Backing up SQL Server VSSControl (Veeam v6.5)

[mobin.qasim]

Hi Guys,

I'm having the follow error while backing up the SQL Server. "Unable to release guest error: VSSControl: failed to freeze the guest wait timeout"

Following the Veeam KB by adding the SQL server from a standalone host solved the problem. But I'm facing another issue:

Last night one of the hosts where SQL server resides was shutdown and the SQL server was vMotioned to different host which also made

the SQL standalone job failed.

Is there any workaround to fix this issue?


Mobin

[Vitaliy S.]

Hi Mobin,

What database does this SQL Server host? The vCenter Server one? If this is the case, then please take a look a this topic: HOWTO: Backing up vCenter host issues

Thanks!

[mobin.qasim]

Hi Vitaliy,

Isn't that topic related to vCenter backup? I'm having this issue on my SQL server and yes my SQL server has databases of my everything, e.g. vCenter

database, Veeam database and so on.

Those scripts thing is a bit difficult for me to work on. Is there any alternative?

Regards

[Vitaliy S.]

Yes, this relates to vCenter Server backup (In that case SQL Server is located on the same machine). As an alternative, you may want to use a dedicated SQL Server Express to host your vCenter Server database, this will allow you to backup your current SQL Server through vCenter Server connection with "application-aware image processing" option enabled.

[mobin.qasim]

I already have a dedicated SQL Express 2008 Server, which has database instances of vCenter server and the Veeam B&R. I have separate environment for SQL Server, vCenter Server and the Veeam infrastructure. I don't have my vCenter installed on the same server as SQL. I hope you got it now.

So any workaround to avoid VSS error? Pinning SQL server using affinity rule doesn't work well as if one of the hosts goes down, SQL server will migrate to different host automatically using vMotion, but as SQL server was backing up on the failed host, the backup job will failed.

[tsightler]

The issue of backing up vCenter is actually related to SQL and VSS. Any attempt to backup the SQL server hosting the vCenter database using Veeam 6.5 and ealier with application aware processing (VSS) is likely to cause this issue. The only workarounds are to use one of the scripts in the thread Vitaliy linked to or to disable AAP and rely on crash consistent backups or VMware Tools quiescence (which if configured properly can still use VSS). Some of the scripts in the "Howto" thread don't require pinning the server, there's an example of a script which can be triggered by a vMotion even to update the job to point at a specific host. Of course that would mean you would need to add each host in the cluster as a standalone ESXi host as well. Most customers choose to use an affinity rule to keep the SQL VM on a subset of hosts if using DRS.

The good news is that B&R V7 should finally resolve this longstanding issue once it is released sometime this quarter.

[mobin.qasim]

Hi Guys,

Has this issue been resolved in v7??

Mobin

[foggy]

Yes, please see this thread for more details.