VMWare Converter Fails to take Snapshot of Source Volume

[compguy101101]

I am having trouble with VMware converter when I am hot cloning a machine. I receive

"ERROR: Failed to take snapshot of a source volume. Possible Causes include not having any NTFS volumes on Windows XP or Windows 2003 source systems, and not having enough free disk space".[/i]

I have plenty of disk space they are SAS drives in a raid 5, I am hosting the converter on a 2003 server std edition x64 and trying to convert a xp sp2 box.

On the agent log file i receive

\[i]'App" 564 warning] Failed to create console writer[/i]

On the Client log file I receive

\[task,295] Task failed: P2VError SNAPSHOT_FAILURE(-1)[/i]

Any ideas on how to fix this?

[mjcb]

I had the same issue. A re-install of the agent on the server I was convreting sorted the issue out. You will need to install it manually and not through the converter tool.

Only had this when I updated to the latest version, although may not be related at all.

[compguy101101]

Well I uninstalled the agents and then reinstalled it using the Converter.exe and still came up with the same error message. I am running symantec anti-virus. Could that have anything to do with it being denied to take snapshot of a source volume?

[compguy101101]

Currently the converter is going from 1% to 2% then stays there a while and then will jump to 11% and then fails. When I check the size of the file it is creating it jumps to 2Mb then again to between either 4Mb or 9Mb then shortly there after fails. If I click on properties of the .vmdk that is being created it will show smaller that what it shows on the screen then I click OK or Cancel and the size will go up but if I leave it sit it will jump to 11% and then fail.

[compguy101101]

Well I decided to run the conversion on a spare server that is running our wsus and the conversion worked like a charm. Only took 12 minutes. I installed the agent locally then did the conversion and didn't have any problems. Granted the box was running server 2003 where as the box I was originally trying to convert is running windows xp sp2. One thing that I thought may have played a factor in but haven't tested is that I was remoted into the computer that is doing the conversion with the computer I was trying to convert. So not sure if that could have made it fail but for now it is converting the computers that I originally wanted to be converted.

[compguy101101]

Shadow Copy is still not working on my XP box but conversions for 2003 server works with no problem.

[dietzke]

Hi,

i have the same problem with XP Clients, NT and 2000/2003 Server is ok.

What have i done:

Manuall install of the Agent on the source XP machine -> no sucess

Version is 3.01 Enterprise

Any ideas?

Greetings dietzke

Message was edited by:

dietzke

[MiloDeVries]

A machine I'm P2V-ing gave me the same error, I fixed it by running a chkdisk on the partition. Details of the machine:

win 2000 server

dynamic disk (broken mirror) with util partition (I think)

P2V options used:

-resize partion

-hot cloning

-remote agent install

[Tu_Nguyen]

Hi,

in my case, there are two scenarios.

One of my server doesn't have Volume Shadow Copy and Microsoft software Shadow Copy Provider services running. Start those two services and VMware converter continue ok.

Other servers have VERITAS installed and I stop the VERITAS services, I got 11% error. VERITAS replaces Disk Manager and changes MS Shawdow Copy Provider and Volume Shawdow Copy services to Manual start. So, if you have VERITAS running on your server, don't stop these serivces and you will be fine. To be exact, it is the VERITAS VSS Provider service that you can not stop.

I hope this will help.

Cheers,

[dietzke]

Hi,

i've got this hints and i've done it this order with success. Seems that the Reboots are important...

1. Uninstall Vmware Converter agent from the machine.

2. Reboot the machine.

3. Install Vmware Converter agent back on the machine.

4. Reboot the machine. (Somehow rebooting is very important)

5. Make sure Vmware Converter Agent Service is running.

6. Make sure you have atleast 200 mb of space available on the Volume being cloned.

7. Make sure the Workstation, Server, Netbios and VSS (Volume Shadow Copy – XP default service) Services are running on the XP machine.

8. Restart the VMWare Converter Service on the VMware Converter Manager server.

9. Remove any previous task and create a new task.

10. Try conversion.

Greets

[lkj2007]

we solve this problem with a CHKDSK.

a disk sector was endomaged

[WillFulmer]

Was this chkdsk on the VMWare Server or on the XP machine you were attempting to clone?

[rhe]

I had identical Problems, as the MS Software Shadow Copy Provider Service was not working.

The link below helped me to solve the issue so i could start both shadow copy services VSS and SwPrv

http://www.computing.net/windows2003/wwwboard/forum/5105.html

and the cloning works.

[lkj2007]

on xp machine

[BigDogz]

Me 2 - getting failure

"ERROR: Failed to take snapshot of a source volume. Possible Causes include not having any NTFS volumes on Windows XP or Windows 2003 source systems, and not having enough free disk space".

HP Laptop nw9440 4GBRAM, 100GB Int Disk w/ 64GB free, 160GB Ext Disk w/ 80GB Free, WinXPSP2

Converter Setup

>Physical Machine

>This local machine

>Select volume c:93GBTotal/29GB Used and set "New Disk Space" to 40GB

>Left checkbox checked for ignore page file and hib file

>Destination set to VMware standalone virtual machine

>VM Name = Test, VM Location = F:\VMware\test

>Type VM to Create: default WS5.x

>VM Options: Have tried both Allow VDF to Grow & Allocate DskSpc now

In first case, goes to 11% than gets error,

In second case, builds test.vmdk file up to ~41GB then errors out.

Have tried converter with target set to 40GB fixes and 40GB

Still ends with error

I have done the CHKDSK - no success

I have checked to see that Volume Shadow Copy and Microsoft Software Shadow Copy Provide services are running - no success

I have done the Uninstall/Reboot/Install/Reboot and that the VM Converter Service is running - no success

I have removed any previous task and started converter over - no success

Ok ... so now what ... I think I have tried all the ideas posted so far ...

\- - - This is a company evaluation activity to determine whether to buy into the VMware approach ... hmmm

[TELL-IT]

Had the same Problem, sloved as follows:

1. look for enough free HDD Space

2. CHKDSK

3. Start any Services that are stopped ...

- Volume Shadow Copy Service

- Server

- MS Software Shadoy Copy Provider

- Restart the VMware Converter Service

That fits for me

[theanykey]

not having enough free disk space

\- if you are resizing the disks you need 200mb free

\- do not select the diagnostic partition

\- ignore pagefile

\- converting into a vmdk file greater then 250gb conflicts with the default vmfs blocksize of 1mb - wont fit

\- local admin can sometimes do the trick

[sam_phillips]

I found out why the VMconverter was failing, after a number of MS articles and Vmware communities theories...

In our environment, for whatever reason there is an issue starting the MS Shadow Copy Service, and the fix was not an easy one to find.

I've put the fix into a batch file (below) that needs to be run on each machine prior to running VMConverter, it re-registers the dlls/components for both the VSS and the MS Shadow Copy Services. This batch file does create a pop up for every .dll it registers, but it works and it takes less than 10 seconds to run manually.

• the VSS and MS Shadow Copy services MUST be set to Manual and Started**

It turns out that when the Volume Shadow Copy Service requestor (backup application such as Vmware converter) was calling the Volume Shadow Copy Service, one of the components that VSS relies on (A software-provider) was failing. I think that VMConverter must use or be a software-based shadow copy provider as Software-based providers create/maintain a "point in time" view of a volume. (Can a guru at VMWare confirm this?) The MS Shadow Copy Service manages software based shadow copies so it must link in with the VSS service even though the only dependencies between the two services is the RPC service.

Anyway, its working now - I can now start the VSS and MS Shadow Copy Service successfully and VMware converter works like a charm..!!

Here is the batch file, copy and paste into a txt file and rename to .bat! < ; - = )

cd\

pushd "c:/windows/system32"

regsvr32 ole32.dll

regsvr32 vss_ps.dll

vssvc /Register

regsvr32 /i swprv.dll

regsvr32 /i eventcls.dll

regsvr32 es.dll

regsvr32 stdprov.dll

regsvr32 vssui.dll

regsvr32 msxml.dll

regsvr32 msxml2.dll

regsvr32 msxml3.dll

regsvr32 msxml4.dll

net start vss

net start swprv

[akaii]

Same problem here, but eventhough I did a chkdsk, ran the batch file (regsvr32 msxml4.dll couldn't be loaded), uninstall, reinstall... I still get this message I don't know what to do... any ideas?

[sam_phillips]

I had the same issue on a couple of machines, this batch file works regardless of that error registering that dll.

Just check that the MS Software Shadow Copy Provider and the Volume shadow copy service is STARTED...

Goodluck!

PS tell us more about your error