>I really would like to get reliable snapshots of my VMs, but I'm on a tight
>budget. Yes, I could run a backup from inside each VM, but they cannot see
>the large USB drive I have attached to the host, so then I have to do this
>weird "share the drive over the network from the host, to each VM, and map
>a drive letter" thing.
>
> From searching (and searching and searching) the Internet, I found the
> script that appears below. However, whenever I run it, I get a couple
> different errors:
> a.. "The shadow copy of volume C: took too long to install"
> b.. "The shadow copy of volume C: was aborted because the diff area file
> could not grow in time.
> But I do end up with what appear to be full copies of my VMs. I haven't
> restored/reattached them yet, to see if they are reliable backups.
>
> What I guess I don't understand is, why can't I use the backup program
> that comes with Windows, since it ALSO appears to use Volume
> Snapshot/Shadow Copy? What will happen if I use Windows Backup and then
> try to restore a VM back into service? Will the VM be trashed or
> something?
>
> I don't mind using the script (it doesn't show a progress bar or anything,
> but it does eventually complete with the popup box message at the end),
> but I need to know that it's really doing what it's supposed to.
>
> What are my caveats here... or am I pretty much just screwed and need to
> purchase a backup solution like Acronis?
>
> Here's the script that I *think* is working, except for the errors noted
> above. Do those errors mean it's really NOT working?
>
> ------------------
>
> Set objShell = CreateObject ("WScript.Shell")
> 'Load current date (formatted as mm-dd-yyyy)
> 'into variable strToday
> strTime = Month(Now) & "-" & Day(Now) & "-" & Year(Now) &_
> "_" & hour(now) & "-" & minute(now)
> ' Backup target folder or UNC path
> strBackupDir = "B:\mvs04\" & strTime & "\"
> 'Drive containing Virtual Machines
> strVMdrive = "C:"
> 'VM folder path
> strVMfolder = "vms"
> 'available drive letter used to mount shadow copy
> strTempDrive = "S:"
>
> 'Prepare shadow copy commands
> sExCmd = "CreateVSS.cmd"
> Set oFileSys = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
> if oFileSys.FileExists(sExCmd) then oFileSys.DeleteFile(sExCmd)
> set oExCmd = oFileSys.CreateTextFile(sExCmd, CopyOverwrite)
>
> 'create backup folder
> Set objFSO = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
> Set objFolder = objFSO.CreateFolder(strBackupDir)
>
> ' Create Shadow copy of VM drive
> oExCmd.WriteLine "vshadow.exe -script=setvar1.cmd -p " &_
> strVMdrive
> oExCmd.WriteLine "call setvar1.cmd"
> oExCmd.WriteLine "vshadow.exe -el=%SHADOW_ID_1%," &_
> strTempDrive
> oExCmd.Close
> Result = objShell.run(sExCmd,vbMinimized, TRUE)
>
> 'Copy the virtual machine files from the shadow copy
> strSource = strTempDrive & "\" & strVMfolder
> objFSO.CopyFolder strSource , strBackupDir, TRUE
>
> ' Delete created shadow copy instance
> if oFileSys.FileExists(sExCmd) then oFileSys.DeleteFile(sExCmd)
> set oExCmd = oFileSys.CreateTextFile(sExCmd, CopyOverwrite)
> oExCmd.WriteLine "Echo y | vshadow.exe -da"
> oExCmd.Close
> Result = objShell.run(sExCmd,vbMinimized, TRUE)
>
> 'Backup complete!
> wscript.echo("Backup complete!")
>
> ------------------
>
>

> We use veritas backup exec and I found the same "script" you did. I
> modified the script and have Backup Exec run it prior to running the
> scheduled backup. Instead of using VBScript I converted it to a command
> file, eg .cmd. I found if I do a little cleaning before I do the shadow
> copy I get better results. I named the file "vsBackup.cmd". I also run a
> cleanup command file at the end of the backup to ensure the shadow copy is
> deleted and not using system resources. I duplicate the remove commands in
> the prejob command file as well, just in case the system crashes and
> doesn't get to the ceanup command file. Again, find it best to start clean
> then to try to have it over write an existing shadow copy.
>
> ========================== Start vsBackup.cmd
> ================================
> d:
> cd \scripts
> erase setvarl.cmd
> Echo y | vshadow.exe -da
> attrib +a "d:\virtual servers\*.*" /S
> d:\Scripts\vshadow.exe -script=setvarl.cmd -p D:
> call setvarl.cmd
> d:\Scripts\vshadow.exe -el=%SHADOW_ID_1%,X:
> attrib -a "d:\virtual servers\*.*" /S
> ========================== End vsBackup.cmd
> ================================
>
> ========================== Start RemovevsBackup.cmd
> ==============================
> d:
> cd \scripts
> erase d:\scripts\setvarl.cmd
> Echo y | vshadow.exe -da
> ========================== End RemovevsBackup.cmd
> ==============================
>
>
>
> "Oranuf" <(email address - cut out)> wrote in message
> news:(email address - cut out)...
>>I really would like to get reliable snapshots of my VMs, but I'm on a
>>tight budget. Yes, I could run a backup from inside each VM, but they
>>cannot see the large USB drive I have attached to the host, so then I have
>>to do this weird "share the drive over the network from the host, to each
>>VM, and map a drive letter" thing.
>>
>> From searching (and searching and searching) the Internet, I found the
>> script that appears below. However, whenever I run it, I get a couple
>> different errors:
>> a.. "The shadow copy of volume C: took too long to install"
>> b.. "The shadow copy of volume C: was aborted because the diff area file
>> could not grow in time.
>> But I do end up with what appear to be full copies of my VMs. I haven't
>> restored/reattached them yet, to see if they are reliable backups.
>>
>> What I guess I don't understand is, why can't I use the backup program
>> that comes with Windows, since it ALSO appears to use Volume
>> Snapshot/Shadow Copy? What will happen if I use Windows Backup and then
>> try to restore a VM back into service? Will the VM be trashed or
>> something?
>>
>> I don't mind using the script (it doesn't show a progress bar or
>> anything, but it does eventually complete with the popup box message at
>> the end), but I need to know that it's really doing what it's supposed
>> to.
>>
>> What are my caveats here... or am I pretty much just screwed and need to
>> purchase a backup solution like Acronis?
>>
>> Here's the script that I *think* is working, except for the errors noted
>> above. Do those errors mean it's really NOT working?
>>
>> ------------------
>>
>> Set objShell = CreateObject ("WScript.Shell")
>> 'Load current date (formatted as mm-dd-yyyy)
>> 'into variable strToday
>> strTime = Month(Now) & "-" & Day(Now) & "-" & Year(Now) &_
>> "_" & hour(now) & "-" & minute(now)
>> ' Backup target folder or UNC path
>> strBackupDir = "B:\mvs04\" & strTime & "\"
>> 'Drive containing Virtual Machines
>> strVMdrive = "C:"
>> 'VM folder path
>> strVMfolder = "vms"
>> 'available drive letter used to mount shadow copy
>> strTempDrive = "S:"
>>
>> 'Prepare shadow copy commands
>> sExCmd = "CreateVSS.cmd"
>> Set oFileSys = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
>> if oFileSys.FileExists(sExCmd) then oFileSys.DeleteFile(sExCmd)
>> set oExCmd = oFileSys.CreateTextFile(sExCmd, CopyOverwrite)
>>
>> 'create backup folder
>> Set objFSO = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
>> Set objFolder = objFSO.CreateFolder(strBackupDir)
>>
>> ' Create Shadow copy of VM drive
>> oExCmd.WriteLine "vshadow.exe -script=setvar1.cmd -p " &_
>> strVMdrive
>> oExCmd.WriteLine "call setvar1.cmd"
>> oExCmd.WriteLine "vshadow.exe -el=%SHADOW_ID_1%," &_
>> strTempDrive
>> oExCmd.Close
>> Result = objShell.run(sExCmd,vbMinimized, TRUE)
>>
>> 'Copy the virtual machine files from the shadow copy
>> strSource = strTempDrive & "\" & strVMfolder
>> objFSO.CopyFolder strSource , strBackupDir, TRUE
>>
>> ' Delete created shadow copy instance
>> if oFileSys.FileExists(sExCmd) then oFileSys.DeleteFile(sExCmd)
>> set oExCmd = oFileSys.CreateTextFile(sExCmd, CopyOverwrite)
>> oExCmd.WriteLine "Echo y | vshadow.exe -da"
>> oExCmd.Close
>> Result = objShell.run(sExCmd,vbMinimized, TRUE)
>>
>> 'Backup complete!
>> wscript.echo("Backup complete!")
>>
>> ------------------
>>
>>
>
>