BA731: The VSS Writer encountered problems communicating with one or more Hyper-V guests¶
| Error code | Product | Applies to |
|---|---|---|
| BA731 | BackupAssist ER | BackupAssist ER v1 and later |
Description¶
The VSS Writer encountered problems communicating with one or more Hyper-V guests. The backups of the effected guests may be in an inconsistent state.
Resolution¶
The warning you received in BackupAssist ER will contain a list of Hyper-V guests that are failing to comply with the VSS Writer's command to prepare for a backup.
1. Connect to the host and each of the guests listed and view the Microsoft-Windows-Hyper-V-VMMS / Admin section of the System Events Log, on the Hyper-V Server side.
2. Check any errors around the time of the backup on both the guest and the host. This information will help determined why the Hyper-V guest was not engaged by the VSS Writer. The steps required to resolve the problem will depend on its cause, as reported in the log.
If there are no VSS related entries then the Hyper-V guest was not receiving the VSS-Writers commands to prepare for a backup. This could be due to the Integration Services being obsolete, or not being installed on the Hyper-V guest.
Identifying the guest/s
When troubleshooting problems with Hyper-V backups, it is important to first determine which guest/s is causing the error. You can do this by checking the Hyper-V VMSS logs, as shown below. You may also be able to identify the guest from the information in the backup report. If you are unable to identify the guest, try backing up the guests one at a time until the errant guest is found. Once it is identified, try a VSS backup on the guest itself using a trial version of BackupAssist ER. The success or failure of this backup will help to further narrow down what could be causing the error at the host level.
To view the Hyper-V VMMS logs:
- Click the Start button.
- Click Control Panel.
- Click System and Maintenance.
- Click Administrative Tools.
- Double-click Event Viewer.
- In the left hand navigation window, browse to Applications and Services Logs > Microsoft > Windows > Hyper-V-VMMS.
| Last updated | Created | Further assistance |
|---|---|---|
| 8th Jan 2018 | 28th Aug 2013 | BackupAssist ER Support page |