Inconsistent shadow copy when Veeam backs ups a SQL Clone

Censor1983

We use Veeam to do application aware backups, since placing the SQL Clone on a server every time Veeam takes a back up we receive an error:
'Vss.Unfreeze': Error code: 0x80004005. Failed to invoke func [Unfreeze]: Unspecified error. Unfreeze error: [Backup job failed. Cannot create a shadow copy of the volumes containing writer's data. A VSS critical writer has failed. Writer name: [SqlServerWriter]. Class ID: [{a65faa63-5ea8-4ebc-9dbd-a0c4db26912a}].

When I check the vssadmin in CMD it shows SQLserverwriter as 'Inconsistent Shadow Copy'.
Is there a way round this. I am working off an image of a back up, as we had the same issue whe  we tried an image of a live database.  

TheMaskedData

@Censor1983 is there any reason why you're backing up a Clone / Clones? Clones are intended to be ephemeral copies of the Image you create and any delta changes you make can be recorded in Source Control - and they should only be on Dev/Test instances.

I'm not sure I understand how Veeam plays or should play a role in this.

Censor1983

Veeam does an application aware backup which backs up all the databases, as far as I am aware we are not able to tell the software to skip certain DB's.  

TheMaskedData

Does that mean you're using Clones to support application instances in Prod or that need to be backed up? Or by application aware is it a backup of the SQL Clone server itself and the databases on it?

Eddie D

@Censor1983
Looks like this is the known issue for all backup software that uses VSS https://www.veeam.com/kb2110

The backup is triggering the SQL Server VSS writer, but because clones are mounted on disks which backup isn't aware of, backup isn't including those disks in the disks it's trying to snapshot, and so the SQL Server writer is complaining that there are missing disks in the snapshot set.

Is this related to your problem?

Many Thanks
Eddie