Backup-SPFarm and Search

Last week I was tasked with creating some backup/restore scripts for SharePoint. The backup scripts kept erroring out with the following issue:

Backup for 'Search Service 1(099045f6-a648-48f1-9a05-a9371c5d9b88)' failed. System.ServiceModel.FaultException: Management called failed with System.InvalidOperationException: 'Job failed: Have tried to perform backup/restore operation twice on all in-sync members in cluster SP569693711984.1, but none succeeded. Last failure message: Microsoft.Ceres.SearchCore.Seeding.SnapshotTransferException: Could not send chunk ms\%default\gen.000000000000024c.state: Localpath: [0-338> to target BackupDirectoryTarget[directory=\\servername\Backup$\spbr000D\I.2.1,validateTransfers=False]   

 at Microsoft.Ceres.SearchCore.Seeding.SnapshotSender.SendChunks(ISnapshot snapshot, ISeedSource source, ISeedTarget target, SeedStatus status, Func`1 checkAborted, Int32 targetFragIndex)   

 at Microsoft.Ceres.SearchCore.Seeding.SnapshotSender.FirstPhaseTransfer(ISeedSource source, ISeedTarget target, Action`1 updateProgress, Func`1 shouldAbort)   

 at Microsoft.Ceres.SearchCore.Seeding.BackupWorker.BackupWork.DoFirstPhaseWork()'

at  

 at Microsoft.Ceres.SearchCore.IndexController.BackupService.ThrowOnFailure(JobStatus status)   

 at Microsoft.Ceres.SearchCore.IndexController.BackupService.ProgressSecondPhase(String handle)   

 at Microsoft.Ceres.SearchCore.IndexController.IndexControllerManagementAgent.WrapCall[T](Func`2 original)    Server stack trace:    

 at System.ServiceModel.Channels.ServiceChannel.HandleReply(ProxyOperationRuntime operation, ProxyRpc& rpc)   

 at System.ServiceModel.Channels.ServiceChannel.Call(String action, Boolean oneway, ProxyOperationRuntime operation, Object[] ins, Object[] outs, TimeSpan timeout)   

 at System.ServiceModel.Channels.ServiceChannelProxy.InvokeService(IMethodCallMessage methodCall, ProxyOperationRuntime operation)   

 at System.ServiceModel.Channels.ServiceChannelProxy.Invoke(IMessage message)    Exception rethrown

at [0]:    

 at System.Runtime.Remoting.Proxies.RealProxy.HandleReturnMessage(IMessage reqMsg, IMessage retMsg)   

 at System.Runtime.Remoting.Proxies.RealProxy.PrivateInvoke(MessageData& msgData, Int32 type)   

 at Microsoft.Ceres.SearchCore.Admin.IIndexControllerManagementAgent.ProgressSecondPhase(String handle)   

 at Microsoft.Office.Server.Search.Administration.BRIndexComponent.RetryWhileNoEndPoint[T](Func`2 action, SPBackupRestoreInformation args, Guid ssaId, TimeSpan retryTimeout)   

 at Microsoft.Office.Server.Search.Administration.BRIndexComponent.RetryWhileNoEndPoint[T](Func`2 action, SPBackupRestoreInformation args, Guid ssaId, TimeSpan retryTimeout)   

 at Microsoft.Office.Server.Search.Administration.BRIndexComponent.<>c__DisplayClass13`1.<RetryWhileNoEndPoint>b__12()   

 at Microsoft.SharePoint.SPSecurity.<>c__DisplayClass5.<RunWithElevatedPrivileges>b__3()   

 at Microsoft.SharePoint.Utilities.SecurityContext.RunAsProcess(CodeToRunElevated secureCode)   

 at Microsoft.SharePoint.SPSecurity.RunWithElevatedPrivileges(WaitCallback secureCode, Object param)   

 at Microsoft.SharePoint.SPSecurity.RunWithElevatedPrivileges(CodeToRunElevated secureCode)    

 at Microsoft.Office.Server.Search.Administration.BRIndexComponent.RetryWhileNoEndPoint[T](Func`2 action, SPBackupRestoreInformation args, Guid ssaId)   

 at Microsoft.Office.Server.Search.Administration.BRIndexComponent.WaitPhaseComplete(SPBackupInformation args, Func`2 getProgress, Int32 sleepTime)   

 at Microsoft.Office.Server.Search.Administration.BRIndexComponent.WaitSecondPhaseBackupComplete(SPBackupInformation args)   

 at Microsoft.Office.Server.Search.Administration.TwoPhaseBackupHelper.WaitSecondPhaseBackupCompleteChildren(SPBackupInformation args)   

 at Microsoft.Office.Server.Search.Administration.SearchServiceApplication.OnBackup(SPBackupInformation args)

After trying dozens of things, in the end the solution to this issue is to run the script from a server that has a running Search service instance. The script will not work on servers that do not have search configured.

I'm running SharePoint 2013 RTM.