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Title
Cluster Shared Volume Backup Fails With ASR Writer VSS Error -
Description
Cluster Shared Volume Backup Fails With ASR Writer VSS Error
The backup of a Clustered Shared Volume (CSV) fails with an ASR Writer VSS error. All nodes backups successfully, only the CSV fails on backup. Failure is during PrepareForBackup phase and 0 data is transferred before jobs fails.
Stack Trace Example:
The transfer failed: 'There was a problem with the VSS subsystem on 'CLUSTERNAME'.'
Exception chain:
•The VSS writer 'ASR Writer' failed during the 'PrepareForBackup' phase with error WriterErrorNonRetryable. The VSS writer state is Stable
•There was a problem with the VSS subsystem on 'CLUSTERNAME'.
•The transfer failed: 'There was a problem with the VSS subsystem on 'CLUSTERNAME'.'
•One or more errors occurred.
Replay.Agent.Contracts.Transfer.TransferFailedException: The transfer failed: 'There was a problem with the VSS subsystem on 'CLUSTERNAME'.' ---> System.AggregateException: One or more errors occurred. ---> Replay.Core.Contracts.Transfer.VssGeneralErrorException: There was a problem with the VSS subsystem on 'CLUSTERNAME'. ---> Replay.Agent.Contracts.ShadowCopy.ShadowCopyWriterFailedException: The VSS writer 'ASR Writer' failed during the 'PrepareForBackup' phase with error WriterErrorNonRetryable. The VSS writer state is Stable ---> Replay.Common.Contracts.ReplayException -
Cause
Root cause is under investigation. By default, ASR Writers are excluded in all Transfer Settings. However, you cannot exclude VSS writers in Transfer Settings for Cluster Shared Volumes. The CSV should inherit exclusions from whichever Node is active, but cases like this, the exclusion is missed by the CSV. -
Resolution
Solution:
- On Core pause protection for CSV and open Registry (this does not require the core service to be stopped)
- Go to HKLM\SOFTWARE\AppRecovery\Core\Agents and find the Agent ID for the Cluster
- Expand the branch for the Cluster and go to Transfer\ExcludedWriterIds
- Right click on ExcludedWriterIds and create new Key, value = 0
- In the new Key you will see a String Value (Default). Set the Value Data = Replay.Common.Contracts.Transfer.ExcludedWriter
- Under the new Key create 2 new String Values by right clicking and selecting New \ String Value
- Name 1st String Value Id and set Value Data = be000cbe-11fe-4426-9c58-531aa6355fc4
- Name 2nd String Value Name and set Value Data = ASR Writer
- Resume protection and force Snapshot