Volume Shadow Copy Service Writer Options

Options set at the Writer level affect only the selected Writer and override any global options set for VSS backups. For information on setting global VSS options, see Volume Shadow Copy Service Global Options.

To set options for a specific writer, right-click it in the Source tree and select Writer Options from the pop-up menu.

The following options are available on the Writer Options dialog.

• Use Writer Options--Selecting this check box specifies that the VSS backup process uses the options provided by the selected Writer, and enables the other options available on this dialog.

If this check box is not selected, the options set in the Volume Shadow Copy Service tab of the Global Options dialog are used. For information on the global VSS options, see Volume Shadow Copy Service Global Options.

• Use Transportable snap-shot--Creates a transportable VSS backup. When this check box is selected, the only available Backup Method is Full Backup.

  Note: This check box is available only when the Enterprise Option for VSS Hardware Snap-Shot is installed as part of the Arcserve Backup Enterprise Module.

• Retain Shadow Copy after backup--Available when Use Transportable snap-shot is selected. When this option is selected, Arcserve Backup does not delete the shadow copy volume after the backup. Because the shadow copy volume is transportable, retaining it after the backup enables the volume to be imported onto another system for other uses.
• Backup Method--Indicates the backup method to use for the backup of the selected Writer. Select one of the following options:
• Use Method Selected for Job--The backup job uses the backup method indicated in the Schedule tab of the Backup Manager.
• Use Full Backup--Backs up all the files associated with the selected Writer, regardless of when the data last changed.

  Note: When the Use Transportable snap-shot check box is selected, Use Full Backup is the only option available.

• Use Log Backup--Backs up only the log files associated with the selected Writer.
• Use Copy Backup--Backs up all the files included by the Writer, but Arcserve Backup does not mark the files as having been backed up. Use a Copy backup if you want to make a full backup of your data but do not want to disrupt any existing Incremental or Differential backups.

  Note: Not all Writers support all types of backups. Depending on the Backup Method selected, the Arcserve Backup behavior is different. For example, if Incremental or Differential is selected at the job level and the Global Options dialog for VSS has the Use Method Selected for Job option set at the Writer level, then a Full backup is performed. However, if the Global Options dialog for VSS has the Use Log Backup option set at the Writer level and the Writer does not support Log backup, then the backup fails.

• Files Included in this Writer Will be Excluded from Any File System Backups--Prevents files that belong to a Writer component from being backed up by a traditional file system backup. This option offers the following advantages:
• Avoids backing up files that have already been backed up by VSS.
• By excluding files from traditional backups, fewer files are processed, and traditional backups take less time to complete.
• Helps achieve successful backups by eliminating certain problems associated with files that must be processed as a group; for example, files associated with a database application. In a traditional backup, there is no mechanism to ensure that the files are processed together.
• There was some exception for WMI Writer and Event log writer as there is some problem in DR recovery since DR cannot restore in VSS writer sessions.

  Note: This option is not available if the Use Transportable snap-shot option is selected.

• Files that are Specifically Excluded by this Writer Will be Excluded from Any File System Backups--Prevents files that have been excluded from being backed up by a Writer component from being backed up by a traditional file system backup.
• There may be files associated with an application that should never be backed up (the Windows page file, for example). Each Writer is aware of whether its associated application maintains any such files. Selecting this option enables Arcserve Backup to use this information when performing traditional backups.
• Note: This option is not available if the Use Transportable snap-shot option is selected.
• If One or More Files of a Component of this Writer Fails to Backup Successfully the Entire Writer Backup Will be Terminated--Cancels the backup of the selected Writer if the backup of any of its Components fails. The backup of a Component will fail if one or more of the files that are part of the Component cannot be successfully backed up.
• Selecting this option ensures that all of the files associated with a Writer get backed up before the backup is considered successful, regardless of how many Components are associated with the Writer.

  Note: This option is not available if the Use Transportable snap-shot option is selected.

More information:

Volume Shadow Copy Service