Configuring Shadow Copy
To be able to use shadow copying, you first need to enable it. Please note that it requires additional system resources, so consider how relevant file recovery is for you. In most cases, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, but in some situations the need to allocate additional resources for shadow copying is unacceptable.
Shadow copy settings are contained in the system properties. Open the System tool in the Control Panel (Figure A) or enter the keyword “system” (“system” for the English interface, without quotes) in the Start menu search bar.
Figure A. System Properties in Vista.
On the left side of the System window, click the System Protection link (Figure B). Oddly enough, I was unable to find a keyword that would bring up the System Protection window directly from the Start menu search bar. Apparently, an intermediate stage is indispensable.
Figure B. System Protection link.
In the system properties dialog box, open the System Protection tab (Figure C) and check the boxes for the drives for which you want to enable shadow copying. You can then immediately create a restore point by clicking the Create button. Otherwise, it will be created on shutdown and next startup.
In this window, you can also start system restore from a previous point, if it exists. After completing the configuration, click "OK".
Figure C. System Protection Tab
Using shadow copy
By setting up shadow copying, you can be sure that important files can be recovered when needed. For example, I created Word file 2007 named "ShadowTest.docx" and saved it in the Documents folder for my profile.
Figure D. My Documents.
In fig. E shows the contents of the file - just one line of text.
Figure E. Text of the "ShadowTest.docx" file.
After saving the document and closing Word, I right-clicked on the file to bring up the Properties window and opened the Previous Versions tab. As seen from Fig. F, no shadow copy of this document has been created yet. V normal conditions it will appear after shutdown and next startup.
Please note that shadow copying does not eliminate the need for standard file backups, but only complements it. Restoring files from a shadow copy still results in the loss of certain data and is time-consuming. It should only be used in extreme cases.
Figure F. File properties.
As an example, I created a restore point to get a shadow copy of the test file (Figure G).
Figure G. New restore point.
Now, from the "Previous Versions" tab in the file properties window (Fig. G), you can open the document, copy or restore its previous version. This will replace the current file with a shadow copy, which Windows warns about separately (Fig. H).
This article was created to clarify service processes and also serves as a guide to Windows settings to solve problems.
We receive a large number of requests from users who have problems with the Volume Shadow Copy Service when using Paragon products. Most of the products are equipped with Paragon Hot Core technology, which is in no way inferior to Microsoft VSS. Paragon Hot Core has established itself as reliable and safe to use. We highly recommend using it instead of VSS.
Enabling Paragon HotCore (only for HDM15 or earlier)
This service is not activated by default during installation, so you need to add it manually. Open Control Panel - Programs and Features. Find the product in the list. Select “Change” in the installation wizard.
Then you need to change the archiving settings, as shown in the figure.
The instructions below will help you quickly back up or back up locked partitions and disks, even when they are in use.
Volume Shadow Copy Service
The first sign that the services have not been started is a “restart required” notification, which means that the program cannot access the files that are used in this moment... The operation can be performed after restart windows, it will run before Windows starts. This scenario is caused by the following two reasons:
Sometimes errors like
This error occurs due to errors file system or disk. This is usually the result of small errors in the file system data. Windows successfully ignores them, but some programs cannot. These errors need to be corrected using a Windows utility.
1. Checking the VSS infrastructure
1.1 Checking VSS providers
Some applications integrate their own VSS providers, resulting in complete disabling Microsoft VSS. To check providers for activity, enter the following into the command line:
vssadmin list providers
This command displays the name, type, ID, and version of each installed shadow copy service provider.
If more than one provider is installed, a registry check must be performed.
1.2 Checking the VSS writers (writers):
Exists various modules VSS records that create a shadow copy. Incompatibility between them can lead to various problems... To check the writers for problems / errors, enter the following command at the command prompt:
vssadmin list writers
This command will output installed modules VSS entries and many of the bugs reported by them.
1.3 Checking the allocation of shadow copy storage
The partition (selected for shadow copy operations) requires approximately 300 MB of free space and must also be formatted with NTFS. To get information about the shadow copy partition as well as the used / allocated / maximum possible space, enter the following command at the command prompt:
vssadmin list shadowstorage
This command lists all shadow copy storage locations
You can see that partition C: is assigned as the shadow copy partition.
1.4 Other VSS Commands
delete shadows – deletes shadow copies of a volume;
list shadows – displays existing shadow copies of the volume;
list volumes – lists volumes suitable for creating shadow copies;
resize shadowstorage – allows you to resize the shadow copy.
2. Simultaneous archiving:
MS VSS provider cannot work with multiple shadow copies at the same time. Check if another program is accessing VSS at the same time.
3. VSS is allegedly used:
It looks like VSS is in use and not available. Try to check:
Open the Registry Editor ( regedit.exe) and go to the following path:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE - SYSTEM - Setup
Check if the following items have the meaning “ 0 “:
SystemSetupInProgress
UpgradeInProgress
4. Some dynamic libraries VSS corrupted
Make sure all VSS DLLs are installed and registered properly.
Windows XP only
- Open command prompt
- Enter cd% windir% system32 and hit enter
net stop vss
net stop swprv
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 msxml3.dll
regsvr32 msxml4.dll- Reboot your computer
Windows 7, Windows 8, Server 2008 / R2, Server 2012 only
- Open command prompt
- Enter cd% windir% / system32 and hit enter
- Run the commands below in the order shown:
net stop “System Event Notification Service”
net stop “Background Intelligent Transfer Service”
net stop "COM + Event System"
net stop “Microsoft Software Shadow Copy Provider”
net stop “Volume Shadow Copy”
cd / d% windir% / system32
net stop vss
net stop swprv
regsvr32 / s ATL.DLL
regsvr32 / s comsvcs.DLL
regsvr32 / s credui.DLL
regsvr32 / s CRYPTNET.DLL
regsvr32 / s CRYPTUI.DLL
regsvr32 / s dhcpqec.DLL
regsvr32 / s dssenh.DLL
regsvr32 / s eapqec.DLL
regsvr32 / s esscli.DLL
regsvr32 / s FastProx.DLL
regsvr32 / s FirewallAPI.DLL
regsvr32 / s kmsvc.DLL
regsvr32 / s lsmproxy.DLL
regsvr32 / s MSCTF.DLL
regsvr32 / s msi.DLL
regsvr32 / s msxml3.DLL
regsvr32 / s ncprov.DLL
regsvr32 / s ole32.DLL
regsvr32 / s OLEACC.DLL
regsvr32 / s OLEAUT32.DLL
regsvr32 / s PROPSYS.DLL
regsvr32 / s QAgent.DLL
regsvr32 / s qagentrt.DLL
regsvr32 / s QUtil.DLL
regsvr32 / s raschap.DLL
regsvr32 / s RASQEC.DLL
regsvr32 / s rastls.DLL
regsvr32 / s repdrvfs.DLL
regsvr32 / s RPCRT4.DLL
regsvr32 / s rsaenh.DLL
regsvr32 / s SHELL32.DLL
regsvr32 / s shsvcs.DLL
regsvr32 / s / i swprv.DLL
regsvr32 / s tschannel.DLL
regsvr32 / s USERENV.DLL
regsvr32 / s vss_ps.DLL
regsvr32 / s wbemcons.DLL
regsvr32 / s wbemcore.DLL
regsvr32 / s wbemess.DLL
regsvr32 / s wbemsvc.DLL
regsvr32 / s WINHTTP.DLL
regsvr32 / s WINTRUST.DLL
regsvr32 / s wmiprvsd.DLL
regsvr32 / s wmisvc.DLL
regsvr32 / s wmiutils.DLL
regsvr32 / s wuaueng.DLL
sfc /SCANFILE=%windir%/system32/catsrv.DLL
sfc /SCANFILE=%windir%/system32/catsrvut.DLL
sfc /SCANFILE=%windir%/system32/CLBCatQ.DLL
net start “COM + Event System” - Reboot your computer
5. It also makes sense to check the status of the VSS services.
- Open up Start, enter Services, press Enter.
- Make sure the following services are installed accordingly:
- Click Services right click, select Properties.
Volume shadow copy - " Manually“;
Shadow software provider copying Microsoft – “Manually“;
Remote Procedure Call - “ Automatically“;
COM + Event System - “ Manually" and " Automatically“;
System Event Notification Service - “ Automatically“;
Windows Backup - “ Manually“. - Reboot your computer and check if the problem is gone.
6. Check if you can create VSS snapshot directly from Windows
Server OS:
- Open up My computer- Right click on any internal section - Configure shadow copies
- Select the partitions you want to archive and click Create a shadow copy to confirm that there is sufficient free space on each partition. Otherwise, set the volume allocation size.
- Alternatively, you can use the vssadmin utility to run this check and create, grow, and reallocate space for the shadow copy.
Windows Vista and later OS for workstations:
- Go to Control Panel –System –System protection
- Select the sections you would like to archive and click the button Create... Configure volume protection, volume protection and increase storage space as needed.
7. Checking Windows events
Open up Start – Execute ... – eventvwr.msc... Go to Windows logs – Appendix and check for any error messages related to the VSS service.
Search for a solution in the articles Microsoft support , For example, .
8. Virtual machine
If the PC or server you are using is the host platform of the virtual machine, you need to install the latest version VMware Tools(for VMware), Virtual Machine Additions(Virtual Server) on each virtual machine.
9. Windows Updates
Install the latest version Service Packs via Windows Update.
Check Microsoft support site for fixes and other updates for VSS.
10. Exceptions when archiving
VSS has pre-selected exclusions that you can modify in the registry to add or remove exclusions and customize the content of the target archive. Cm. .
Apparently, it goes without saying that many (if not all absolutely) users have heard that Windows systems have a so-called volume shadow copy service. Of course, not all ordinary users clearly understand what kind of tool it is, what it is used for, how to operate it and how to configure it. Meanwhile, there is nothing particularly complicated here. Let's try to consider the Windows Volume Shadow Copy Service, giving the most simple and understandable explanation. In principle, despite such a seemingly abstruse name, this tool is familiar to everyone, without exception, and many encounter it quite often when unforeseen failures appear in the system or critical errors when an automatic or manual start of its recovery is required. But first things first.
What is volume shadow copy in Windows?
Let's start by understanding the essence of this tool, which is available in all recent systems line Windows. To understand what a volume copy service is, let's try to do some analysis of this phrase, finding out what exactly it can correspond to in its simplest interpretation. A volume refers to a disk or logical partition. Apparently, everyone knows this. As for shadow copying, roughly speaking, it can be interpreted as creating a copy in a mode invisible to the user, often called background.
Thus, it is easy to guess that this component is the most common means of creating a backup copy of a disk or partition with saving in a special reserved area. That is, this is some kind of restore point from a copy, and this applies not only to operating system with operable parameters, but also saved user files. After all, many noticed that when the rollback is launched, not only Windows with the programs installed at that time is restored, but also the user's files.
How it works?
Now a few words about how it all works. The fact is that when activating the shadow copy service (or in automatic mode set by default, or manually), data is saved in the partition for which it is active. In the case of the system partition, saving will be done in it.
There is an invisible area on the disk intended for placing copies of it (if you want, some snapshots of the state at a certain moment), for which the operating system itself in the selected partition reserves about three percent of its total volume, which, by the way, in most cases taken into account when one of the conditions for correct work system is called the presence of at least five to ten percent of free space on system disk.
That is why it is not recommended to clutter up the C drive, and as a preventive tool, you should regularly use standard disk cleanup, in which, when dealing with system files, you can free up additional free space just by deleting all backups (restore points). As you can already guess, when they are completely cleaned, the system rolls back to some previous state will become impossible.
Along the way, you should pay attention to the fact that if you disable the shadow copy service, you can bring the system to a working state when starting from removable media, if there is damage to system files or problems with the bootloader, you can. But there is no way to restore user files and previously installed programs.
Is it advisable to keep the service active?
Based on the foregoing, it becomes obvious that you should not disable this component to quickly restore the system, programs, and files. At least for the system partition - that's right. Indeed, in most cases, the main software components of the applications installed by the user are saved on the "C" drive in folders like Program Files and ProgramData. In some cases, even when the program is installed in a logical partition, the main libraries required for its operation in Windows environment, are written in the system partition (of course, only if the application is not portable).
For logical drives, software by and large, Volume Shadow Copies can be disabled completely painlessly, since they have nothing to do with the operation of the operating system (except for the cases described above). Actually, the whole setting consists only in enabling or deactivating this component, as well as specifying which partitions will be backed up, and how much space will be reserved on the disk or in the section for saving them (it all depends, if you want , from your generosity or greed). However, even when activating volume shadow copying, it is not recommended to over-allocate space for the created disk snapshots, since later, if the partition becomes too full, the system will simply have nowhere to save other important data (for example, the same system cache files or cached data of running programs).
How to enable and configure a service in Windows 7 and above in the simplest way?
Now let's see where the configurable options for this toolkit are. The easiest way to get access to the shadow copy settings in Windows 7 or in any other system is through where the system protection item is selected, after which it will automatically be redirected to the appropriate tab.
Here, in a special window, all currently active disks and partitions will be shown, for which a little to the right you can view the status of shadow copying.
As mentioned earlier, there are not so many settings here. After clicking on the appropriate button, you can enable or disable the service for the selected partition, and also use a special slider to increase or decrease the reserved space. You can immediately delete all previously created snapshots (backups).
How do I create a restore point using Windows?
In the main parameters of the protection state, there are also buttons for starting immediate system recovery and creating a checkpoint in manual mode... Please note that, firstly, after deleting all points for the system partition, rollback will be impossible, and secondly, you can create a rollback point manually only for the disk or partition for which shadow copying is enabled.
As a rule, the whole process takes just a couple of minutes, and you do not need to restart your computer or laptop after all operations are completed.
How do I view all shadow copies and roll back through the command line?
Now you should dwell a little on the issues related to viewing all available rollback points, because usually you can select one of them only at the recovery stage, expanding the entire list. In the system itself, this can also be done, but few of ordinary users know about such methods. At the initial stage, if volume shadow copying is enabled in Windows 7 or in any other OS of this family, you should go to the command line and run it as an administrator (you do not need such rights to view points, but you may need to restore the system).
To view VSS snapshots (and these are exactly the same backups), you need to register the vssadmin.exe list shadows command, after which everything will be displayed on the screen control points, for each of which the time and date of creation will be indicated, as well as a special identifier in curly braces.
Not everything is so simple with the desired copy. The point here is that you first need to mount a separate virtual drive (disk). The basic command vshadows -el = (identifier), Z is used for this. V in this case the ID value specified above is entered as the identifier, and Z corresponds to the letter of the created virtual partition. If you need to unmount the created disk, use the mountvol Z: \ / D command.
Using other Windows tools and optimizers
It is clear that many users do not like to work with the command line or do not want to because of the complexity of the tools used. Therefore, to configure shadow copying in Windows, you can use other tools of the system itself, which are no less effective. Apart from several options for launching a rollback with or without restoring system files, the simplest enabling or disabling of this tool can be done in the services section (services.msc).
In the editor, you need to find the appropriate service, go to its settings, using a double-click or the RMB menu for this, after which, say, to deactivate shadow copying, you need to perform several actions, but always in the following order:
- stop the service by pressing the corresponding button;
- select the disabled start type from the list of start modes.
After that, it should, again, be sure to save the changes in the set parameters, and then perform a complete reboot of the system.
In the case of activating shadow copying, the actions are performed in the reverse order. But for recovery system parameters It is better not to use the standard tool, but to give preference to the backup and restore section, where there is a corresponding item.
As for creating shadow (backup) copies or deleting them and starting recovery, for such purposes, you can use different kinds of optimizers, in which such functions and modules are provided initially.
Additional management methods
It goes without saying that you can start or disable this service using Group Policy settings or even by changing the corresponding registry keys. However, such a technique for an ordinary user may turn out to be somewhat more complicated than actions with a single service, and even digging into the same registry to search required parameters will have to be pretty much, and the matter may not be limited to just the main activation or deactivation key of the service (for example, you can delete copies only by completely erasing the corresponding records, but finding them can be extremely problematic). But even after deactivating the main service, you will have to search for the corresponding files on the disk or in the logical partition in order to get rid of them yourself. That is why the use of such a manual mode looks extremely cumbersome.
Digressing a little from the topic, it is worth mentioning separately that group policies and the registry basically have the same settings, which are duplicated in both editors with different visualizations of the parameters presented. And if in the politicians at the save stage installed options you can still refuse to use the set parameters, then this option is not provided in the registry, since when you exit the editor, the options are saved automatically. In addition, intervention in the system registry without necessary knowledge can lead to irreversible and catastrophic consequences for the entire system as a whole. Its priority is higher than that of group policies, so changes made in the registry cannot be returned to the original state in the policies (such actions will simply be blocked). So this also needs to be borne in mind.
What if the shadow copy service is down or throws errors?
Finally, let's focus on some possible problems that may arise in the work this instrument... And let's start with the simplest. The most common volume shadow copy error is associated with the component itself being in an inactive state (either disabled in standard settings, or in the services section, or in policies, or in the registry). As a rule, even if the system registry may contain a key whose value corresponds to the deactivated state of the service, the most common enabling of this component in the settings described above helps. Plus, if the backups haven't been deleted and system restore might work.
But what if the Volume Shadow Copy Service is down or running, but with obvious failures? It may well be that such a problem is caused only by the fact that there is not enough space on the disk or in the logical partition to save copies. In this case, we are talking about the fact that the reserved area is full. In this situation, it is advisable to delete those copies that are not needed or are out of date, and leave only one selected one, which contains the necessary operating parameters of the system or links to custom programs and files. As it is already clear, it is highly undesirable to get rid of all pictures. It is advisable to use such actions only if recovery means only bringing Windows to life if it is impossible to boot from a removable media, but user applications and files are not taken into account (cannot be restored). Just in case, so as not to remove any important system components, you can use standard cleaning disk, but in this case, if the item for deleting backups is marked, they will be erased every single one. The one that, be careful.
Very often, the shadow copy error, oddly enough, can manifest itself in server versions of Windows, if they use SharePoint Foundation components. In this case, the problem may lie in the so-called parallelism of creating copies, when there is a conflict between the real and the one created, for example, using the instrumentation of the Hyper-V module. As one of the most simple solutions many users call the execution of the line vssadmin list writers in the command console, followed by a reboot of the system two or three times.
If volume shadow copy does not work due to problems with SharePoint Foundation (or rather, with a special service pack) when creating snapshots in SBS 2011, it is recommended to run a special "SharePoint Configuration Wizard" from the start menu "Start" twice press the continue buttons without changing anything in the parameters, and at the end - the "Finish" button. After that, you will need to reload the backup and start it again.
Occasionally, albeit infrequently, problems with the operability of the shadow copy toolkit can manifest themselves when using SQL Server databases. In this situation, as evidenced by feedback from some users, partial deletion of unnecessary or unused databases helps, after which copying starts again in normal operation.
Brief conclusions
So, it's time to take stock of all of the above. Most likely, many have already realized that there is nothing particularly difficult in understanding what the shadow copying toolkit is. Another thing is that questions immediately arise about the unequivocal decision in favor of enabling or disabling this service. Here - at will. But if we proceed from practical considerations, it is better to leave this function of the operating system for the system partition even with the default settings. But for logical partitions in which only some files can be stored, it can be disabled (in extreme cases, you can always copy the necessary data to some removable media).
As for errors in the operation of the corresponding service, they are extremely rare in user desktop systems and are mostly associated with an unexpected accidental shutdown of the service responsible for creating backups, which will not be difficult to activate even using the simplest methods described above.
And one more remark in the end. If recovery problems occur even with the System State Copy Service enabled, please note that the backup snapshots themselves may be corrupted. But most often, such a situation with the issuance of notifications that an unexpected failure has occurred occurs due to violations of the integrity of important system files. To restore them when starting from a removable media like LiveCD or the original installation media with the system distribution, use the command line and run the sfc / scannow command in it. If this does not work, repair or overwrite the bootloader using the Bootrec.exe tool, adding the following attributes each time, after a space after the main command, in the sequence shown:
- / FixMBR.
- / FixBoot.
- / RebuildBSD.
As a rule, this technique allows you to completely restore the boot of the operating system even in the event of critical failures, after which it will be possible to set a rollback from the existing copy (s) in manual mode. If you still cannot boot the system, try using Safe Start by calling the boot menu by pressing the F8 key (in Windows 8 and 10 this method does not work, so you will need to use additional menus or switch boot mode to legacy on the command line).
Hope you are creating shadow copies of the entire disk, not on the same disk as the system in order to view them?
Usually, these copies are impossible to view, as well as the archive files, but you can see that the space is taken.
Shadow space managementSpace for storing shadow copies is allocated separately on the working volumes and on the spare disk for full copy systems. The used, allocated and maximum space for shadow copies can be checked by running the following command from command line with elevated privileges:
VSSAdmin list ShadowStorage
Used space - the space currently occupied by shadow copies; allocated - space reserved for shadow copies (and not used for other tasks); maximum - the upper threshold beyond which the volume of shadow copies cannot grow.
The allocation of space for shadow copies is automatic, which means it cannot be set by the user. New space is allocated in fixed chunks as the previously allocated space is occupied. For this reason, the value indicated for the used space is always lower than for the allocated space.
For production volumes, the maximum allowed storage space for shadow copies is determined when the first shadow copy is created — usually the first time you enable System Restore and create a restore point during installation. The value is set to 30% free space or 15% of the total volume size, whichever is less. This maximum size is static. It does not change when the free space is increased or decreased, or when the volume is resized.
However, the size can be manually adjusted by using the VSSAdmin tool from an elevated command prompt. For example, to increase maximum size storage space on the C: \ drive up to 15 GB, you need to run the following command:
VSSAdmin Resize ShadowStorage / For = C: / On = C: / MaxSize = 15GB
This tool first appeared on Windows Server®, where shadow copies a certain volume could have been kept on another volume. In Windows Vista, volume shadow copies are stored on the same volume. Therefore, the copied volume and the volume on which the copies are located must be the same.
On the other hand, the storage space for shadow copies on the full computer backup destination disk is fixed at 30% of the total disk space. This value is controlled by the computer backup software and cannot be manually changed. This shadow copy storage space is used to store incremental copies created by the full computer backup tool.
Up to 64 shadow copies can reside on a volume at a time if there is enough space in the shadow copy storage area. After the maximum size limit is reached, the older shadow copies are removed to make room for newer ones. Consequently, old restore points for System Restore are deleted when the storage limit on the working volume is reached, and old backups created by CompletePC Backups are deleted when this limit is reached on the spare disk. In addition, storing and editing other data on the backup disk can interfere with the normal aging process of backups, resulting in faster deletion.
Do not seek God, not in a stone, not in a temple - seek God within yourself. The seeker, let him find.
The Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) provides two features to help the administrator save time and hassle. The first is a snapshot (a short-term backup of all files on an NTFS volume). Thanks to snapshot or shadow copy, users can restore accidentally by themselves remote file or to correct the consequences of choosing Save instead of Save As by mistake. VSS is not intended to replace the current archiving strategy, as shown below. The second important VSS feature is the archiving of files opened or blocked by an application such as Microsoft SQL Server or Microsoft Exchange.
VSS creates shadow copies on a schedule or on demand. Use VSS service on Windows 2003 and for system Vista recovery simply. This article shows you how to set up VSS backups in Windows 2003 and convert basic disks to dynamic without corrupting shadow copies. As an administrator uses VSS, you can use the guidelines in the sidebar “Five Tips for VSS.”
How VSS Works
VSS takes a snapshot of all files on the NTFS volume or the source volume. Shadow copies are stored in an area called the shadow copy cache. The volume on which the shadow copy cache resides is called the shadow copy storage volume. The shadow copy cache is usually invisible to users, as it is located in a hidden system System folder Volume Information.
By default, the shadow copy cache is created on the source volume, but you can create it on a separate physical disk to improve performance and fault tolerance. Before activating VSS, you must choose a location to store the shadow copy cache because the cache cannot be moved later without losing the snapshots it contains. Also, keep in mind that disabling shadow copies on the volume removes any existing shadow copies.
VSS can only be activated on NTFS volumes. You cannot include or exclude specific files or folders - only all or nothing. Data on mounted volumes is not included in the shadow copy on the parent volume. However, you can enable shadow copies on the mounted volumes themselves. Shadow copies preserve both encryption and NTFS permissions, which can lead to file recovery problems.
VSS activation
To activate the VSS service, select My Computer, then right-click the volume on which you want to enable VSS and select Properties. On the Properties page, click on the Shadow Copies tab. If you have already done so, you need to decide whether you want to store the shadow copy cache on a different volume on a different disk.
Then select the source volume and click on the Settings button. In the Settings dialog box, you can select a different volume for storing the shadow copy, as shown in Figure 1. You can change the storage space size and schedule (by clicking the Schedule button) if the predefined schedule does not fit. By default, snapshots are taken Monday through Friday at 7 am and noon. Snapshots should be taken as needed, not every hour.
When you have finished configuring the settings, click the OK button. On the Properties page, you must click the Enable button to enable shadow copies on this volume. You will be prompted to use the default schedule and settings; you must accept this offer and click on the Yes button, and then on the OK button again.
For command line utilities aficionados, it is helpful to get the hang of configuring VSS using Vssadmin and Schtasks instead of a graphical interface. With Vssadmin, you can create, delete, and resize shadow copies, among other operations. Schtasks is used to create, edit and delete assigned tasks.
Disk space requirements. When VSS is enabled, 100MB of disk space is immediately allocated and VSS can take up to 10% of the size hard disk... Snapshots only reflect changes from the previous snapshot, so they require less storage space than you might think. However, only 64 copies can be stored in the shadow copy cache. If not enough disk space or the 65th snapshot is created, the oldest snapshot is deleted to make room for the new one. Due to redundancy when creating snapshots We recommend that you enable VSS only on volumes that store user data or have the ability to archive open files.
Using shadow copies of Windows 2003
To provide access client computers previous versions of the files, you need the Previous Versions Client, which comes with Vista and Windows 2003. Previous Versions Client can also be installed on Windows XP Professional SP1 (the twcli32.msi file is located in the% Windir% System32ClientsTwclientX86 folder on the Windows 2003 CD), and on Windows 2000 (download the appropriate version from the Microsoft Web site). To install the client program on users' computers, double-click the file to start the installation, or deploy it via group policy or Microsoft Systems Management Server (SMS).
Shadow copies are designed for use with the Common Internet File System (CIFS), an extended version of the Server Message Block protocol, so you must connect through a shared folder to access previous versions of a file or folder on the server. Even after registering with the server, you must use the Universal Naming Convention (UNC) path. For example, to access older versions of a file on a server named UptownDC in the Sales share, click Start, select Run, and enter
Click on the OK button and then right-click on desired file and select Properties. The Previous Versions tab lists the snapshots and shows the date and time they were taken (see Figure 2). There are three options here: View, Copy, and Restore. V View mode a copy of the file is opened read-only; it is convenient to choose desired copy... In Restore mode, the document, its NTFS permissions and encryption settings are restored to their original location, and Current version is overwritten. A safer option is Copy, which copies the file to a new location.
If you need to recover a deleted file, then obviously you cannot right-click on a file in a shared folder and select its properties. In this case, you need to go to the folder level. Instead of the UNC path UptowndcSales, the connection is made to the administrative resource on drive C (where the Sales folder is located): UptowndcC $. Right-click the Sales folder, select Properties and click the corresponding button to view, copy, or restore the entire contents of the folder. If you only want one file, copy the folder to a new location, then right-click on the file and work with previous versions of that file.
Vista and shadow copies
Vista is the first desktop operating system with built-in shadow copy functionality. Shady copies of Vista- part of the system recovery mechanism; they are called recovery points. By default, restore points are activated for volume C, and shadow copies of files are created daily if the volume has at least 300 MB of free space.
The prescheduled SR task creates restore points and activates only if the computer has been idle for at least 10 minutes and is using AC power. If for some reason the SR task does not start at the scheduled time, it will be executed as soon as possible. You can assign recovery points to other volumes as well. Vista allocates up to 15% of the hard disk space for storing restore points.
To configure and manage restore points, click Start, then right-click Computer and select Properties. In the Tasks menu, go to the System protection item. Administrative authority is required to access System protection, so when prompted by UAC, click the Continue button.
On the System Protection tab of the System Properties page (Figure 3), you can manually create a one-time restore point: select the volume and click Create, name the restore point, and click Create again. The process can take several minutes, depending on the size of the volume, but when it completes, you will receive a confirmation that it was successful. If the creation of recovery points for a volume is automated, Vista creates a new recovery point for the volume every day and at system startup.
Accessing previous versions of files and folders in Vista is the same as when accessing a Windows 2003 shared folder from a client with Previous Versions Client installed. But Vista users can access past versions of files and folders locally. All you have to do is open Windows Explorer, right-click a file or folder, select Properties, and then click the Previous Versions tab (Figure 4). The options are the same as the previous versions of the Previous Versions Client, and they function in the same way.
VSS and SAN
Another major benefit of VSS in Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition and Datacenter Edition is the ability to quickly and easily copy and move data across a SAN. VSS can create a multi-terabyte shadow volume copy that can be exported from the SAN and imported to the server in just a few minutes, moving large amounts of data very quickly. Each storage manufacturer implements this function differently, so for detailed information please contact your supplier.
Configuring VSS
For volumes with VSS, a cluster size of at least 16 KB is recommended. VSS records are converted to files in 16KB chunks. On volumes ranging from 2TB to 4TB, the default cluster size is 4KB. However, for clusters less than 16KB, the VSS provider cannot determine if the file has been defragmented or modified. Therefore, VSS treats a defragmented file in the same way as a modified one — it generates a new shadow copy of the file. After defragmenting a disk with small clusters, the shadow copy cache can grow very quickly and overwrite existing shadow copies. For more information on this, see the Microsoft article "Shadow copies may be lost when you defragment a volume" at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/312067.
You can use the Fsutil command to find out the cluster size of a volume. For example, to find out the cluster size of volume C, enter the command
fsutil fsinfo ntfsinfo C:
If the cluster size is less than 16 KB and needs to be increased, you must back up the data, reformat the volume to a larger cluster size, and then restore the data. Note that NTFS file compression only works for 4K clusters, so you have to choose between compression and VSS.
Interaction of NTBackup and VSS
In the past, a file that was open or locked by a service or application during backup was not copied, which caused problems if administrators needed to restore it. Data consistency is extremely important when working with applications that open many files at the same time, such as databases. If many files are open during archiving, chances are high that the time between copying the first and last files to last file there have been changes. In this case, the data in the restored database turns out to be inconsistent.
Backup utility copy windows 2003, NTBackup, uses VSS to ensure completeness and consistency archival copies... VSS interacts with the application writer component associated with the file. The write component protects application data and provides information, in particular, about the location of the data and methods of archiving and restoring. Applications without a writer cannot communicate with VSS. In the worst case, the administrator can try to restore important file and find that it is not there at all: it was never archived since the application cannot interact with VSS. In Windows 2003, there are write components for AD and NTFS. To find all available recording components on the server, enter the command
vssadmin list writers
When you run NTBackup on Windows 2003, the utility prompts you to enter a list of all write components known to VSS. VSS not only lists the recording components, but also provides all known metadata about them, including the backup and restore methods used in the recording component. VSS uses metadata to determine which applications support shadow copies. When NTBackup asks VSS to create a shadow copy, VSS sends a message to known write components to freeze all write operations, create a shadow copy, and save it to a delta file. The delta file tracks changes since the last shadow copy was created. The backup is performed using data from the delta file.
Monitoring VSS Performance
Monitoring shadow copies using Performance Monitor in Windows 2003 can help anticipate potential problems before they affect users. For instance, system monitor warns that disk space used for shadow copies is approaching the maximum allowed value. By default, Performance Monitor does not contain objects or counters that track the characteristics of shadow copies, but the administrator can enter them himself. For instructions on how to create counters, see the Microsoft article “Add counters to System Monitor” at http://technet2.microsoft.com/windowsserve...3.mspx?mfr=true.
Using the Volperf utility (with the / install switch) from the Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Resource Kit, you can supplement Performance Monitor with shadow objects and the following counters:
% Disk Used by Diff Area File: The percentage of disk space used by all diff files in the volume.
Allocated Space (MB): memory space (MB) allocated for a specific volume;
Maximum Space (MB): the maximum space (MB) allocated for the shadow copy storage volume;
Nb of Diff Area Files: the number of difference files;
Nb of Shadow Copies: the number of shadow copies in the shadow copy cache;
Size of Diff Area Files: total size of diff files for the selected volume;
Used Space (MB): The amount of space (MB) used in the shadow copy storage volume
Transformation base disk into dynamic and VSS service
It is sometimes useful to add an extra layer of hardware fault tolerance by creating a mirrored set. Mirrored sets can only be built on dynamic disks, so the basic disk must be converted to dynamic. The documentation states that converting disks from basic to dynamic does not result in data loss. However, the documentation does not say anything about the fact that if the conversion is incorrect, existing shadow copies can be deleted. If the source volume and shadow copy cache are located on different volumes, then the transformation may turn out to be challenging task. additional information the differences between basic and dynamic disks are described in the article "Disks for Windows servers- basic or dynamic type"Published in Windows IT Pro / RE # 1, 2003.
The procedure you choose to convert a VSS-compliant basic disk to dynamic depends on the location of the shadow copy cache on the boot volume.
Scenario 1- The shadow copy cache is not located on the boot volume. If the shadow copy cache is not on the boot volume, you must first unmount the source volume (the snapshot volume) using the Mountvol command-line utility with the / P option (/ P unmounts the volume). Then, the volume containing the shadow copy cache must be converted to a dynamic volume. At this point, the countdown begins: the administrator has only 20 minutes to mount the source volume using the Mountvol utility or the Disk Management snap-in in the MMC. If the source volume is not mounted within 20 minutes, then all shadow copies will be lost. Finally, bring the source volume back online and convert it to a dynamic volume.
Scenario 2- the shadow copy cache is located on the boot volume. If the shadow copy cache is on the boot volume, simply convert the volume containing the shadow copy cache to a dynamic one. It is not necessary to dismantle it beforehand. Then reboot the server twice and convert the source volume to a dynamic volume.
Beneficial for the end user - beneficial for the administrator
It's nice that Microsoft releases new tools to restore the health of the desktop operating system for both IT professionals and end users... The less backup tapes an administrator has to load, the easier it is for him to work, and Vista restore points are a step in the right direction... In addition, VSS gives users the ability to control the file recovery process. But careful planning and management - required condition take full advantage of the VSS service.
Five VSS Tips
When implementing VSS or preparing Vista recovery points, we recommend that you do the following:
1 ... Before activating VSS recovery points, select a location to store the shadow copies. Remember that you cannot move them later.
2 ... Placing VSS on a system or boot volume - bad decision... Operating system files change frequently, so the number of shadow copies on the boot volume is usually large.
3 ... The optimal cluster size for VSS is 16 KB.
4 ... Storing the shadow copy cache on a physical disk other than the source disk improves performance and fault tolerance.
5 ... Neither VSS nor recovery points can replace a complete backup solution.
