Nightly snapshot causing SQL Server backups to break in Veritas NetBackup chain

Question

Nightly snapshot causing SQL Server backups to break in Veritas NetBackup chain

Anonymous

We are experiencing issues with the backup chain being interrupted by a VM snapshot backup. Our regular SQL backups are sent to NetBackup, and we want to maintain the backup/restore chain within NetBackup without the need to interrupt it with a snapshot VM backup. Disabling the VSS writer service for SQL is not our preferred approach. Any suggestions on how to accomplish this?

Erland Sommarskog 120.2K Reputation points MVP

2024-04-01T09:31:22.7966667+00:00

Can you describe these issues in more detail? My gut reaction is that the VM snapshot backup should affect anything, but I don't have any on-hands experience of VM snapshot backups, and even less of Veritas, so I may be missing something.
Anonymous

2024-04-01T13:04:35.54+00:00

Normal SQL backups are completed to an offsite application (Netbackup). We want to maintain the backup / restore chain within Netbackup. When the vm level snapshot runs it triggers SQL to register a full backup has completed. Then when the next log backup runs from Netbackup it sees the log chain has been broken by an out of process backup and triggers a full backup. If we disable the VSS writer service for SQL we will not see this behavior but that is not our preferred approach.

The normal backup chain for our systems would be as follows:

Weekly – Full backup

Daily – Differential backup

Hourly – Log backups

Daily - VM snapshots

As a result of the VM snapshot, full backups are running daily as Netbackup realizes the backup chain was broken by an out of process full backup. This bloats our backup storage and makes the restore process more difficult.
Erland Sommarskog 120.2K Reputation points MVP

2024-04-01T13:07:08.97+00:00

I think this is something that you need to discuss with Veritas.
Anonymous

2024-04-02T22:26:55.21+00:00

there is way to set a default for when the SQL VSS Writer is triggered to force it to do a copy only mark on the database?

Is there a way to exclude the SQL VSS writer without disabling it from the system level snapshot?

I do have a case with Veritas have been pushing them the challenge is they call the Hypervisor snapshot which triggers a Windows VSS system level snapshot which seems to be trigger the SQL VSS writer and having it mark a database backup.
Anonymous

2024-04-03T00:55:39.2266667+00:00

there is way to set a default for when the SQL VSS Writer is triggered to force it to do a copy only mark on the database?

Is there a way to exclude the SQL VSS writer without disabling it from the system level snapshot?

I do have a case with Veritas have been pushing them the challenge is they call the Hypervisor snapshot which triggers a Windows VSS system level snapshot which seems to be trigger the SQL VSS writer and having it mark a database backup.
LucyChen-MSFT 5,060 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff

2024-04-16T09:38:21.0833333+00:00

Hi @Vanitha Dodla (MINDTREE LIMITED),

We haven't heard any response from you yet.

Is this issue solved now? If you have any questions, please feel free to share with us.

And please don't forget to accept the answers if they helped. Your action would be helpful to other users who encounter the same issue and read this thread.

Thanks for your understanding!

1 answer

Your answer

Erland Sommarskog 120.2K Reputation points MVP

2024-04-01T09:31:22.7966667+00:00

Can you describe these issues in more detail? My gut reaction is that the VM snapshot backup should affect anything, but I don't have any on-hands experience of VM snapshot backups, and even less of Veritas, so I may be missing something.
Anonymous

2024-04-01T13:04:35.54+00:00

Normal SQL backups are completed to an offsite application (Netbackup). We want to maintain the backup / restore chain within Netbackup. When the vm level snapshot runs it triggers SQL to register a full backup has completed. Then when the next log backup runs from Netbackup it sees the log chain has been broken by an out of process backup and triggers a full backup. If we disable the VSS writer service for SQL we will not see this behavior but that is not our preferred approach.

The normal backup chain for our systems would be as follows:

Weekly – Full backup

Daily – Differential backup

Hourly – Log backups

Daily - VM snapshots

As a result of the VM snapshot, full backups are running daily as Netbackup realizes the backup chain was broken by an out of process full backup. This bloats our backup storage and makes the restore process more difficult.
Erland Sommarskog 120.2K Reputation points MVP

2024-04-01T13:07:08.97+00:00

I think this is something that you need to discuss with Veritas.
Anonymous

2024-04-02T22:26:55.21+00:00

there is way to set a default for when the SQL VSS Writer is triggered to force it to do a copy only mark on the database?

Is there a way to exclude the SQL VSS writer without disabling it from the system level snapshot?

I do have a case with Veritas have been pushing them the challenge is they call the Hypervisor snapshot which triggers a Windows VSS system level snapshot which seems to be trigger the SQL VSS writer and having it mark a database backup.
Anonymous

2024-04-03T00:55:39.2266667+00:00

there is way to set a default for when the SQL VSS Writer is triggered to force it to do a copy only mark on the database?

Is there a way to exclude the SQL VSS writer without disabling it from the system level snapshot?

I do have a case with Veritas have been pushing them the challenge is they call the Hypervisor snapshot which triggers a Windows VSS system level snapshot which seems to be trigger the SQL VSS writer and having it mark a database backup.
LucyChen-MSFT 5,060 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff

2024-04-16T09:38:21.0833333+00:00

Hi @Vanitha Dodla (MINDTREE LIMITED),

We haven't heard any response from you yet.

Is this issue solved now? If you have any questions, please feel free to share with us.

And please don't forget to accept the answers if they helped. Your action would be helpful to other users who encounter the same issue and read this thread.

Thanks for your understanding!

Answer 1

LucyChen-MSFT 5,060 Microsoft External Staff

Hi @Vanitha Dodla (MINDTREE LIMITED),

Thanks for your information. Please ensure the registry:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\MICROSOFT\BCDRAGENT]

“USEVSSCOPYBACKUP”=”TRUE”

This registry setting directs VSS to take full backups as copy-only as a part of its snapshots. This enables these VM snapshots to be taken without disrupting the backup chain.

In addition, the recovery model has been modified may cause this issue, because changing the recovery model of the database to simple mode will also cause the backup chain to be interrupted.

Best regards,

Lucy Chen

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Anonymous

2024-04-02T22:25:16.4866667+00:00

Hello Lucy,

Thanks for the response

Couldn't able to find BCDRAGENT
LucyChen-MSFT 5,060 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff

2024-04-03T02:39:17.0933333+00:00

Hi @Vanitha Dodla (MINDTREE LIMITED),

Please check out this article, https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/relational-databases/backup-restore/sql-server-vss-writer-backup-guide?view=sql-server-ver16#copy-only-backup. Hope it can help you well.

Regards,

Lucy Chen
LucyChen-MSFT 5,060 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff

2024-04-22T06:58:43.04+00:00

Hi @Vanitha Dodla (MINDTREE LIMITED),

We haven't heard any response from you yet.

Is this issue solved now? If you have any questions, please feel free to share with us.

And don't forget to accept the answers if they helped. Your action would be helpful to other users who encounter the same issue and read this thread.

Thanks for your understanding!

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Nightly snapshot causing SQL Server backups to break in Veritas NetBackup chain

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