Re: Shadow Copy Transport Between Servers

Can the VSHADOW command be used to create complete working disk images of
the boot device? We have been looking for a while for a command line
interface to the Disk Mirror (RAID 1) capability in Windows 2003 that would
allow us to break the existing mirror, create an additional mirror out on
some commodity storage, then break that mirror and recreate the primary
mirror.

--
Will


"John Fullbright [MVP]" <fjohn@donotspamnetappdotcom> wrote in message
news:uYfHHtF$GHA.4704@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
It's not too diffficult. First, you need the VSS SDK and, if you don't
have
a vss provider, the vshadow sample provider.

Step 1. {hosta} Create a persistent transportable shadow copy of the
F:
and G: volumes:

VSHADOW -p -t=bc.xml -script=sc.cmd F: G:

We also generated a script file, sc.cmd, that contains the definitions of
the shadow copy set .

Step 2. {source:hosta - dest:hostb} Copy the generated backup
extensions document (bc.xml). This contains information about the "shadow
copy" .

Step 3. Also, we need to copy the sc.cmd file that contains the
definitions of the shadow copy

Step 4. {hostb} Import the transportable shadow copy

VSHADOW -i=bc.xml


Step 5. {hostb} Assign drive letters to the new shadow copy disks. To
do
this, will just execute the "sc.cmd" from step 1 above:

Sc.cmd

Then, we need to expose these shadow copies as new drive letters. We'll
reuse the same drive letters as on the production server {hosta}.
Optionally, you could expose these shadow copies as different drive
letters
or mount points:

VSHADOW -el=%VSHADOW_ID_1%,F:
VSHADOW -el=%VSHADOW_ID_2%,G:


Step 6. {hostb} Break the shadow copy set into writable disks. At
this
point, these new disks appear in the system as completely independent
disks.

VSHADOW -bw=%VSHADOW_SET_ID%

That's it. You're ready to use the restored snapshots on the destination
host {host b}.



"Will" <westes-usc@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:E6Cdnd3P3rx2pNnYnZ2dnUVZ_q2dnZ2d@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Many of Microsoft's documents on Volume Shadow Copy refer to its use in
transporting data between servers. Yet none of those white papers show
you
the actual commands or sequence required to do this. Assuming we put
our
shadow copies onto some SAN storage that could be easily switched over
to
a
different server, how can we get that destination server to see the
shadow
copied volumes on the storage and to use it to create new volumes
identical
to the source volumes?

--
Will






.

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