Are Shadows Registered As Soon As You Get Them

Volume Shadow Copy Service

Article
10/08/2021
24 minutes to read

Applies to: Windows Server 2022, Windows Server 2019, Windows Server 2016, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows Server 2012, and Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2008, Windows 10, Windows eight.ane, Windows viii, Windows 7

Backing up and restoring critical business data can be very complex due to the following issues:

The data usually needs to exist backed upward while the applications that produce the information are withal running. This means that some of the data files might be open or they might be in an inconsistent country.
If the information set is large, it can be hard to back up all of it at one fourth dimension.

Correctly performing backup and restore operations requires close coordination between the backup applications, the line-of-business applications that are being backed upward, and the storage management hardware and software. The Book Shadow Copy Service (VSS), which was introduced in Windows Server® 2003, facilitates the conversation between these components to allow them to work better together. When all the components support VSS, you tin use them to support your application data without taking the applications offline.

VSS coordinates the deportment that are required to create a consistent shadow copy (also known every bit a snapshot or a betoken-in-fourth dimension copy) of the data that is to be backed upwards. The shadow copy can be used every bit-is, or it can be used in scenarios such every bit the following:

You want to support application data and system state data, including archiving information to some other hard disk drive, to record, or to other removable media.
You are information mining.
Yous are performing disk-to-disk backups.
You need a fast recovery from data loss by restoring data to the original Logical Unit Number (LUN) or to an entirely new LUN that replaces an original LUN that failed.

Windows features and applications that apply VSS include the following:

Windows Server Backup (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=180891)
Shadow Copies of Shared Folders (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=142874)
System Center Data Protection Managing director (https://get.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=180892)
System Restore (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=180893)

How Volume Shadow Re-create Service Works

A complete VSS solution requires all of the following basic parts:

VSS service Part of the Windows operating system that ensures the other components can communicate with each other properly and work together.

VSS requester The software that requests the actual creation of shadow copies (or other loftier-level operations like importing or deleting them). Typically, this is the fill-in application. The Windows Server Backup utility and the System Center Data Protection Manager application are VSS requesters. Not-Microsoft® VSS requesters include nearly all backup software that runs on Windows.

VSS writer The component that guarantees nosotros have a consistent data set to back up. This is typically provided as part of a line-of-business application, such as SQL Server® or Exchange Server. VSS writers for various Windows components, such as the registry, are included with the Windows operating system. Not-Microsoft VSS writers are included with many applications for Windows that demand to guarantee information consistency during support.

VSS provider The component that creates and maintains the shadow copies. This tin occur in the software or in the hardware. The Windows operating arrangement includes a VSS provider that uses copy-on-write. If you utilize a storage area network (SAN), information technology is important that you lot install the VSS hardware provider for the SAN, if one is provided. A hardware provider offloads the job of creating and maintaining a shadow copy from the host operating system.

The post-obit diagram illustrates how the VSS service coordinates with requesters, writers, and providers to create a shadow re-create of a volume.

Architectural diagram of Volume Shadow Copy Service

Effigy 1 Architectural diagram of Volume Shadow Re-create Service

How a Shadow Copy Is Created

This section puts the various roles of the requester, writer, and provider into context past list the steps that need to be taken to create a shadow copy. The following diagram shows how the Volume Shadow Re-create Service controls the overall coordination of the requester, author, and provider.

Diagram how Volume Shadow Copy Service works

Effigy ii Shadow copy cosmos process

To create a shadow copy, the requester, writer, and provider perform the following actions:

The requester asks the Volume Shadow Re-create Service to enumerate the writers, assemble the writer metadata, and prepare for shadow copy creation.
Each writer creates an XML description of the components and data stores that need to be backed up and provides information technology to the Volume Shadow Copy Service. The writer also defines a restore method, which is used for all components. The Volume Shadow Copy Service provides the writer's description to the requester, which selects the components that volition be backed up.
The Volume Shadow Copy Service notifies all the writers to fix their data for making a shadow copy.
Each writer prepares the data every bit advisable, such every bit completing all open transactions, rolling transaction logs, and flushing caches. When the data is set up to exist shadow-copied, the author notifies the Volume Shadow Copy Service.
The Volume Shadow Re-create Service tells the writers to temporarily freeze application write I/O requests (read I/O requests are still possible) for the few seconds that are required to create the shadow copy of the volume or volumes. The awarding freeze is not allowed to have longer than 60 seconds. The Volume Shadow Copy Service flushes the file arrangement buffers and then freezes the file arrangement, which ensures that the file system metadata is recorded correctly and the data to be shadow-copied is written in a consistent lodge.
The Volume Shadow Re-create Service tells the provider to create the shadow copy. The shadow copy creation menses lasts no more than ten seconds, during which all write I/O requests to the file system remain frozen.
The Volume Shadow Copy Service releases file system write I/O requests.
VSS tells the writers to thaw application write I/O requests. At this point applications are free to resume writing information to the disk that is existence shadow-copied.

Note

The shadow re-create creation tin can be aborted if the writers are kept in the freeze state for longer than 60 seconds or if the providers have longer than 10 seconds to commit the shadow copy.

The requester tin can retry the process (go dorsum to footstep i) or notify the administrator to retry at a later time.
If the shadow copy is successfully created, the Volume Shadow Copy Service returns the location data for the shadow re-create to the requester. In some cases, the shadow copy tin can be temporarily made available as a read-write volume so that VSS and one or more applications tin can alter the contents of the shadow re-create before the shadow re-create is finished. After VSS and the applications make their alterations, the shadow copy is made read-only. This phase is called Auto-recovery, and information technology is used to undo any file-system or application transactions on the shadow copy book that were non completed earlier the shadow copy was created.

How the Provider Creates a Shadow Copy

A hardware or software shadow copy provider uses ane of the following methods for creating a shadow copy:

Complete copy This method makes a complete copy (called a "full copy" or "clone") of the original book at a given point in fourth dimension. This copy is read-only.

Copy-on-write This method does non copy the original book. Instead, it makes a differential re-create past copying all changes (completed write I/O requests) that are made to the volume after a given point in time.

Redirect-on-write This method does non copy the original volume, and it does not make whatsoever changes to the original volume after a given betoken in time. Instead, it makes a differential copy by redirecting all changes to a dissimilar volume.

Complete copy

A complete copy is usually created by making a "split mirror" as follows:

The original volume and the shadow copy book are a mirrored volume set.
The shadow copy volume is separated from the original volume. This breaks the mirror connexion.

After the mirror connection is cleaved, the original volume and the shadow copy volume are independent. The original volume continues to accept all changes (write I/O requests), while the shadow re-create volume remains an exact read-only re-create of the original data at the time of the interruption.

Re-create-on-write method

In the re-create-on-write method, when a change to the original book occurs (but before the write I/O asking is completed), each cake to exist modified is read and then written to the volume's shadow copy storage area (as well chosen its "diff expanse"). The shadow re-create storage expanse can exist on the same volume or a different book. This preserves a copy of the data block on the original book before the change overwrites information technology.

Time	Source data (condition and data)	Shadow re-create (status and data)
T0	Original information: 1 2 iii 4 5	No copy: —
T1	Data changed in cache: three to 3'	Shadow re-create created (differences simply): 3
T2	Original information overwritten: one 2 3' iv v	Differences and index stored on shadow copy: 3

Table ane The copy-on-write method of creating shadow copies

The copy-on-write method is a quick method for creating a shadow copy, because it copies simply data that is changed. The copied blocks in the diff area can be combined with the changed data on the original volume to restore the volume to its state earlier whatever of the changes were made. If there are many changes, the copy-on-write method can get expensive.

Redirect-on-write method

In the redirect-on-write method, whenever the original volume receives a change (write I/O asking), the change is non applied to the original book. Instead, the change is written to another book's shadow re-create storage area.

Time	Source data (status and data)	Shadow copy (status and data)
T0	Original information: 1 two three 4 v	No copy: —
T1	Data changed in cache: 3 to 3'	Shadow copy created (differences only): 3'
T2	Original data unchanged: 1 2 3 iv 5	Differences and alphabetize stored on shadow copy: 3'

Table 2 The redirect-on-write method of creating shadow copies

Like the copy-on-write method, the redirect-on-write method is a quick method for creating a shadow re-create, because it copies just changes to the data. The copied blocks in the unequal area tin be combined with the unchanged data on the original book to create a consummate, upwardly-to-date re-create of the data. If in that location are many read I/O requests, the redirect-on-write method can become expensive.

Shadow Copy Providers

There are two types of shadow re-create providers: hardware-based providers and software-based providers. There is as well a system provider, which is a software provider that is built in to the Windows operating organization.

Hardware-based providers

Hardware-based shadow copy providers human activity equally an interface between the Book Shadow Copy Service and the hardware level by working in conjunction with a hardware storage adapter or controller. The piece of work of creating and maintaining the shadow copy is performed past the storage array.

Hardware providers always take the shadow copy of an entire LUN, but the Book Shadow Copy Service only exposes the shadow copy of the volume or volumes that were requested.

A hardware-based shadow copy provider makes use of the Volume Shadow Copy Service functionality that defines the betoken in fourth dimension, allows information synchronization, manages the shadow copy, and provides a common interface with backup applications. Yet, the Book Shadow Copy Service does not specify the underlying mechanism by which the hardware-based provider produces and maintains shadow copies.

Software-based providers

Software-based shadow re-create providers typically intercept and process read and write I/O requests in a software layer between the file arrangement and the volume manager software.

These providers are implemented as a user-style DLL component and at least one kernel-mode device driver, typically a storage filter driver. Dissimilar hardware-based providers, software-based providers create shadow copies at the software level, not the hardware level.

A software-based shadow copy provider must maintain a "point-in-time" view of a volume by having access to a data set that tin can exist used to copy volume status earlier the shadow re-create cosmos fourth dimension. An case is the copy-on-write technique of the system provider. However, the Volume Shadow Copy Service places no restrictions on what technique the software-based providers use to create and maintain shadow copies.

A software provider is applicable to a wider range of storage platforms than a hardware-based provider, and it should work with basic disks or logical volumes equally well. (A logical volume is a book that is created by combining free space from two or more disks.) In contrast to hardware shadow copies, software providers consume operating system resources to maintain the shadow copy.

For more data about basic disks, encounter What Are Basic Disks and Volumes? (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=180894) on TechNet.

Organization provider

One shadow copy provider, the system provider, is supplied in the Windows operating system. Although a default provider is supplied in Windows, other vendors are free to supply implementations that are optimized for their storage hardware and software applications.

To maintain the "bespeak-in-time" view of a volume that is contained in a shadow copy, the system provider uses a re-create-on-write technique. Copies of the blocks on volume that have been modified since the beginning of the shadow copy creation are stored in a shadow copy storage expanse.

The system provider can betrayal the production volume, which can exist written to and read from usually. When the shadow copy is needed, it logically applies the differences to data on the production book to expose the complete shadow re-create.

For the arrangement provider, the shadow copy storage area must be on an NTFS book. The volume to be shadow copied does not demand to be an NTFS book, only at least one volume mounted on the system must be an NTFS volume.

The component files that brand up the system provider are swprv.dll and volsnap.sys.

In-Box VSS Writers

The Windows operating organization includes a set of VSS writers that are responsible for enumerating the data that is required by various Windows features.

For more information about these writers, see the following Microsoft Docs Web page:

In-Box VSS Writers

How Shadow Copies Are Used

In improver to backing upwardly application data and system state information, shadow copies can exist used for a number of purposes, including the following:

Restoring LUNs (LUN resynchronization and LUN swapping)
Restoring individual files (Shadow Copies for Shared Folders)
Data mining by using transportable shadow copies

Restoring LUNs (LUN resynchronization and LUN swapping)

In Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows vii, VSS requesters tin can use a hardware shadow copy provider feature chosen LUN resynchronization (or "LUN resync"). This is a fast-recovery scheme that allows an application administrator to restore data from a shadow copy to the original LUN or to a new LUN.

The shadow copy can exist a full clone or a differential shadow re-create. In either case, at the terminate of the resync functioning, the destination LUN will have the aforementioned contents as the shadow copy LUN. During the resync functioning, the array performs a block-level copy from the shadow re-create to the destination LUN.

Note

The shadow copy must be a transportable hardware shadow copy.

Most arrays allow product I/O operations to resume shortly after the resync operation begins. While the resync operation is in progress, read requests are redirected to the shadow copy LUN, and write requests to the destination LUN. This allows arrays to recover very large information sets and resume normal operations in several seconds.

LUN resynchronization is unlike from LUN swapping. A LUN swap is a fast recovery scenario that VSS has supported since Windows Server 2003 SP1. In a LUN bandy, the shadow copy is imported and and so converted into a read-write volume. The conversion is an irreversible performance, and the volume and underlying LUN cannot be controlled with the VSS APIs afterwards that. The following list describes how LUN resynchronization compares with LUN swapping:

In LUN resynchronization, the shadow copy is not altered, so it tin can be used several times. In LUN swapping, the shadow re-create can be used only once for a recovery. For the nearly safety-conscious administrators, this is important. When LUN resynchronization is used, the requester tin can retry the entire restore operation if something goes wrong the commencement time.
At the finish of a LUN swap, the shadow copy LUN is used for production I/O requests. For this reason, the shadow copy LUN must use the aforementioned quality of storage as the original production LUN to ensure that functioning is not impacted after the recovery operation. If LUN resynchronization is used instead, the hardware provider can maintain the shadow copy on storage that is less expensive than product-quality storage.
If the destination LUN is unusable and needs to exist recreated, LUN swapping may be more than economical because it doesn't crave a destination LUN.

Warning

All of the operations listed are LUN-level operations. If you attempt to recover a specific volume by using LUN resynchronization, you are unwittingly going to revert all the other volumes that are sharing the LUN.

Restoring individual files (Shadow Copies for Shared Folders)

Shadow Copies for Shared Folders uses the Volume Shadow Copy Service to provide betoken-in-fourth dimension copies of files that are located on a shared network resource, such as a file server. With Shadow Copies for Shared Folders, users tin can apace recover deleted or changed files that are stored on the network. Considering they can do and then without ambassador help, Shadow Copies for Shared Folders can increase productivity and reduce administrative costs.

For more information nigh Shadow Copies for Shared Folders, run into Shadow Copies for Shared Folders (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=180898) on TechNet.

Data mining by using transportable shadow copies

With a hardware provider that is designed for utilize with the Volume Shadow Copy Service, you can create transportable shadow copies that tin be imported onto servers within the same subsystem (for example, a SAN). These shadow copies can be used to seed a production or exam installation with read-only data for data mining.

With the Book Shadow Copy Service and a storage array with a hardware provider that is designed for apply with the Book Shadow Copy Service, information technology is possible to create a shadow re-create of the source data volume on one server, and and then import the shadow copy onto another server (or back to the same server). This process is accomplished in a few minutes, regardless of the size of the information. The transport process is accomplished through a series of steps that use a shadow copy requester (a storage-management awarding) that supports transportable shadow copies.

To transport a shadow copy

Create a transportable shadow copy of the source data on a server.
Import the shadow copy to a server that is connected to the SAN (yous can import to a dissimilar server or the same server).
The data is now ready to exist used.

Diagram how to transport a shadow copy between two servers

Effigy iii Shadow copy cosmos and ship betwixt two servers

Note

A transportable shadow re-create that is created on Windows Server 2003 cannot be imported onto a server that is running Windows Server 2008 or Windows Server 2008 R2. A transportable shadow copy that was created on Windows Server 2008 or Windows Server 2008 R2 cannot exist imported onto a server that is running Windows Server 2003. However, a shadow copy that is created on Windows Server 2008 can exist imported onto a server that is running Windows Server 2008 R2 and vice versa.

Shadow copies are read-only. If you want to convert a shadow copy to a read/write LUN, you can use a Virtual Deejay Service-based storage-management application (including some requesters) in addition to the Volume Shadow Copy Service. By using this application, you tin can remove the shadow copy from Volume Shadow Copy Service management and convert it to a read/write LUN.

Volume Shadow Copy Service ship is an avant-garde solution on computers running Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition, Windows Server 2003 Datacenter Edition, Windows Server 2008, or Windows Server 2008 R2. It works only if at that place is a hardware provider on the storage array. Shadow copy transport can be used for a number of purposes, including tape backups, data mining, and testing.

Frequently Asked Questions

This FAQ answers questions about Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) for system administrators. For information virtually VSS application programming interfaces, see Volume Shadow Copy Service (https://get.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=180899) in the Windows Programmer Middle Library.

When was Volume Shadow Copy Service introduced? On which Windows operating system versions is information technology available?

VSS was introduced in Windows XP. Information technology is available on Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows Vista®, Windows Server 2008, Windows 7, and Windows Server 2008 R2.

What is the difference between a shadow copy and a fill-in?

In the example of a difficult deejay drive backup, the shadow copy created is as well the fill-in. Data can exist copied off the shadow copy for a restore or the shadow copy can exist used for a fast recovery scenario—for example, LUN resynchronization or LUN swapping.

When information is copied from the shadow copy to record or other removable media, the content that is stored on the media constitutes the backup. The shadow copy itself tin can be deleted later the information is copied from it.

What is the largest size book that Volume Shadow Copy Service supports?

Volume Shadow Re-create Service supports a volume size of upwards to 64 TB.

I made a fill-in on Windows Server 2008. Can I restore it on Windows Server 2008 R2?

It depends on the backup software that you used. Most backup programs support this scenario for data but not for organisation land backups.

Shadow copies that are created on either of these versions of Windows tin exist used on the other.

I fabricated a fill-in on Windows Server 2003. Can I restore it on Windows Server 2008?

Information technology depends on the fill-in software you lot used. If you create a shadow copy on Windows Server 2003, yous cannot use it on Windows Server 2008. Also, if y'all create a shadow copy on Windows Server 2008, you lot cannot restore it on Windows Server 2003.

How can I disable VSS?

Information technology is possible to disable the Volume Shadow Re-create Service past using the Microsoft Management Panel. However, yous should not practise this. Disabling VSS adversely affects any software you utilize that depends on it, such as System Restore and Windows Server Backup.

For more than information, see the post-obit Microsoft TechNet Web sites:

System Restore (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=157113)
Windows Server Fill-in (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=180891)

Can I exclude files from a shadow copy to save space?

VSS is designed to create shadow copies of entire volumes. Temporary files, such as paging files, are automatically omitted from shadow copies to salve space.

To exclude specific files from shadow copies, utilize the post-obit registry fundamental: FilesNotToSnapshot.

Note

The FilesNotToSnapshot registry key is intended to be used only by applications. Users who attempt to use it will run across limitations such as the following:

It cannot delete files from a shadow copy that was created on a Windows Server by using the Previous Versions feature.
It cannot delete files from shadow copies for shared folders.
It can delete files from a shadow copy that was created by using the Diskshadow utility, but it cannot delete files from a shadow copy that was created past using the Vssadmin utility.
Files are deleted from a shadow copy on a all-time-attempt basis. This means that they are not guaranteed to be deleted.

For more information, see Excluding Files from Shadow Copies (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=180904) on MSDN.

My non-Microsoft backup programme failed with a VSS error. What can I do?

Check the product support section of the Web site of the visitor that created the backup programme. There may be a product update that yous can download and install to gear up the problem. If not, contact the company'due south product support section.

System administrators tin can use the VSS troubleshooting data on the following Microsoft TechNet Library Spider web site to gather diagnostic information most VSS-related bug.

For more information, meet Book Shadow Copy Service (https://get.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=180905) on TechNet.

What is the "diff surface area"?

The shadow re-create storage expanse (or "diff expanse") is the location where the data for the shadow copy that is created by the system software provider is stored.

Where is the diff area located?

The diff area can be located on any local book. However, information technology must be located on an NTFS volume that has enough space to store it.

How is the unequal expanse location adamant?

The following criteria are evaluated, in this society, to determine the unequal surface area location:

If a volume already has an existing shadow copy, that location is used.
If there is a preconfigured transmission association between the original volume and the shadow copy book location, so that location is used.
If the previous 2 criteria practice not provide a location, the shadow copy service chooses a location based on available free space. If more than than 1 volume is existence shadow copied, the shadow copy service creates a list of possible snapshot locations based on the size of free space, in descending order. The number of locations provided is equal to the number of volumes existence shadow copied.
If the volume being shadow copied is one of the possible locations, and so a local association is created. Otherwise an association with the volume with the most available infinite is created.

Can VSS create shadow copies of non-NTFS volumes?

Yes. Nevertheless, persistent shadow copies can be made only for NTFS volumes. In add-on, at to the lowest degree one volume mounted on the system must be an NTFS book.

What'south the maximum number of shadow copies I can create at ane time?

The maximum number of shadow copied volumes in a single shadow copy set up is 64. Notation that this is non the same as the number of shadow copies.

What's the maximum number of software shadow copies created by the organisation provider that I tin can maintain for a volume?

The max number is of software shadow copies for each volume is 512. Nonetheless, by default you tin only maintain 64 shadow copies that are used by the Shadow Copies of Shared Folders feature. To change the limit for the Shadow Copies of Shared Folders feature, utilize the following registry primal: MaxShadowCopies.

How can I control the space that is used for shadow copy storage space?

Type the vssadmin resize shadowstorage control.

For more information, run into Vssadmin resize shadowstorage (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=180906) on TechNet.

What happens when I run out of infinite?

Shadow copies for the book are deleted, beginning with the oldest shadow re-create.

The Windows operating system provides the following tools for working with VSS:

DiskShadow (https://become.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=180907)
VssAdmin (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=84008)

DiskShadow

DiskShadow is a VSS requester that you lot tin use to manage all the hardware and software snapshots that y'all can accept on a arrangement. DiskShadow includes commands such every bit the following:

list: Lists VSS writers, VSS providers, and shadow copies
create: Creates a new shadow copy
import: Imports a transportable shadow re-create
betrayal: Exposes a persistent shadow copy (as a drive letter, for instance)
revert: Reverts a volume back to a specified shadow copy

This tool is intended for use past IT professionals, but developers might too find it useful when testing a VSS author or VSS provider.

DiskShadow is available merely on Windows Server operating systems. It is not bachelor on Windows client operating systems.

VssAdmin

VssAdmin is used to create, delete, and list information about shadow copies. It tin also exist used to resize the shadow copy storage area ("diff expanse").

VssAdmin includes commands such as the following:

create shadow: Creates a new shadow re-create
delete shadows: Deletes shadow copies
list providers: Lists all registered VSS providers
list writers: Lists all subscribed VSS writers
resize shadowstorage: Changes the maximum size of the shadow copy storage surface area

VssAdmin can only exist used to administer shadow copies that are created past the system software provider.

VssAdmin is available on Windows client and Windows Server operating organisation versions.

Book Shadow Re-create Service Registry Keys

The following registry keys are available for use with VSS:

VssAccessControl
MaxShadowCopies
MinDiffAreaFileSize

VssAccessControl

This primal is used to specify which users take access to shadow copies.

For more information, see the following entries on the MSDN Spider web site:

Security Considerations for Writers (https://become.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=157739)
Security Considerations for Requesters (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=180908)

MaxShadowCopies

This key specifies the maximum number of client-accessible shadow copies that tin be stored on each volume of the reckoner. Client-accessible shadow copies are used by Shadow Copies for Shared Folders.

For more information, run across the following entry on the MSDN Web site:

MaxShadowCopies under Registry Keys for Backup and Restore (https://get.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=180909)

MinDiffAreaFileSize

This key specifies the minimum initial size, in MB, of the shadow re-create storage area.

For more information, meet the following entry on the MSDN Web site:

MinDiffAreaFileSize under Registry Keys for Backup and Restore (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=180910)

Supported Operating System Versions

The following table lists the minimum supported operating organization versions for VSS features.

LUN resynchronization

None supported

Windows Server 2008 R2

FilesNotToSnapshot registry fundamental

Windows Vista

Windows Server 2008

Transportable shadow copies

None supported

Windows Server 2003 with SP1

Hardware shadow copies

None supported

Windows Server 2003

Previous versions of Windows Server

Windows Vista

Windows Server 2003

Fast recovery using LUN swap

None supported

Windows Server 2003 with SP1

Multiple imports of hardware shadow copies

Annotation
This is the ability to import a shadow copy more than once. Only one import operation can be performed at a time.

None supported

Windows Server 2008

Shadow Copies for Shared Folders

None supported

Windows Server 2003

Transportable auto-recovered shadow copies

None supported

Windows Server 2008

Concurrent backup sessions (up to 64)

Windows XP

Windows Server 2003

Single restore session concurrent with backups

Windows Vista

Windows Server 2003 with SP2

Up to 8 restore sessions concurrent with backups

Windows seven

Windows Server 2003 R2

Additional References

Book Shadow Copy Service in Windows Developer Center

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