Use Vssadmin command-line to manage VSS in Windows 10

Microsoft Windows systems create snapshots or backup copies of files on your hard drive even when you use them. The technology used to implement this is called the Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS). You can use the Volume Shadow Copy Administrative Command-line tool or Vssadmin for managing the VSS.

It has a library of associated commands for listing shadow copy writers and providers, creating and deleting VSS associations and copies, as well as resizing VSS associations. This post shows you how to effectively make use of these commands.

VSS components

Before delving into how to manage VSS using Vssadmin, we’ll first have a look at the various components of the Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS). Thanks to the use of shadow copies or snapshots, these components let you perform crucial operations, such as backing up your server in a way that doesn’t affect logged-in users or running programs.

Let’s explore the various VSS components and the tasks they perform on your server.

1] VSS requester

Examples of VSS requesters include the System Center Data Protection Manager and the Windows Server Backup program. The primary function of these components is to request for the VSS to take a shadow copy.

2] VSS writer

Windows Servers can have several VSS writers. These are components that the application software provides to ensure that the data is set for creating shadow copies. Some examples of VSS writers include the following:

• WMI Writer
• Registry Writer
• Hyper-V
• Exchange Server
• Performance Counter Writer
• NTDS Writer
• System Writer
• DHCP Jet Writer
• SQL Server
• Active Directory System Service
• ASR Writer
• WINS Jet Writer
• Certificate Authority Writer

… etcetera.

3] Storage volume

A storage volume is a crucial component of the VSS that holds the data that you are about to copy.

4] VSS provider

VSS providers are included in storage arrays provided by hardware vendors. They create and manage shadow copies. Some examples of VSS providers are the Microsoft Software Copy provider and the Microsoft File Share Shadow Copy provider.

5] Source volume

A source volume is where the system keeps the shadow copy storage files that the VSS provider uses.

Now that you know the VSS components, let’s take a look at how they work. Here, I’ll give an overview of the Vssadmin commands and how you can use them to manage the VSS.

Using Vssadmin command-line to manage VSS

To manage VSS using the Vssadmin command-line tool, you first need to log in to the server as an administrator. When you’re in, launch Command Prompt with administrative privileges. Search for Command Prompt, right-click it, and choose Run as Administrator.

When in the elevated Command Prompt, below are the commands for managing VSS. To run any, type it out and press ENTER.

Command	Usage
Vssadmin add shadowstorage	Adds a volume shadow copy storage association
Vssadmin create shadow	Creates a new volume shadow copy
Vssadmin delete shadows	Deletes volume shadow copies
Vssadmin delete shadowstorage	Deletes volume shadow copy storage associations
Vssadmin list providers	Lists registered volume shadow copy providers
Vssadmin list shadows	Lists existing volume shadow copies
Vssadmin list shadowstorage	Lists all shadow copy storage associations on the system
Vssadmin list volumes	Lists volumes that are eligible for shadow copies
Vssadmin list writers	Lists all subscribed volume shadow copy writers on the system
Vssadmin resize shadowstorage	Resizes the maximum size for a shadow copy storage association

You use the above commands with syntax and switches. These specify system volumes on which to carry out the action. They also streamline the commands. Below are the various parameters for Vssadmin.

Syntax	Usage
/Oldest	Deletes the oldest shadow copy
For=VolumeSpec	Specifies the volume for which the shadow copy is to be deleted
/Quiet	Prevents the command from showing messages while running
/All	Deletes every shadow copy of the specified volume
/shadow= {{insert ShadowID}}	Specifies the Shadow copy to delete by ShadowID

You can read more about this at TechNet.