Growing Image copy and backup

[pr]

Hello I need some information please.I want to use a growing image device. A growing image has three files .ibv .ibvd and .ibvm.

1.) Is it safe to copy these files to another location using windows explorer while the volume is in use? I tried and it works so I don't get any file in use errors but do I have a valid copy of my volume at that point?
I tried it and then mounted the copy and it works OK but I wonder what would happen if for example the second I started the copy an SQL transaction was taking place. Since the client using the target doesn't know about the copying taking place would I have incoplete data on my copy? Is it perhaps safe for non-transactional software but not for SQL Exchange etc?

2.) Windows 2003 includes a Volume Shadow Copy service which is not started by default. Should I start it, is it needed to do what I describe in question 1? Can Volume Shadow Copy help me achieve what I am describing?

3.) I see you have a VSS program for download. What does this do exactly and where should it be installed, the target or the initiator or both?Is the Volume Shadow Copy service required to be running as well on the target, initiator or both?

4.) If I use windows backup instead of file copy is it safer? I would have to open the bkf files but is it safer than file copy?

Sorry for all the questions but I've been trying to find answers in your documents and I can't. What I want to do is be able to make real time copies of the growing images for archiving purposes, either with file copy or with a backup program. I am not sure what the quality of those copies would be. Any information you can give me is very very appreciated.

Thanks in advance.


3.)

[Bohdan (staff)]

1) It is not safe. It may cause data corruption and data loss. You can perform copy when your target has no client connections.

2) I think no.

3) VSS provider works with Volume Shadow Copy and StarWind service and takes part in creating consistent snapshots.

[pr]

OK thank you. So it sounds like there is NO way at all to safely backup Growing Images while they are mounted. Even if you use a proper backup software on the Starwind storage server which invokes VSS to copy the .ibv,.ibvd,.ibvm files, the client side using those three files as a virtual hard drive has no way to know a backup is taking place, therefore its VSS writers - SQL, Exchange etc - are not commiting transactions. Is my assumption wrong in any way?


To make this simple-is there ANY way to 100% safely backup growing image files on the starwind machine while they are mounted?

[Bohdan (staff)]

You can create new image based on existing snapshot and put it to safe place.
To be able to create consistent snapshots install vss provider on initiator machine.