"NTDS" has reported an error 0x800423f0 - The backup cannot continue.

[Christopher Yorke]

After I installed Service Pack 1 on my Windows Server 2003 domain
controllers, 1 domain controller would not complete a backup using ntbackup.
I receive the following report:

Backup Status
Operation: Backup
Active backup destination: File
Media name: "ad03tst.bkf created 4/19/2005 at 5:13 PM"

Volume shadow copy creation: Attempt 1.
"NTDS" has reported an error 0x800423f0. This is part of System State. The
backup cannot continue.

Error returned while creating the volume shadow copy:800423f0
Aborting Backup.

----------------------

The operation did not successfully complete.

----------------------

After google'ing the error, I found this resolution:

I have got a resolution from microsoft Product support.

It is a bug with SP1. The resolution is as follows.

Option 1 or Option 2. I found option 2 easier as option 1 requires a server
restart and will mean AD DB & Log are both on C: drive.

1. Moving the AD log files back to the default location ("C:").

2. Select "D:" (or a file in that volume) to force a shadow copy on it.
This, in turn will suppress the NTDS writer error. (I created a dummy text
file on the drive where my NTDS Log files were and included in the backup
set.)

The likely reason behind those error messages is that AD is configured such
that it keeps the databases and the logs on separate volumes.
The AD writer (NTDS) will report an error if you try to create a shadow copy
set that has one of the volumes but not the other.
The problem is that in this configuration (AD databases and logs are on a
different volume) NTBackup doesn't pick up the correct set of volumes.
By selecting system state, NTBackup requests for a shadow copy to be created
on the boot volume.
By the time NTBackup requests for the location of the AD database and logs,
the shadow copy has already been created.
Thus, NTBackup will not create a snapshot on "D:".
This throws the NTDS writer off, thinking that NTBackup is not going to pick
up all its data on D: thus causing an error.

I chose option #2, created a txt file on the partition with my log files and
selected the file during backup. The backup completed successfully.

I just thought I would share this in case anyone else comes accross it.
Otherwise, my SP1 installation went very well. :)

Chris

[Greg Trounson]

Post by Christopher Yorke
After I installed Service Pack 1 on my Windows Server 2003 domain
controllers, 1 domain controller would not complete a backup using ntbackup.
Backup Status
Operation: Backup
Active backup destination: File
Media name: "ad03tst.bkf created 4/19/2005 at 5:13 PM"
Volume shadow copy creation: Attempt 1.
"NTDS" has reported an error 0x800423f0. This is part of System State. The
backup cannot continue.
Error returned while creating the volume shadow copy:800423f0
Aborting Backup.
----------------------
The operation did not successfully complete.
----------------------
I have got a resolution from microsoft Product support.
It is a bug with SP1. The resolution is as follows.
Option 1 or Option 2. I found option 2 easier as option 1 requires a server
restart and will mean AD DB & Log are both on C: drive.
1. Moving the AD log files back to the default location ("C:").
2. Select "D:" (or a file in that volume) to force a shadow copy on it.
This, in turn will suppress the NTDS writer error. (I created a dummy text
file on the drive where my NTDS Log files were and included in the backup
set.)
The likely reason behind those error messages is that AD is configured such
that it keeps the databases and the logs on separate volumes.
The AD writer (NTDS) will report an error if you try to create a shadow copy
set that has one of the volumes but not the other.
The problem is that in this configuration (AD databases and logs are on a
different volume) NTBackup doesn't pick up the correct set of volumes.
By selecting system state, NTBackup requests for a shadow copy to be created
on the boot volume.
By the time NTBackup requests for the location of the AD database and logs,
the shadow copy has already been created.
Thus, NTBackup will not create a snapshot on "D:".
This throws the NTDS writer off, thinking that NTBackup is not going to pick
up all its data on D: thus causing an error.
I chose option #2, created a txt file on the partition with my log files and
selected the file during backup. The backup completed successfully.
I just thought I would share this in case anyone else comes accross it.
Otherwise, my SP1 installation went very well. :)
Chris

Thanks for the tip Chris. It worked great for me here.

Note:
To discover where your AD database and log files are stored, navigate
in regedt32 to:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\NTDS\Parameters

Greg

[James White]

There is more to the solution than meets the eye

Check your scheduled Jobs,
they must reference a bks file in the form "@c:\pathname\filename.bks"
If your job is in the form
C:\WINDOWS\system32\ntbackup.exe backup systemstate /n "Monday... you need
to change it to
C:\WINDOWS\system32\ntbackup.exe backup "@c:\pathname\filename.bks" /n "Monday

When you apply the changes, you will probably need to add the job password
again.

Next
Use NTBACKUP to load that bks selection file, and in the selections, as well
as SYSTEM State ticked, a file on the same drive as your ADLOGs must be
ticked, optionally tick a dummy file on all drives. If you were not using a
selections file before, you need to save thse selections and go back to step
1 above to reference this file - note the "@" is ESSENTIAL, or you will just
backup the bks file.

Next
Test run your sheduled Job

I note that the Job type should be normal or copy e.g." /m normal" in the
scheduled job command line, otherwise if the file is not changed since the
last archive the attribute will not be set and this MAY cause the file to be
ignored and the System state to fail as well as no shadow was created- I am
not sure.

We have a nightly job that runs NTBackup to dump the system state to a file,
which we then include in our full nightly backups. Suddenly one of our PDCs
have stopped backing up, we end up with a 2K file and the messages below in
the Event Log and the NTBackup log.
This did not happen before we installed SP1 this week. Both servers are
running W2K3 + SP1, but only one is having this problem, however the one
having the problem also has SQL Server installed, but I was not aware that
it was even included in the shadow copy as we do our own daily dumps of
those database anyways.
Does anyone have any advice on what to look for here? I really need to get
this nightly backup working again.
Thanks,
Michael
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Event Type: Error
Event Source: VSS
Event Category: None
Event ID: 6005
Date: 4/7/2005
Time: 8:41:45 AM
User: N/A
Computer: PSBSRV2
Sqllib error: Database %1 is stored on multiple volumes, only some of which
are being shadowed.
For more information, see Help and Support Center at
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.
0008: 53 51 4c 53 4e 41 50 43 SQLSNAPC
0010: 30 30 30 30 30 33 39 39 00000399
0020: 53 51 4c 53 4e 41 50 43 SQLSNAPC
0028: 30 30 30 30 30 33 30 37 00000307
0038: 30 30 30 30 35 39 38 38 00005988
0048: 30 30 30 30 35 30 34 34 00005044
0058: 43 3a 5c 57 49 4e 44 4f C:\WINDO
0060: 57 53 5c 53 79 73 74 65 WS\Syste
0068: 6d 33 32 5c 76 73 73 76 m32\vssv
0070: 63 2e 65 78 65 20 20 20 c.exe
0080: 4e 54 20 41 55 54 48 4f NT AUTHO
0088: 52 49 54 59 5c 53 59 53 RITY\SYS
0090: 54 45 4d 20 20 20 20 20 TEM
00a0: 53 2d 31 2d 35 2d 31 38 S-1-5-18
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Backup Status
Operation: Backup
Active backup destination: File
Media name: "ADSRV2.bkf created 4/7/2005 at 8:41 AM"
Volume shadow copy creation: Attempt 1.
"MSDEWriter" has reported an error 0x800423f0. This is part of System State.
The backup cannot continue.
Error returned while creating the volume shadow copy:800423f0
Aborting Backup.
----------------------
The operation did not successfully complete.
----------------------

[m***@openflex.lt]

Many thanks, it worked ! :)