VCB and quiesce file system: using SYNC driver or VSS driver

[fgw]

i'm currently testing VCB and could not find a clear answer to this question.

from what i have read so far, sync driver might lead to some problems and the recommendation is to use VSS driver instead, espacially on exchange or database (sql) servers.

i have also played around with vcb and pre/post backup scripts. when not using VSS (pre/post backup scripts are not executed when using VSS) commands to manually stop applications can be performed before the snapshot is taken. this might work around the problems introduced with sync driver?

so here are my questions:

are there any disadvantages in using VSS over sync driver?

if not, why not always using VSS? if VSS is good enough for database servers, it will be good enough for all other server too?

is there any situation where the sync driver is recommended?

ok i know, VSS is only available on windows, so sync driver migth be the way to go on linux or other non windows systems. what to do on linux based database servers?

how are you guys out there doing your backups?

ps. evaluating veeam backup right now, and like what i have seen so far. but as all the backup solutions i have seen are using VCB, my questions are valid for any other backupsolution too.

[Chuck8773]

I have been using VCB for a year now. I have run into issues with the Sync driver on Exchange servers. Since I switched them to use VSS, the problems have disappeared. My view on that is VSS is developed by MS. The Sync driver is not. I would trust the disk flushing API that the software vendor wrote.

I do not know of any disadvantages of VSS as compared to Sync,.

The VSS component of the VMTools was introduced with 3.5 U2, so the only way at this time last year was the sync driver. Updating to U2 and updating the VMTools did not enable the VSS component.

I think Non-Windows is the only time that you need to use the Sync driver.

I have been running the vcbmounter command through a batch file with a scheduled task. Hokey I know but it works and has worked well. I too am looking at Veeam Backup. I want to get better versioning and greater savings on backup storage space.

Charles Killmer, VCP

If you found this or other information useful, please consider awarding points for "Correct" or "Helpful".