MSA2012i and Shadow Copy

[Ian_Hopkins]

We currently have 2 server setups which are near enough identical.

We have a DL360 connected via iSCSI to an MSA2012i. This MSA is configured with one RAID 6 Array with all 1Tb drives in all slots. The VDisk is therefore 10Tb in size. There are currently 2 volumes on the VDisk with 5Tb on each and within Windows I have created two Drives (E and F).

Note I have also tried this configuration with 1 volume on the VDisk at 10Tb and also with 2 volumes on the VDisk at 4.5Tb each.

We are running Windows Server 2003.

When I try to setup the Shadow Copy for each of these drives, it works for a couple of days and then I start getting errors. Sometimes if I restart it will work again. Sometimes the schedules do not work and sometimes they do. These errors are similar to the following:

For the E: drive I received
System Event Log:
-----------------
Source: VolSnap
Event ID: 5
The shadow copy of volume E: could not be created due to insufficient non-pages memory pool for a bitmap structure

Application Event Log:
----------------------
Source: VSS
Event ID: 12310
Volume Shadow Copy Service error: The shadow copy could not be committed - operation timed out. Error context: DeviceIoControl(\\?\Volume{1e5a3865-98f1-4ca9-a68e-84d20f459ea4} - 000001B8,0x0053c010,00037A40,0,00038A48,4096,[0]).

For the F: Drive I received

System Event Log:
-----------------
Source: VolSnap
Event ID: 28
The shadow copy of volume F: could not be created due to a failure in creating the necessary on disk structures

I have tried absolutely everything to try and get this to work. I have also installed the HP Storageworks VDS Hardware Providers for EVA Disk Arrays to see if that helps but it still doesn't seem to work.

Has anyone using these iSCSI MSA's managed to get Shadow Copy working?

I can provide more information if required.

Thanks

[Uwe Zessin]

Sounds like you hit at least a Windows problem:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/887827

The EVA VDS HWP will not help for MSA snapshots. It is not clear to me if you intend to use Windows' own VSS provider or you want to use MSA hardware snapshots - to use those you need a license for the MSA and the MSA2000 VSS HWP.

[Ian_Hopkins]

I did check that update but I currently have SP2 which Microsoft suggest already contains this update.
I have checked the version number of the files and I have later versions than that of the update.

I assume if I wish to use the Windows Shadow Copy I should be using the HP VSS hardware providers then?

Thanks

[Uwe Zessin]

No, if you want to use the Windows build-in provider (= not use the MSA2000 snapshot capability) you must not install a VSS HWP, because it will take precedence.

[Ian_Hopkins]

Apologies.....it was a typo....I meant shouldn't....

I will try uninstalling the HP Hardware providers install over the weekend.