How to configure NetBackup to choose a specific VSS Provider for System State backups when more than one provider is present on the OS

Article: 100005781
Last Published: 2014-12-17
Ratings: 0 1
Product(s): NetBackup

Problem

By default Windows 2003 and Windows 2008 come with a single VSS Provider.  When more than one Provider exists, one of them should be flagged as the "Default". When NetBackup starts a snapshot based backup, NetBackup asks the OS to use the currently configured "Default Provider".  

Example on Windows 2008:

C:\Program Files\Veritas\NetBackup\bin> vssadmin list providers
vssadmin 1.1 - Volume Shadow Copy Service administrative command-line tool
(C) Copyright 2001-2005 Microsoft Corp.
 
Provider name: 'Microsoft Software Shadow Copy provider 1.0'
   Provider type: System
   Provider Id: {b5946137-7b9f-4925-af80-51abd60b20d5}
   Version: 1.0.0.7

 

Error Message

We have frequently observed that using the native Microsoft technique to modify which VSS Provider is listed as Default, does not work.

Microsoft Article: support.microsoft.com/kb/941956

Solution

Starting in NetBackup 7.1, Veritas Engineering has improved the NetBackup Client Agent by creating adding additional functionality to the w2koption command which allows the user to specify which VSS Provider to use.  The original setting of "use the default provider" remains the same.  If you have multiple VSS Providers and this setting causes NetBackup to use your VSS Provider of choice, then no action needs to be taken.

However, if you'd rather have NetBackup use a provider which is not flagged as default, use the new functionality in the client-side 'w2koption' command to specify which VSS Provider to use.   

New Syntax:
w2koption -backup -snapshotprovidertype <0, 1 2, 3>

Where:
     0=Auto - VSS selects the provider to be used (default)
     1=System - Use the System provider
     2=Software - Use a Software provider
     3=Hardware - Use a Hardware provider

 

Example to force NetBackup to use the System provider:
     w2koption -backup -snapshotprovidertype 1


References

Etrack : 2145368

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