VSSFreezer Failed on SQL server hosting vcenter/veeam db

[cregan]

Hi,

I just moved my Veeam and VCenter database to an SQL2005 server instead of the locally SQL server express.
Now when replicating that SQL server it always failed with VSSFreezer: Failed to freeze guest, wait timeout ...

Do I need to move my VCenter database elsewhere ? Is that my problem ?

Thanks.

[Gostev]

Hello, this is caused by the fact that you are attempting to freeze its Veeam and vCenter own backend database, so some backup transaction cannot complete properly. But I am not quite sure which one specifically causes this error (although could be both). Try to move Veeam database back to local SQL and see it it helps?

Here's an existing thread about this error:
http://www.veeam.com/forums/viewtopic.p ... eout#p5422

[cregan]

Ok found the problem. Seems like Veeam cannot backup the VM hosting VCenter database.
If I loose my VCenter DB is Veeam able to restore a backup/replica without it ?

[Gostev]

Yes, absolutely. Veeam Backup does not require vCenter present for backups and restores. Even if you loose Veeam Backup configuration database along with vCenter database, you can still restore any backup in no time. Just click the Import Backup button on toolbar, and select the required backup file to make it appear in Veeam Backup UI. Then, you simply add your target ESX (as standalone host) to Veeam Backup, and restore directly to it.

[tsightler]

Ok found the problem. Seems like Veeam cannot backup the VM hosting VCenter database.
If I loose my VCenter DB is Veeam able to restore a backup/replica without it ?

Actually, you can do it, you just can't back it up by choosing the VM from the vCenter tree. If you simply add the ESX host that has your vCenter VM running on it directly to the Veeam Backup console you can then back it up. You'll have to be sure to keep the vCenter VM on the same host all of the time, but this isn't too difficult. Since the ESX host is already list under the vCenter tree, Veeam Backup will complain that you can't "have a host with the same name" but you simply have to add the host with it's IP address instead. We use this method to backup our vCenter server and it works great!

[sixth]

I know this is an old thread, but I was having the same problem with my vCenter DB VM and I performed what you said above and VSS works perfectly now.

Thanks for the workaround!!

[Vitaliy S.]

Yes, that's an old thread, so thank you for using search!

[Ducachris]

Old Thread but still useful even with 4.1 version

Thx

[blanne]

This issue really ought to be described in the official documentation. I started out with a remote db on a 'real' SQL 2008 R2 server, and tried moving backwards to a 2005 Express, but still couldn't make it work until I added a name for the ESXi host to the hosts file, and connected directly (the ESXi hosts don't have DNS names). I had to start over with a new VM for the vCenter installation, it didn't survive the db move entirely.

This must be an issue for something like 90% of users? Who wouldn't include the vCenter server in a backup job? And who would like to lock the job to a specific host?

[ThomasMc]

Specifically talking about the vCenter job, I'm only a few lines of code away from fully automating the update of backup/SB jobs to add the agility back, you still have to use the esxi host but after you vMotion the vCenter it will update everything for you right from the original vMotion event, some details over here

Add and Remove VMs from app group via PS

Just look down a couple of posts to see the functionality