Quiesced snapshot fails on Windows 2008R2 VM(s) hosted on vSphere 5 (4046465)

Provided the quiescing configuration for Windows 2008R2 is correct on vSphere 5 (the VMware VSS driver is removed from the VMTools installation on the Guest OS, and the "vzshadow.exe" application is properly configured within that OS (per the vRanger 5.x User Guide)), quiescing still may fail with "unspecified error; check Windows event logs on the guest for details."

Chances are that there is a problem with one or more of the Microsoft VSS Writers that need to be invoked on the Guest OS to complete a quiesced snapshot.

To check, logon to the Guest OS in question, launch a Windows command prompt, and type:

vssadmin list writers

The Guest OS will come back with a listing of the installed VSS writers on the machine. If any are listed in an "error" state, or "waiting for completion" state, this is an indication that these writers may be damaged. If any are listed as such, first try this (from the same Windows command prompt):

sc stop VMTools

sc start VMTools

Then attempt the quiesced backup again. If it still does not work, a repair of the writers on the Guest OS itself is needed (depending on what writers are installed, the repair operation can vary). In most cases, this can fix the problem:

1) Go to the Windows Control Panel on the Guest OS.

2) Go to Add/Remove Programs

3) Select "SQL Server VSS Writer" from the list of installed programs.

4) Select "Repair" for the install option.

5) When the installer is completed repairing the SQL VSS Writer, the machine may need to be rebooted.

6) Re-attempt the quiesced-snapshot backup operation.

If the above operations do not solve the issue, then consult the Microsoft Knowledge Base for additional repair options, as this is an OS-level issue, and not related to vRanger.