Microsoft fixes security flaw in volume shadow copy service
When using backup software such as Langmeier Backup, which offers options to back up drives while the system is running, administrators should check the version of the operating system. Microsoft has fixed a bug in various operating system versions that can lead to broken backups.
The company has published a knowledgebase entry and provided updates in it that fix a bug in Windows Vista SP2, Windows 7, Windows Server 2003 SP2, Windows Server 2008 SP2, as well as Windows Server 2008 R2 that can cause backups to fail while running with the Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) under certain circumstances:http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2748349
These bugs are already fixed in Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008R2 with Service Pack 1, but users of older versions should apply the updates quickly. The bug is said to occur when a partition is larger than 8 GBytes and the size is also exactly a multiple of 8192 MBytes; furthermore, the bug affects extended partitions. This can cause individual files in the backup to be corrupted. The Windows updates fix the problem.
Urs Langmeier, CEO and developer of the Langmeier Backup solution, comments: „A backup can only be performed without errors if a system is also running without errors. In the case of defective hard disks or unstable drivers, the backup solution receives incorrect data from the operating system and then saves this data correctly away. „Langmeier Backup can of course check the data after the backup. However, data may have been changed between the backup and the verification,„ adds Langmeier. „Therefore, one must evaluate the results of the verification accordingly: Was this file in progress and may therefore differ from the backup copy?“ Urs Langmeier also recommends that all users of the software apply the available updates.
