This is in reference to article https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/backup/backup-azure-file-folder-backup-faq . On a 2016 Windows Server I used Robocopy to copy the MARS Scratch folder from its default location on C: to another drive. All files and folders copied, but the SSBV directory junction / volume mount point did not. I tried Robocopy with /SL and without /SL. I tried other means to copy SSBV (File Explorer, xcopy /B, ...). Is it necessary to copy SSBV, or will it be auto-generated after I update the two registry settings with the new path and restart the MARS obengine service? Currently I have the service stopped and disabled. My SSBV: fsutil reparsepoint query "c:\Program Files\Microsoft Azure Recovery Services Agent\Scratch\ssbv" Reparse Tag Value : 0xa0000003 Tag value: Microsoft Tag value: Name Surrogate Tag value: Mount Point Substitue Name offset: 0 Substitue Name length: 98 Print Name offset: 100 Print Name Length: 98 Substitute Name: ??\Volume{754c855f-8941-43a5-a33f-ee129786bd83}\ Print Name: ??\Volume{754c855f-8941-43a5-a33f-ee129786bd83}\ Reparse Data Length: 0x000000d0 Reparse Data: 0000: 00 00 62 00 64 00 62 00 5c 00 3f 00 3f 00 5c 00 ..b.d.b..?.?.. 0010: 56 00 6f 00 6c 00 75 00 6d 00 65 00 7b 00 37 00 V.o.l.u.m.e.{.7. 0020: 35 00 34 00 63 00 38 00 35 00 35 00 66 00 2d 00 5.4.c.8.5.5.f.-. 0030: 38 00 39 00 34 00 31 00 2d 00 34 00 33 00 61 00 8.9.4.1.-.4.3.a. 0040: 35 00 2d 00 61 00 33 00 33 00 66 00 2d 00 65 00 5.-.a.3.3.f.-.e. 0050: 65 00 31 00 32 00 39 00 37 00 38 00 36 00 62 00 e.1.2.9.7.8.6.b. 0060: 64 00 38 00 33 00 7d 00 5c 00 00 00 5c 00 3f 00 d.8.3.}.....?. 0070: 3f 00 5c 00 56 00 6f 00 6c 00 75 00 6d 00 65 00 ?..V.o.l.u.m.e. 0080: 7b 00 37 00 35 00 34 00 63 00 38 00 35 00 35 00 {.7.5.4.c.8.5.5. 0090: 66 00 2d 00 38 00 39 00 34 00 31 00 2d 00 34 00 f.-.8.9.4.1.-.4. 00a0: 33 00 61 00 35 00 2d 00 61 00 33 00 33 00 66 00 3.a.5.-.a.3.3.f. 00b0: 2d 00 65 00 65 00 31 00 32 00 39 00 37 00 38 00 -.e.e.1.2.9.7.8. 00c0: 36 00 62 00 64 00 38 00 33 00 7d 00 5c 00 00 00 6.b.d.8.3.}.... Thank you!

Hello gmorrissui Goodday! It is not necessary to copy the SSBV directory junction or volume mount point. You can update the two registry settings with the new path and restart the MARS obengine service. The SSBV directory junction or volume mount point will be auto-generated after the service is restarted. Here are the steps to update the registry settings: Open the Registry Editor by typing "regedit" in the Start menu search bar and selecting the "Registry Editor" app. Navigate to the following registry key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows Azure Backup\Config Double-click on the ScratchLocation registry value and change the path to the new location of the MARS Scratch folder. Double-click on the ScratchLocationBackup registry value and change the path to the new location of the MARS Scratch folder backup. Restart the MARS obengine service. After the service is restarted, the SSBV directory junction or volume mount point will be auto-generated. Please accept answer and upvote if the above information is helpful for the benefit of the community.

MARS scratch relocation and SSBV junction directory / volume mount point

Accepted answer

Tech-Hyd-1989 5,781

Hello gmorrissui

Goodday!

It is not necessary to copy the SSBV directory junction or volume mount point. You can update the two registry settings with the new path and restart the MARS obengine service. The SSBV directory junction or volume mount point will be auto-generated after the service is restarted.

Here are the steps to update the registry settings:

Open the Registry Editor by typing "regedit" in the Start menu search bar and selecting the "Registry Editor" app.
Navigate to the following registry key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows Azure Backup\Config
Double-click on the ScratchLocation registry value and change the path to the new location of the MARS Scratch folder.
Double-click on the ScratchLocationBackup registry value and change the path to the new location of the MARS Scratch folder backup.
Restart the MARS obengine service.

After the service is restarted, the SSBV directory junction or volume mount point will be auto-generated.

Please accept answer and upvote if the above information is helpful for the benefit of the community.

gmorrissui 70 Reputation points

2023-05-05T14:27:51.84+00:00

Thank you subrothodas-9589 for your answer. My registry entries are slightly different than what you posted. I have ...\Config\ScratchLocation but do not have ...\Config\ScratchLocationBackup. Instead I have ...\Config\CloudBackupProvider\ScratchLocation. So those are the keys I updated with my new path. I started the service and waited to see if the SSBV volume mount point was created. It was not. I did a manual Backup Now, and still SSBV was not created. The Backup completed without failures. I then did a Recovery test and SSBV was not created. I was able to recover a file. So, now I'm unclear why SSBV exists in the original Scratch location and not in the new. Am I at risk of an issue at some point later? Thanks!
SadiqhAhmed-MSFT 44,421 Reputation points Microsoft Employee

2023-05-08T14:56:49.3133333+00:00

@gmorrissui Are you taking system state backup or files and folders backup?

AFAIK, you cannot do item level restore of system state backup.
gmorrissui 70 Reputation points

2023-05-08T22:20:29.18+00:00

I am taking system state, and files and folders of C: OS disk and D: data disk. Any thoughts about the SSBV volume mount point?

Tomé Lopes 6 Microsoft Employee

Well the mount point will junction to the path C:\Program Files\Microsoft Azure Recovery Services Agent\Scratch\SSBV\.

During the System State the WindowsImageBackup will be created on the mount point which by other hand will be packed and encrypted into *.vhdx file
format and uploaded to the Recovery Services Vault.

For that reason I guess you will not bump into issues. Anyway to verify the mount points on Windows, during a System state Backup using MARS, you can open an elevated CMD and type mountvol. Below an example:

    \\?\Volume{76b9d2fe-a7e0-40b7-a70a-65c273f7c834}\
        C:\Program Files\Microsoft Azure Recovery Services Agent\Scratch\SSBV\

C:\Users\azadmin>cd "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Azure Recovery Services Agent\Scratch"

AND 

C:\Program Files\Microsoft Azure Recovery Services Agent\Scratch>dir
 Volume in drive C is Windows
 Volume Serial Number is 44B7-015B

 Directory of C:\Program Files\Microsoft Azure Recovery Services Agent\Scratch\mpoint

05/12/2023  03:17 PM    <DIR>          .
09/21/2022  01:22 PM    <DIR>          ..
05/12/2023  03:08 PM    <DIR>          Catalog
09/09/2022  09:57 AM    <DIR>          ChecksumStore
05/10/2022  10:07 AM    <DIR>          CoFLists
05/12/2023  11:16 AM                 0 DiskCache_2eb2453c-2dd0-4326-8b0c-de9b1ae1d5f1
09/09/2022  09:59 AM    <DIR>          FileSpecCache
05/10/2022  10:07 AM    <DIR>          MicrosoftBackupProvider
05/12/2023  03:17 PM    <DIR>          mpoint
09/21/2022  02:51 PM               280 OnlineBackup.KEK
05/10/2022  01:41 PM    <DIR>          RecoveryCache
05/12/2023  03:11 PM    <DIR>          SSBS
->> 05/12/2023  02:52 PM    <JUNCTION>     SSBV [\??\Volume{76b9d2fe-a7e0-40b7-a70a-65c273f7c834}\] <<-
05/10/2022  10:07 AM    <DIR>          UndoDisks
09/09/2022  09:57 AM    <DIR>          VHDs
               2 File(s)            280 bytes
              13 Dir(s)  112,277,315,584 bytes free


---------------------


If you want you can create the mountpoint. Example below.

C:\Program Files\Microsoft Azure Recovery Services Agent\Scratch>md mpoint

C:\Program Files\Microsoft Azure Recovery Services Agent\Scratch>diskpart

DISKPART> list vol

  Volume ###  Ltr  Label        Fs     Type        Size     Status     Info
  ----------  ---  -----------  -----  ----------  -------  ---------  --------
  Volume 0         System Rese  NTFS   Partition    500 MB  Healthy    System
  Volume 1     C   Windows      NTFS   Partition    126 GB  Healthy    Boot
  Volume 2     D   Temporary S  NTFS   Partition     15 GB  Healthy    Pagefile
  Volume 3     F   New Volume   NTFS   Partition    127 GB  Healthy
  Volume 4     E   New Volume   NTFS   Partition    127 GB  Healthy

DISKPART> sel vol 1

Volume 1 is the selected volume.

DISKPART> assign mount="C:\Program Files\Microsoft Azure Recovery Services Agent\Scratch\mpoint"

DiskPart successfully assigned the drive letter or mount point.


---------------------


Verification the mountpoint

DISKPART> exit

Leaving DiskPart...

C:\Program Files\Microsoft Azure Recovery Services Agent\Scratch>dir
 Volume in drive C is Windows
 Volume Serial Number is 44B7-015B

 Directory of C:\Program Files\Microsoft Azure Recovery Services Agent\Scratch

05/12/2023  03:17 PM    <DIR>          .
09/21/2022  01:22 PM    <DIR>          ..
05/12/2023  03:08 PM    <DIR>          Catalog
09/09/2022  09:57 AM    <DIR>          ChecksumStore
05/10/2022  10:07 AM    <DIR>          CoFLists
05/12/2023  11:16 AM                 0 DiskCache_2eb2453c-2dd0-4326-8b0c-de9b1ae1d5f1
09/09/2022  09:59 AM    <DIR>          FileSpecCache
05/10/2022  10:07 AM    <DIR>          MicrosoftBackupProvider
->> 05/12/2023  03:17 PM    <JUNCTION>     mpoint [\??\Volume{9d7a84d8-0000-0000-0000-501f00000000}\] <<-
09/21/2022  02:51 PM               280 OnlineBackup.KEK
05/10/2022  01:41 PM    <DIR>          RecoveryCache
05/12/2023  03:11 PM    <DIR>          SSBS
05/12/2023  02:52 PM    <JUNCTION>     SSBV [\??\Volume{76b9d2fe-a7e0-40b7-a70a-65c273f7c834}\]
05/10/2022  10:07 AM    <DIR>          UndoDisks
09/09/2022  09:57 AM    <DIR>          VHDs
               2 File(s)            280 bytes
              13 Dir(s)  112,277,475,328 bytes free


C:\Program Files\Microsoft Azure Recovery Services Agent\Scratch>mountvol


    \\?\Volume{9d7a84d8-0000-0000-0000-501f00000000}\
        C:\
        C:\Program Files\Microsoft Azure Recovery Services Agent\Scratch\mpoint\

gmorrissui 70 Reputation points

2023-05-12T15:30:01.5766667+00:00

Thank you Tomé Lopes for you good info. I checked my server and see that the SSBV mount point no longer exists in the C: Scratch folder and does exist in the D: Scratch folder. It was auto-created by my last System State Backup, which only runs once a week so that's why I did not see a new SSBV on D: for a few days. I assume 'SSBV' stands for System State Backup Volume. I appreciate all the help.

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MARS scratch relocation and SSBV junction directory / volume mount point

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