VI3 VCB remaining Snapshot

[Support_Col]

Hello, this is my first post "written" on the forum, I will really appreciate your help and patience. Thank you.

I´m having the following issue working with VCB and DataProtector 5.5 :

We need to take a file-level backup with data protector from a VM called pijao. We did a test with only VCB Mounter command as follows:

\* vcbmounter -h Virtualcenter -u user -p password -a ipaddr:Suan -r e:\vcb\pijao -t file

This command creates the snapshot and mounts the drives on the VCB proxy server.

To unmount the drives we used the -U flag :

\* vcbmounter -h Virtualcenter -u user -p password -U e:\vcb\pijao

This command unmounts the drives from the mount point and remove the snapshot of the VM.

Trying to run the backup job with DataProtector, creates the snapshot and mounts the volumes on the mount point, takes the backup of the files choosen and finished successfully, but it did not remove the snapshot of the VM. It appears as \_VCB-BACKUP_ in the VC Console.

We work with ESX Ent. 3.0.2 / VC 2.0.2 and VCB 1.0.3.

Thanks again.

[GBromage]

Hi!

Usually, VCB will remove the snapshot, but I've seen times when it doesn't.

I spent a bit of time messing around with it and I eventually came up with this pair of batch files to fix the problems.

Batch file 1: Snapshotfix.cmd[/b]

VmName.exe -h Virtualcenter -u user -p password -s any | find /i "moref:" >d:\morefs.txt

for /F %%a in (d:\morefs.txt) do call snapshotfix-moref.cmd %%a

Batch file 2: snapshotfix-moref.cmd[/b]

vcbSnapshot.exe -h Virtualcenter -u user -p password -f %1 \_VCB-BACKUP_ | find /i "SsId:" >d:\ssid.txt

for /F %%a in (d:\ssid.txt) do "d:\apps\VMWare\VMWare Consolidated Backup Framework\vcbSnapshot.exe" -h Virtualcenter -u user -p password -d %1 %%a

\----

---

These two will process all of your VMs, and remove any snapshots called "\_VCB-BACKUP_".

Hope that helps,

Greg

[___Montana___]

Thank you Greg.

We could finally have this issue working, we created another .cmd script with vcbmounter.exe and addressed in the Data Protector job.

Now both, drives mounted and snapshot are removed after the backup is taken.

Thank you.

[rocker77]

Hello,

I am working on same issue now. I upgraded to VCB 1.5 and I hope that this issue will be resolved in this version.

In case that this issue won't be resolved in 1.5 version I will try your scripts.

Do you have any updates about this issue? Do you use your scripts together with 1.5 version?

Thank you, Roman

[depping]

In most cases the remaining snapshot issues have been resolved in 1.5. This new version also contains a cleanup script which might be useful in your case if the snapshots keeps popping up.

Duncan

Blogging: http://www.yellow-bricks.com

If you find this information useful, please award points for "correct" or "helpful".

[rocker77]

Which cleanup script did you mean?

vcbCleanup.bat

This script was already in version 1.1.

[dconvery]

You would bet better off using the framework to do the unmount. The post script would be something like this:

cscript post-command.wsf "C:\Program Files\VMware\VMware Consolidated Backup Framework" %1

%1 would be replaced with whatever DP uses for passing the hostname parameter. Incidentally, youmay not have installed the integration kit properly. This will give you a working pre and post script to use.

Dave

[rocker77]

I upgraded VCB to version 1.5 and situation is still the same Snapshot sometime remain in datastore after backup job.

I try manually create snapshot with name VCB-BACKUP and then run backup job and if the snapshot exists then VCB didn't delete it before next backup job run.

I think that it isn't right if I set this to config.js:

/*

• Behavior for backup job when a previous backup snapshot of a virtual

• machine already exists.

*

• +) fail

• A pre-existing backup snapshot is causing a backup job to fail

• +) delete

• Attempt to delete the pre-existing backup snapshot. If the

• backup snapshot can be deleted without errors, proceed with

• the backup job. Otherwise fail the backup job.

*

• the default option is "fail"

*

• Note that when TRANSPORT_MODE is set to "hotadd", the value for

• PREEXISTING_MOUNTPOINT and PREEXISTING_VCB_SNAPSHOT must be

• the same, since it is not possible to reliably remmove a pre-existing

• snapshot in this case without cleaning up the mount point.

*/

//PREEXISTING_VCB_SNAPSHOT="delete";

If I understand comment above configuration parameter, by seting PREEXISTING_VCB_SNAPSHOT="delete" VCB should delete old snapshot (if the name of the snapshot is VCB-BACKUP before next backup job.

Am I right? Thank you for your experiences!!

[dconvery]

That is correct. You will need to remove the double slashes to activae the option.

Dave

************************

"Sometimes I think the surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us."

Bill Watterson, cartoonist, "Calvin and Hobbes"

[rocker77]

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you. All my issues was based on my stupid overlook

I test it now and it works smoothly. I hope that all weekend backups completes succesfully.

[dconvery]

Glad to hear it is fixed. Do us a favor and mark this answered if everything goes well over the weekend.

Dave

************************

"Sometimes I think the surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us."

Bill Watterson, cartoonist, "Calvin and Hobbes"

[rocker77]

Hello all,

upgrade to VCB 1.5 didn't resolve remaining snapshots after backup job.

I haven't problems with backup becouse before every new backup VCB automatically delete forgotten snapshots but issue with remaining snapshots didn't resolved.

I am very disappointed with it. Actually after upgrade to VCB 1.5 I have a new issue. VCB sometime crashes during creating snapshot before backup (time out error).

Any suggestions?? Thanks!

[MrCoffee]

Check if the disk I/O on the disk that you are writing the snapshots too is not extremely high and forms a bottleneck. Especially when backing up more then one VM at the same time to the same disk.

Greetz

Roderick