Cannot backup VMware

[takaratta]

I use VMware option.

And when I backup VMware, I select ESX server and don't use GRT backup.

ESX server have about 30 virtual machines.

When I backup Virtual Machine, the following error is shown.

Completed status: Failed
Final error: 0xe000959d - An attempt to take a snapshot of a virtual machine failed because the number of levels in the virtual machine's snapshot tree will exceed the maximum.
Final error category: Resource Errors

For additional information regarding this error refer to link V-79-57344-38301

 I searched knowledge base, but I cannot found...

Please advice to me.

[VJware]

What is the value of snapshot.maxSnapshots  under the .vmx configuration file ?

EDIT*** Tips for editing the .vmx file - http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?language=en_US&cmd=displayKC&externalId=1714

[Sublaner]

That's a lot of virtual machines. We have BE 2010 R3, ESX 4.0, Server 2008 VMs, backing up through vSphere. We regularly need to clean up snapshots that AVVI backups leave behind (select VM, open Snapshot Manager, "Delete" or "Delete All"). They can get deeply nested if we don't pay attention. For some reason only on VMs using Application GRT (AD, EX, SQL) and inconsistent, but still worth a look.

[Tmy_70]

Cause

Several configurations can cause the above error.  Please review the possible causes below, and reference the matching solution.

1.  Backing up the same virtual machine running concurrently to the same temporary staging location.

2.  The VMware Consolidated Backup (VCB) is not installed.

3.  The VMware Consolidated Backup is not targeted correctly in the backup job properties.

All of these scenarios when using the Agent for VMware Virtual Infrastructure will cause the job to report the error or exception "V-79-57344-38721 - Failed to mount one or more virtual disk images". The GRT (Granular Restore Technology) functionality will fail for this backup, and individual file restores will not be possible as the VMware Consolidated Backup (VCB) is not able to mount the image file.
 

Solution

 
1. To avoid conflicts schedule jobs so they do not overlap when backing up the same virtual machine.

2. Install the VMware Consolidated Backup
 http://www.vmware.com/download/vi/drivers_tools.html

3.  Verify the location of where VMware Consolidated Backup is installed, compared to the location specified in the backup job properties.


If the issue still occurs after performing the steps above, review the TechNotes in the Related Documents Section below for additional troubleshooting information.

 

[pkh]

Your answer is extracted from

http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH63607

If you are qoing to quote from a document, it is better to direct the user to the document.  Otherwise, people will think that you are plagarising the document.

[takaratta]

Thank you.

This mean that I must install VCB, right?

But I don't know whether VCB is installed to ESX server.
Do you know how to investigate whether VCB is installed to ESX server.


> 3.  Verify the location of where VMware Consolidated Backup is installed,
> compared to the location specified in the backup job properties.

I don't know this property.
Where is this property?

[pkh]

I don't think you need to install VCB.  BE 2010 uses vStorage, instead of VCB for its backup.

I would suggest that you clean up your snapshots as suggested by a previous post.

[takaratta]

I checked the .vmx files.

But the parameter (snapshot.maxSnapshots) is nothing.

The parameter related snapshot is only "snapshot.action = "keep".

[takaratta]

I will check and clean-up snapshot.

I have already checked the snapshot history.

The virtual machine have very very old snapshot.

I will try it, and inform the result.

[teiva-boy]

There needs to be no existing snapshots.  Not only from a backup perspective, but from an everyday performance one too.

You shouldn't put all the VM's into one selection list, break it up into smaller selection lists.  

You may have a performance issue, where you can only do a few at a time.