Unregister/remove files from "VSS repository"

[btech]

Hi,

Is there a way to unregister/remove a file from the "VSS repository". TSM is unable to backup a file that is not available (remote location, TSM is running as Local System), which shows up as a warning in the backup report.
I know of diskshadow, used that utility to show the list of files that will be backed up as a part of VSS. But that utility doesn't seem to provide any way to unregister/remove files. Need to remove the faulting file from that list.
How do files end up on that list anyway?

Thanks in advance!
// B //

[moon-buddy]

You can try from the node itself:

- Enter CLI: dsmc
- 'help delete backup' for details.

[chad_small]

This happened to me and we created a dummy file for the one missing. It's a known issue and if you search the error MS states the easiest way to fix it is to create a dummy file in the location specified. So open up notepad and save a small text file under the same name and location.

[btech]

You can try from the node itself:

- Enter CLI: dsmc
- 'help delete backup' for details.

Thank you for your answer! I don't want to delete a file from a backup set. Actually, the file never ends up on backup. When TSM performs it's VSS backup, it throws an error message in dsmerror.log.

2012-11-02 00:39:33 ANS4251W System Writer file '\\localserver\c$\Windows\system32\remoteserver\vi sma$\visma\business\visma.businesshost.exe': not found.

Localserver is the name of the local server and remote server is a... remote server (doesn't the path look wierd?)

Performing a "list writers detailed" gives me the following output (i have trimmed it to contain only the necessary part, normally the list contain looots of files)

* WRITER "System Writer"
- Writer ID = {e8132975-6f93-4464-a53e-1050253ae220}
- Writer instance ID = {2c5847f1-f9fa-40ad-bd57-4d7e374d7f4e}
- Supports restore events = FALSE
- Writer restore conditions = VSS_WRE_NEVER
- Restore method = VSS_RME_RESTORE_AT_REBOOT_IF_CANNOT_REPLACE
- Requires reboot after restore = TRUE
- Excluded files:
+ Component "System Writer:\System Files"
- Name: System Files
- Logical path:
- Full path: \System Files
- Caption: System Files
- Type: VSS_CT_FILEGROUP [2]
- Is selectable: FALSE
- Is top level: TRUE
- Notify on backup complete: FALSE
- Components:

- File List: Path = \\srv314\visma$\visma\business, Filespec = visma.businesshost.exe

What I want to accomplish is to remove the file from the VSS writer "System Writer" list of files. So far I haven't found out on how to do this :/

[btech]

This happened to me and we created a dummy file for the one missing. It's a known issue and if you search the error MS states the easiest way to fix it is to create a dummy file in the location specified. So open up notepad and save a small text file under the same name and location.

Thank you for your reply! The file isn't actually missing, the path is on a remote computer, not sure if it's possible to trick TSM or the OS that the file is local, using a dummy file. As TSM is running under the LocalSystem account, there is no way for TSM to access the remote file as LocalSystem (security). Sure, I could change the user that the TSM services are running as, but I don't need the remote file, so it seems like the wrong approach. I would like to fix the problem at the source. I am not familiar on how VSS works in detail, but I figure that previous to a VSS backup, TSM will ask the OS for files that will be included in a VSS backup (it appears to be different sets for different VSS writers). What I really want to know is how to get that file off the list of VSS files for a specific VSS writer.

[balkark]

Try adding these lines to your opt file and see if the error goes away.

SNAPSHOTPROVIDERFS VSS
SNAPSHOTPROVIDERIMAGE VSS
SKIPMISSINGSYSWFILES YES

[BrianV]

Couldn't you just add an EXCLUDE for the specific files to the dsm.opt file if you know you don't want that file backed up?