr32 es.dll
regsvr32 vssui.dll
regsvr32 /i eventcls.dll

msxml.dll and msxml4.dll does not even seem to be there. The KB article is for 2003 server and not 2008. Worth a shot anyway. I see that these registrations and service restarts are approximately the same in https://www.experts-exchange.com/questions/27657917/VSS-Backup-failing.html as in http://support.microsoft.com/kb/940184 and what I am doing in what I am listing in the question.

I have also done all but the last part of http://kb.backupassist.com/articles.php?aid=3016, we will just have to wait and see if that helps.
1.png

itnifl

ASKER

Microsoft Windows [Version 6.1.7601]
Copyright (c) 2009 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

C:\Users\Administrator>vssadmin list writers
vssadmin 1.1 - Volume Shadow Copy Service administrative command-line tool
(C) Copyright 2001-2005 Microsoft Corp.

Writer name: 'Task Scheduler Writer'
Writer Id: {d61d61c8-d73a-4eee-8cdd-f6f9786b7124}
Writer Instance Id: {1bddd48e-5052-49db-9b07-b96f96727e6b}
State: [1] Stable
Last error: No error

Writer name: 'VSS Metadata Store Writer'
Writer Id: {75dfb225-e2e4-4d39-9ac9-ffaff65ddf06}
Writer Instance Id: {088e7a7d-09a8-4cc6-a609-ad90e75ddc93}
State: [1] Stable
Last error: No error

Writer name: 'Performance Counters Writer'
Writer Id: {0bada1de-01a9-4625-8278-69e735f39dd2}
Writer Instance Id: {f0086dda-9efc-47c5-8eb6-a944c3d09381}
State: [1] Stable
Last error: No error

Writer name: 'System Writer'
Writer Id: {e8132975-6f93-4464-a53e-1050253ae220}
Writer Instance Id: {8f0e4cfb-c4e7-4029-bd2f-30848887374d}
State: [9] Failed
Last error: Timed out

Writer name: 'ASR Writer'
Writer Id: {be000cbe-11fe-4426-9c58-531aa6355fc4}
Writer Instance Id: {3a4465ad-6640-4968-b055-9703898461e7}
State: [1] Stable
Last error: No error

Writer name: 'COM+ REGDB Writer'
Writer Id: {542da469-d3e1-473c-9f4f-7847f01fc64f}
Writer Instance Id: {76617e27-56dc-41bf-a655-ef4dd428d493}
State: [1] Stable
Last error: No error

Writer name: 'Shadow Copy Optimization Writer'
Writer Id: {4dc3bdd4-ab48-4d07-adb0-3bee2926fd7f}
Writer Instance Id: {27623a4b-9b71-429f-80e8-8d9663e6e453}
State: [1] Stable
Last error: No error

Writer name: 'Registry Writer'
Writer Id: {afbab4a2-367d-4d15-a586-71dbb18f8485}
Writer Instance Id: {34a29446-34c7-4f80-a29a-0995f33ed9ad}
State: [1] Stable
Last error: No error

Writer name: 'IIS Config Writer'
Writer Id: {2a40fd15-dfca-4aa8-a654-1f8c654603f6}
Writer Instance Id: {c12e2056-3c25-4ec9-8015-07d94c2a74d6}
State: [9] Failed
Last error: Timed out

Writer name: 'WMI Writer'
Writer Id: {a6ad56c2-b509-4e6c-bb19-49d8f43532f0}
Writer Instance Id: {00a0e52a-9db5-4726-9dd8-ce118955cd0c}
State: [9] Failed
Last error: Timed out

From the event log:

ANS5258E Microsoft volume shadow copy snapshot initialization failed.

But not before straight after:

Signaling VSS writers that the backup operation has completed.

Then this:

Successful incremental backup of '\\servername\e$'
Successful incremental backup of '\\servername\c$'

Followed by:

Backup
DAILY_SCHEDULE
Total number of objects inspected: 23,317,117
Total number of objects backed up: 4,140
Total number of objects updated: 0
Total number of objects rebound: 0
Total number of objects deleted: 0
Total number of objects expired: 21
Total number of objects failed: 1
Total number of subfile objects: 0
Total number of bytes transferred: 15.60 GB
Data transfer time: 470.24 sec
Network data transfer rate: 34,804.28 KB/sec
Aggregate data transfer rate: 731.18 KB/sec
Objects compressed by: 0%
Subfile objects reduced by: 0%
Elapsed processing time: 06:13:03

Finally:

Failure Executing Schedule DAILY_SCHEDULE, RC=12.

And:

Schedule Name:       DAILY_SCHEDULE
Action:            Incremental
Objects:             (none)
Options:             -quiet
Server Window Start:       23:00:00 on 12/09/2013

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itnifl

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itnifl

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Thanks for all replies.