HP StorageWorks EVA Hardware Providers administration guide Windows 2003 (T1634-96052, February 2006)

5. Review the Windows application event log, Windows system event log, and VSS

trace to locate errors in the snapshot process. See the Microsoft website and

Windows help for information about the log and trace ﬁles.

6. Use a process of elimination to determine which components are not working. You

can do this by testing components individually:

• Test VSS and the array by using the Microsoft vshadow utility available

in the Microsoft VSS Soft ware Developer’s Kit to create snapshots. At the

command line, t ype:

vshadow [drive letter]

ThedriveletteristheproductionLUNyouwanttocopy.SeetheMicrosoft

documentation for details about using vshadow.

• Test your backup application and VSS together by making a backup copy

on a local drive, bypassing HWP and the disk array.

VSS copies intermittently fail or time out

VSS allows only 30 seconds for the entire snapshot process, including only 10 seconds

for a ctually making the copy. This narrow time window can cause any limitation in

your system to hamper successful snapshots. The following issues m ay a ffect system

performance:

• Firewall or LAN trafﬁc slowing or preventing commun ication. Reconﬁgure the

ﬁrewall or L A N to increase throughput.

• Viruses

slowing server operation. Check for and clean off viruses.

• VDS/VSS server is too slow. Use a fast, late mo de CPU with suf ﬁcient memory.

• Inadequate privileges. Administrator privileges are required in all applications

and on a

ll hardware used with HP VSS HWP.

• Writer application not conﬁgured according to best practices. Consult the

software manufacturer for recommended practices. For example, keeping

database ﬁles small by creating more rather than larger ﬁles may speed up

overall operation and database copying. Saving transaction logs to a different

volume than the database may also speed up performance.

• Review the Windows application event log, Windows system event log, and VSS

tracetolocateerrorsinthesnapshotprocess. SeetheMicrosoftwebsiteand

ndows help for information about the log and trace ﬁles.

Troubleshooting