Error. GetConfiguration timed out

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Error message

MSSQL: error: can't get configuration for backup of database `XXX` on DEFAULT server instance: GetConfiguration timed out after 300000ms MSSQL: backup of database `XXX` on DEFAULT server instance failed

Check debug-level job message log for:

MSSQL: information handler (instance name , db name XXX): BACKUP LOG cannot be performed because there is no current database backup.
MSSQL: information handler (instance name , db name XXX): BACKUP LOG is terminating abnormally.

To set a client debug level, right-click client from ClientsSummary subtab and select AdvancedSet Debug Level. Enter a larger value (such as 100) in the Debug Level text box, and then click OK. Run offending job again with new debug level to get extra log messages.

Check Microsoft SQL Server error log for:

Error: 3041, Severity: 16, State: 1. BACKUP failed to complete the command BACKUP LOG Connect. Check the backup application log for detailed messages.
BACKUP LOG WITH TRUNCATE_ONLY or WITH NO_LOG is deprecated. The simple recovery model should be used to automatically truncate the transaction log.

If you see this message in the error log, take note of the time(s) it has occurred. The time(s) will be useful when reviewing maintenance tasks later.

To find the ERRORLOG file, look in the LOG folder of a particular SQL Server instance. This is usually something like C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL.x\MSSQL\LOG where MSSQL.x is the instance ID for the SQL Server instance.

Check Windows Application Event Log on client for:

Error 12/15/2009 5:50:04 AM MSSQL\$INSTANCENAME Backup 3221228513 NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM BACKUP failed to complete the command BACKUP LOG XXX. Check the backup application log for detailed messages.
NEED TO ADD ENTRY SHOWING "BACKUP LOG WITH TRUNCATE_ONLY or WITH NO_LOG" MESSAGE!!!

Description

The requested backup cannot be completed by the SQL Server because the log chain has been broken. This is likely caused by a conflict from another tool or service, including maintenance tasks scheduled through the SQL Server Management Studio and the associated Maintenance Wizard. NTBackup can also cause this issue if it is enabled and doing a system state backup (we have an upcoming NTBackup plug-in scheduled for 3.4 that will negate this problem).

Steps to resolve

Remove conflicts that are causing the database log chain to become broken. Usually, the maintenance tasks scheduled for the server being backed up should be reviewed and removed (or inactivated) if determined to be at fault. Follow the steps below to review or remove maintenance tasks using SQL Server Management Studio:

  1. Open SQL Server Management Studio on server having the backup problems.

  2. Locate the instance containing the “problem” database(s) inside the Object Explorer pane (usually along the left side of the application window).

  3. Find the SQL Server Agent folder for the located instance.

  4. Make sure the Object Explorer Details tab is open in the main display area and click the Jobs folder under SQL Server Agent.

    Look for offending jobs such as Truncate XXX Transaction Logs. This particular Maintenance Task causes log incremental backups to fail.

    Be particularly suspicious of jobs that are scheduled to run at the same time as the messages in the SQL error logs whose time you noted from the steps above.

  5. Disable or delete offending jobs. You can disable a job by editing the job properties.

  6. Immediately run a full backup on the database(s), for which offending jobs were disabled or deleted.

    This will prevent loss of transaction data from the lack of successful log/incremental backups.

If this is NTBACKUP-related, the only way to stop NTBACKUP from doing this is to disable to VSS writer responsible. The user will have to disable the MSDE Writer or the SQL Server Writer (their OS/SQL version determines, which one they will have).