Avamar: SharePoint Backup Fails With Avmossvss Error 14046 No Expanded Targets for Backup

Summary: An Avamar SharePoint backup fails with avmossvss Error 14046 when the SharePoint VSS Writer does not report any SharePoint components on the frontend server. Avamar cannot expand backup targets when the VSS Writer is not correctly registered or initialized. ...

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Symptoms

The SharePoint backup job fails during the snapshot phase and terminates with the following error.

Backup Failure Indicators

  • SharePoint backup job terminates with avmossvss Error <14046>: There are no expanded targets for backup .

Relevant log excerpt: 

avmossvss Info <14073>: Writer {da452614-4858-5e53-a512-38aab25c61ad} declares 0 components for backup:
avmossvss Error <14046>: There are no expanded targets for backup
avmossvss Error <13977>: Error occurred during expanding targets for backup.
avmossvss Info <9772>: Starting graceful (staged) termination, Error occurred during expanding targets for backup. (wrap-up stage)
avmossvss Info <15602>: Final summary generated subwork 0, canceled/aborted 1, snapview 0, exitcode 536870919

END avmossvss log 2014-06-15 19:00:19 Eastern Daylight Time (0 warnings, 2 errors, 0 fatal errors)
 

Cause

The SharePoint Services VSS Writer does not expose any SharePoint components on the affected Front-End server. The VSS Writer either does not register correctly or runs under an incorrect service account.

Running Diskshadow on the affected Front-End server shows that the SharePoint Services Writer reports zero components.

Diskshadow Output On Affected Front-End Server

* WRITER "SharePoint Services Writer"
                                - Writer ID   = {da452614-4858-5e53-a512-38aab25c61ad}
                                - Writer instance ID = {56080898-4d17-4b49-ba3e-3792ff5f589b}
                                - Supports restore events = TRUE
                                - Writer restore conditions = VSS_WRE_UNDEFINED
                                - Restore method = VSS_RME_UNDEFINED
                                - Requires reboot after restore = FALSE
                                - Excluded files:
 
                * WRITER "Shadow Copy Optimization Writer"
                                - Writer ID   = {4dc3bdd4-ab48-4d07-adb0-3bee2926fd7f}
                                - Writer instance ID = {fd6102f6-d308-4650-85e9-37f39b4f80cb}
                                - Supports restore events = TRUE

On a working Front-End server, the SharePoint Services Writer correctly reports multiple SharePoint components.

Diskshadow Output On Working Front-End Server

WRITER "SharePoint Services Writer"
                                - Writer ID   = {da452614-4858-5e53-a512-38aab25c61ad}
                                - Writer instance ID = {af3ccafb-abb3-41ff-ac25-af859f30f5d8}
                                - Supports restore events = TRUE
                                - Writer restore conditions = VSS_WRE_ALWAYS
                                - Restore method = VSS_RME_RESTORE_AT_REBOOT_IF_CANNOT_REPLACE
                                - Requires reboot after restore = FALSE
                                - Excluded files:
                                + Component "SharePoint Services Writer:\SP_Backend\named_instance\SharePoint_Config"
                                                - Name: SharePoint_Config
                                                - Logical path: SP_Backend\named_instance
                                                - Full path: \SP_Backend\named_instance\SharePoint_Config
                                                - Caption: Configuration Database SharePoint_Config
                                                - Type: VSS_CT_DATABASE [1]
                                                - Is selectable: TRUE
                                                - Is top level: TRUE
                                                - Notify on backup complete: FALSE
                                                - Components:
                                                - Paths affected by this component:
                                                - Volumes affected by this component:
                                                - Component Dependencies:
                                                                - Dependency to "{a65faa63-5ea8-4ebc-9dbd-a0c4db26912a}:\\WIN2008-DC\WIN2008-DC\NAMED_2008R2\SharePoint_Config"
                                + Component "SharePoint Services Writer:\SP_Backend\named_instance\StateService_c700bd19a6834681b76a9a49597685ba"
                                                - Name: StateService_c700bd19a6834681b76a9a49597685ba
                                                - Logical path: SP_Backend\named_instance
                                                - Full path: \SP_Backend\named_instance\StateService_c700bd19a6834681b76a9a49597685ba
                                                - Caption: Generic Database StateService_c700bd19a6834681b76a9a49597685ba
                                                - Type: VSS_CT_DATABASE [1]
                                                - Is selectable: TRUE
                                                - Is top level: TRUE
                                                - Notify on backup complete: FALSE
                                                - Components:
                                                - Paths affected by this component:
                                                - Volumes affected by this component:
                                                - Component Dependencies:
                                                                - Dependency to "{a65faa63-5ea8-4ebc-9dbd-a0c4db26912a}:\\WIN2008-DC\WIN2008-DC\NAMED_2008R2\StateService_c700bd19a6834681b76a9a49597685ba"
                                + Component "SharePoint Services Writer:\SP_Backend\named_instance\WSS_Content"
                                                - Name: WSS_Content

Resolution

Troubleshooting steps in order:

  1. Ensure that SharePoint VSS Services started as SharePoint user with Farm Admin privileges (in services.msc ).
  2. Login as Farm Admin to the SharePoint Front-End server and perform in elevated SharePoint Powershell.
  3. Reregister SharePoint VSS Writer service.  
    stsadm -o unregisterwsswriter
stsadm -o registerwsswriter
  4. Restart SharePoint VSS Writer service.
  5. Verify whether the SharePoint farm requires an upgrade.
  6. If the command returns True, engage the SharePoint Administrator to complete the required farm upgrade. 
    (get-spserver $env:computername).NeedsUpgrade
  7. Rerun Diskshadow and confirm that the SharePoint Services Writer lists SharePoint components.
  8. Retry the Avamar SharePoint backup.
  9. If the issue persists, open a support case with Microsoft to address SharePoint VSS Writer registration issues.

Affected Products

Avamar

Products

Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint VSS
Article Properties
Article Number: 000039443
Article Type: Solution
Last Modified: 22 Apr 2026
Version:  5
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