Error: Calculating digests

[metalexa]

Hello

I have been using Endpoint for about 1 month now and it worked wonderfully. One day I came home and saw that the backup stopped working. Have tried to reinstall the software but still having the same issue. The drive is accessible and seems nothing has changed since I installed it initially. Here is the error I'm getting



Has anyone seen this error?
Thanks

[Vitaliy S.]

What is the state of VSS writers for this computer? Also can you please check Windows Event log for VSS related erros?

[Dima P.]

Will,
Additionaly, please open a free support case via endpoint’s control panel > support > technical support: our team will review the logs and provide you with the details explanation. Thanks.

[metalexa]

Yes I do see this in the logs:
The VSS service is shutting down due to idle timeout.

And this keeps starting:
The Software Protection service is starting.

Also get this:
The Software Protection service has completed licensing status check.

[metalexa]

I also checked "vssadmin list writers" and there are no errors. All are stable except for "System Writer" that says [5] waiting for completion

[Mike Resseler]

Will,

Unfortunately this means something is wrong... When your system writer is in Waiting for Completion or Non-retryable error, that VSS writer is the reason why no backups succeed anymore...

There could be many reasons why this happened... On older operating systems, you need to patch a lot, it could be another application that installed an additional VSS writer that doesn't work happily with this one (not us, if that is what you are thinking now ) and in older versions of Windows Server we regularly saw a writer getting corrupt for no good reason at all...

- What OS are you using, and is it fully patched?
- Try restarting the device, and look if the writers are stable now before triggering a backup again
- Check services to see if the VSS services aren't suddenly disabled
- Check in event log but specifically search for the words VSS, Shadow Copy or VolSnap (3 separate searches)

Let us know

Mike

[Dima P.]

Will,

Have you opened a support case?

[metalexa]

Windows 7 Pro 64 bit with almost all patches installed.

Yes i have opened a case ticket

[bkscheele]

I am having the same issue. Windows 8.1 64-bit. Several successful backups have completed to external HDD. Now, same errors.

Did Veeam provide a solution?


My job activity:
9/8/2015 12:49:25 PM :: Preparing for backup
9/8/2015 12:49:36 PM :: Creating VSS snapshot
9/8/2015 12:50:05 PM :: Calculating digests Error: Cannot find shadow copy of volume WD My Book (E:)
9/8/2015 12:50:13 PM :: Finalizing
9/8/2015 12:50:31 PM :: Error: Cannot find shadow copy of volume WD My Book (E:)
:: Processing finished with errors at 9/8/2015 12:50:33 PM

[Dima P.]

Hello Brian,

Please open a support case thru Endpoint's Control Panel > Support and post here the case ID. By the way is the device from the error a removable one (it looks like a USB drive)?

[stuartmacgreen]

I had this issue and support asked me to change to use File level backup. I was able to get a successful backup.

But whats interesting is that in File level backup type mode you select Operating System from the list, it auto selects the volume with the OS from the list also ie C:\ and appends in italics that a volume backup will be performed. (Not what i was expecting! but neat.)

The realization of why this error appeared for me was now becoming obvious...

The Disk # in Disk Management of the OS had somehow changed for my select volumes in the Volume Backup.
The Volume Level backup configuration in VEB had the C:\ down as the disk to backup.
When the backup came along it was now not the same disk it was expecting and threw the error.
This was down to some shuffling of the Disk numbers in Disk Management. I had done some add/removal of disks (this endpoint is a server).
This is obvious even further as after taking a successful file level backup (as above) that when you review your backups in Restore Volumes you can see the Disk number has changed comparing the recent one taken to previous - its displayed at the top of the choose backup to restore dialog.
Further I was expected the VEB software to take a new full backup as part of a file level backup. NO it did do a volume backup and still only the changes as it continued to use CBT. Nice.

I thereafter re-configured the backup to do a Volume Backup and i rechose the specific volume again and now works.

Summary
Be careful adding/removing disks on endpoint as may re-shuffle volume/disk id's and break VEB.

[Dima P.]

Thanks for the heads up Stuart!

But whats interesting is that in File level backup type mode you select Operating System from the list, it auto selects the volume with the OS from the list also ie C:\ and appends in italics that a volume backup will be performed. (Not what i was expecting! but neat.)

File backup mode is just a name - you can use volume level backup in conjunction with folder exlusion or folder backup only. Check Mike's blog - a good explanation of all existing backup methods

This was down to some shuffling of the Disk numbers in Disk Management. I had done some add/removal of disks (this endpoint is a server).

So you just swapped the drives right while the Endpoint was set to perform an Entire PC backup or volume level backup?

[stuartmacgreen]

So you just swapped the drives right while the Endpoint was set to perform an Entire PC backup or volume level backup?

Endpoint was set to Volume Level Backup and the C:\ volume was selected only. (This Endpoint is also a Veeam Proxy and Respository and Tape Server with SAN FC disks attached.)
I did some MPIO work on this Endpoint for new repository disks.
Thereafter the backups failed.
The MPIO work I believe was the root cause of getting errors as described, and must have done reassignment of Disk numbers, thereafter Disk number for C:\ was no longer valid or the same as before.

[Dima P.]

I bet Entire PC mode would ignore these changes since it does not rely on volume ID’s and such, instead it pull all available the volumes in the system to the backup. Thanks for the heads up – it’s good to know!