Veeam Agent backup fails with [VSS_WS_FAILED_AT_FREEZE]

[Virok]

Case#03455679

Hello,

we want to use Veeam Agent for Microsoft Windows Free on our physical server in our different locations.
I'm testing the scenario currently on a physical server in our IT department with the exact same specs.

The agent has a scheduled Active Full Backup from Mo - Sa (10pm/22:00) which is stored on an attached USB-Drive.
We are using a tool/registry keys to hide the USB-Drive on the Explorer so the end users can't get their hands on it.

My current problem is:

The scheduled backup fails 90% of the time on the first run. After a few retries (1-6 retries) the backup runs through without any problems.
The notification contains following details:

Creating VSS snapshot Error: Failed to create snapshot: Backup job failed. Cannot create a shadow copy of the volumes containing writer's data. A VSS critical writer has failed. Writer name: [NTDS]. Class ID: [{b2014c9e-8711-4c5c-a5a9-3cf384484757}]. Instance ID: [{6c004db9-38b7-4cad-b5b5-7ce632458a49}]. Writer's state: [VSS_WS_FAILED_AT_FREEZE]. Error code: [0x800423f2].
Error: Failed to create snapshot: Backup job failed. Cannot create a shadow copy of the volumes containing writer's data. A VSS critical writer has failed. Writer name: [NTDS]. Class ID: [{b2014c9e-8711-4c5c-a5a9-3cf384484757}]. Instance ID: [{6c004db9-38b7-4cad-b5b5-7ce632458a49}]. Writer's state: [VSS_WS_FAILED_AT_FREEZE]. Error code: [0x800423f2].

If I run a backup manually, my VSS-Writers look like this (vssadmin list writers):

Code: Select all

C:\Windows\system32>vssadmin list writers
vssadmin 1.1 - Verwaltungsbefehlszeilenprogramm des Volumeschattenkopie-Dienstes
(C) Copyright 2001-2013 Microsoft Corp.

Verfassername: "Task Scheduler Writer"
   Verfasserkennung: {d61d61c8-d73a-4eee-8cdd-f6f9786b7124}
   Verfasserinstanzkennung: {1bddd48e-5052-49db-9b07-b96f96727e6b}
   Status: [1] Stabil
   Letzter Fehler: Kein Fehler

Verfassername: "VSS Metadata Store Writer"
   Verfasserkennung: {75dfb225-e2e4-4d39-9ac9-ffaff65ddf06}
   Verfasserinstanzkennung: {088e7a7d-09a8-4cc6-a609-ad90e75ddc93}
   Status: [1] Stabil
   Letzter Fehler: Kein Fehler

Verfassername: "Performance Counters Writer"
   Verfasserkennung: {0bada1de-01a9-4625-8278-69e735f39dd2}
   Verfasserinstanzkennung: {f0086dda-9efc-47c5-8eb6-a944c3d09381}
   Status: [1] Stabil
   Letzter Fehler: Kein Fehler

Verfassername: "System Writer"
   Verfasserkennung: {e8132975-6f93-4464-a53e-1050253ae220}
   Verfasserinstanzkennung: {139630a2-c92e-49ea-8cf9-c69db6c7ead1}
   Status: [1] Stabil
   Letzter Fehler: Kein Fehler

Verfassername: "SqlServerWriter"
   Verfasserkennung: {a65faa63-5ea8-4ebc-9dbd-a0c4db26912a}
   Verfasserinstanzkennung: {814b1be5-a26c-45f5-b0ad-62ccefae0352}
   Status: [9] Fehler
   Letzter Fehler: Zeitüberschreitung

Verfassername: "ASR Writer"
   Verfasserkennung: {be000cbe-11fe-4426-9c58-531aa6355fc4}
   Verfasserinstanzkennung: {8be0d424-ba99-4f8e-a92e-f97aade0123b}
   Status: [1] Stabil
   Letzter Fehler: Kein Fehler

Verfassername: "BITS Writer"
   Verfasserkennung: {4969d978-be47-48b0-b100-f328f07ac1e0}
   Verfasserinstanzkennung: {b08026ee-5b61-45c1-b6c5-ca44db1c0dfc}
   Status: [1] Stabil
   Letzter Fehler: Kein Fehler

Verfassername: "Shadow Copy Optimization Writer"
   Verfasserkennung: {4dc3bdd4-ab48-4d07-adb0-3bee2926fd7f}
   Verfasserinstanzkennung: {9876ce47-76fa-4219-b5f2-e8cb836f0aef}
   Status: [1] Stabil
   Letzter Fehler: Kein Fehler

Verfassername: "IIS Config Writer"
   Verfasserkennung: {2a40fd15-dfca-4aa8-a654-1f8c654603f6}
   Verfasserinstanzkennung: {a7fa80c2-39da-4537-aabd-178a15684daf}
   Status: [9] Fehler
   Letzter Fehler: Zeitüberschreitung

Verfassername: "COM+ REGDB Writer"
   Verfasserkennung: {542da469-d3e1-473c-9f4f-7847f01fc64f}
   Verfasserinstanzkennung: {2efb5557-de07-4f85-919e-d8642cbfa98c}
   Status: [1] Stabil
   Letzter Fehler: Kein Fehler

Verfassername: "WMI Writer"
   Verfasserkennung: {a6ad56c2-b509-4e6c-bb19-49d8f43532f0}
   Verfasserinstanzkennung: {12932665-3fd4-49cf-9bdb-b0e150b9f766}
   Status: [9] Fehler
   Letzter Fehler: Zeitüberschreitung

Verfassername: "Registry Writer"
   Verfasserkennung: {afbab4a2-367d-4d15-a586-71dbb18f8485}
   Verfasserinstanzkennung: {5d5b0cb8-00f7-4f43-b305-14c8c981691f}
   Status: [1] Stabil
   Letzter Fehler: Kein Fehler

Verfassername: "MSSearch Service Writer"
   Verfasserkennung: {cd3f2362-8bef-46c7-9181-d62844cdc0b2}
   Verfasserinstanzkennung: {71e56785-e8b4-4628-a960-0dcb6d08b70b}
   Status: [9] Fehler
   Letzter Fehler: Zeitüberschreitung

Verfassername: "NTDS"
   Verfasserkennung: {b2014c9e-8711-4c5c-a5a9-3cf384484757}
   Verfasserinstanzkennung: {6c004db9-38b7-4cad-b5b5-7ce632458a49}
   Status: [9] Fehler
   Letzter Fehler: Zeitüberschreitung

Verfassername: "Windows Server Storage VSS Writer"
   Verfasserkennung: {e376ebb9-f0fe-4e1a-adaa-bfbdaf3ab488}
   Verfasserinstanzkennung: {516e4985-0fb4-4909-a7c6-a7f729eeb96c}
   Status: [9] Fehler
   Letzter Fehler: Zeitüberschreitung

Verfassername: "DFS Replication service writer"
   Verfasserkennung: {2707761b-2324-473d-88eb-eb007a359533}
   Verfasserinstanzkennung: {6ab1a9b3-c363-4dda-b1b6-26ab618f955c}
   Status: [9] Fehler
   Letzter Fehler: Zeitüberschreitung

Verfassername: "Certificate Authority"
   Verfasserkennung: {6f5b15b5-da24-4d88-b737-63063e3a1f86}
   Verfasserinstanzkennung: {85249f3e-c391-442b-b1c1-fb4e1496a522}
   Status: [9] Fehler
   Letzter Fehler: Zeitüberschreitung

Verfassername: "IIS Metabase Writer"
   Verfasserkennung: {59b1f0cf-90ef-465f-9609-6ca8b2938366}
   Verfasserinstanzkennung: {470e78b1-ea82-4609-8af7-17647420ef5b}
   Status: [9] Fehler
   Letzter Fehler: Zeitüberschreitung

"Fehler" = error
"Zeitüberschreitung" = timeout

My backup scenario with Veeam Agent would work (with some daily retries), but I'm not a big fan of errors

Every answer/help is appreciated!

Greetings
Virok

[Dima P.]

Hello Virok,

Looks like the issue is related to one of the VSS writes installed on this machine - NTDS Writer. Please keep working with our support team and let us know how the investigation goes. Cheers!

[alen]

Please,
any progress for this issue ? exactly same error here..

[Dima P.]

Hello Alen,

I'd recommend you to raise the support case in order to get the root cause of your issue investigated. Please do not forget to share the support case ID once you have it. Thank you!

[ilcaps83]

Hi,
I have the same error using Veeam Agent on a Windows Server 2016 Essentials.
I tried solutions contained in https://www.veeam.com/kb1697 but my backup job keeps failing on first tries. It succeed after 2-3 retries. Sometimes it fails on all retries.
Did you solve this issue?
Thank you

[Dima P.]

Hello Damiano,

Any chance you have a case ID to share? Thanks!

[zadrian]

I also got several of these errors running on Windows 10 (Dell notebooks) with VAW 3.0.2.1170.
They do not have SQL servers on them, unless you include the SQL stuff that comes with Win10.
Weird thing is only like 11 out of 200 notebooks (various Dell models).

[couzca]

I have the same error on a server with SQL and WSUS installed. There's two volumes, system and data drive.

Code: Select all

2019-11-25 08:35:06 :: Creating VSS snapshot Error: Failed to create snapshot: Backup job failed.
Cannot create a shadow copy of the volumes containing writer's data.
A VSS critical writer has failed. Writer name: [NTDS]. Class ID: [{b2014c9e-8711-4c5c-a5a9-3cf384484757}]. Instance ID: [{b4a95508-3bf0-4a4a-9515-c87177b10d38}]. Writer's state: [VSS_WS_FAILED_AT_FREEZE]. Error code: [0x800423f2].

[wishr]

Hi Zadrian, Couzca,

Please let us know your support case IDs so we could take a look at them. If you have not raised a case yet please go ahead and reach out to our technical support team.

Thanks

[anda65]

Hi all,
I have installed Veeam Agent for Windows Server on a Windows 2012R2, Active Directory controller, but without SQL Server installed.
I noted that the SQLServerWriter has been installed as a requisite of Veeam Agent for Windows Server, it is the 2012 Express version.
Same error as noted before.
Disabling the service, i can get my backup correctly running.

[couzca]

Hi Zadrian, Couzca,

Please let us know your support case IDs so we could take a look at them. If you have not raised a case yet please go ahead and reach out to our technical support team.

Thanks

On 'CONTACT US' (Contact a board administrator) if you scroll down to the bottom of the site?

[wishr]

No, I meant to say the ID of the support case you have raised with our technical support team regarding the aforementioned issue.

[couzca]

I have not, I'd like to get help but don't know how to reach out.

[wishr]

Hi Couzca,

Please refer to the guidance I linked above and let us know your support case ID once you get it so we could help where possible.

Thanks in advance.

[couzca]

Case #03886403

[wishr]

Thanks. Please try out the suggestions offered by our support engineer and let us know the outcome.

[lsneed71]

Good afternoon.
We are experiencing the same issue with the free version of Veeam Agent for Microsoft Windows on Windows Server 2012 R2 systems. I tried raising a support case but I was told that since this is a free product, we would not receive any assistance. After waiting a week for support, this is what they sent me:

"This is Veeam Support with a system generated courtesy notification. Unfortunately, due to high Support Team load we were unable to process your request and it has been archived automatically.
Please keep in mind that as a Free Product case, Support is provided on a best effort basis. Support Policy for Free Products can be found here: https://www.veeam.com/veeam_software_su ... icy_ds.pdf"

In essence, I've been pointed to the forum and never received direct response.

Can someone point me in the right direction to get this resolved? Our backup does restart and complete after 2nd or 3rd retry, but I also am not a fan of errors. Disabling the SQL VSS Writer service allows the backup to run without error, but it seems that Veeam Agent may be using this service somehow, as we only get this error when the backup is triggered.

[azpets]

Acronis provide a tool for diagnose VSS status, and allow some troubleshooting called "VSS Doctor". This may not solve the issues you're encountering with Veeam, but maybe could pinpoint if something is not working as expected.
The error [VSS_WS_FAILED_AT_FREEZE] happens also with other VSS-based products.