Enabling the SQL Anywhere VSS Writer

The SQL Anywhere VSS writer service can be enabled to allow for VSS snapshots of the OASIS database if it is hosted in a virtual environment. Per SAP, this is a fully supported solution and should theoretically work fine for OASIS. The users may experience slower performance or freezes in OASIS while a snapshot is being taken. Note: these instructions are applicable to V17.

1. Navigate to the OASIS installation directory.

2. Navigate to the "asa17\Bin64" subfolder. Note: the full path is typically "C:\ProgramFiles\OASIS273\asa17\bin64."

3. Open an administrative command prompt and run the following command:

dbsvc.exe -as -s Automatic -t vss -w SAVSSWriter-OASIS "C:\Program Files\OASIS273\asa17\Bin64\dbvss17.exe"

4. A result similar to the one listed below should appear.

SQL Anywhere Service Utility Version 16.0.0.2305
Service "SAVSSWriter-OASIS" was created successfully.

5. Start the service either through the ASA Configuration Utility or Windows Services.

6. Once completed, the database should automatically react to VSS freeze and thaw commands. Note: the new service will automatically start and stop with Windows and can be started and stopped manually if needed, using the ASA Configuration Utility or Windows Services

Restoring a VSS Snapshot

In the event of a database corruption or other failure that requires a restoration from a snapshot, the database from the restored snapshot should be validated to ensure data integrity before allowing users to connect to it. Failure to do so may result in loss of work. Note: depending on the size of the database and the amount of RAM available, the validation could take several hours to complete.

For more information on how to validate the database, click here. For a video walk-through, click here.

Report Success

If you enable this functionality in your environment, create snapshots of your OASIS virtual machine, and test a disaster recovery scenario where the VM snapshot is deployed and the database validates successfully, please notify customer support. Lack of support for this functionality is due to a lack of a test environment and real world examples. Any additional information will help us to better serve you.