P2V convert button greyed out

[WikiDonor]

Hello 

Testing a P2V conversion using BE2012 sp2 on win2008R2. We have taken a successfull SDR enabled backup of a physical machine and brought that tape to our DR site and on our DR site we have ESX5.0\VCenter server available to achieve P2V conversion. We did a inventory\Catalog  and it added the entry of machine on the servers tab. But when we double click the backed up server and try to click on convert button it is greyed out. I would like to know that, do we need the backed up machine alive to perform P2V. 

[pkh]

Do you have an AVVI licence at your DR site?

[WikiDonor]

Yes

[pkh]

Did you add the ESX server to BE? *EDIT* When the backup was taken, is the SDR light on?

[Kunal_Mudliyar1]

Usually the P2v conversion is done on the media server where the Physical machine was backed up as a preventive measure in case the physical goes down you have the virtual machine from where you can restore.

In your scenario the the media server of the DR site has not done the backup and could be the reason for graying the convert button.

Can you create a VM with the same name add it to BE and see if the convert button is activated?

If this still does not activate the convert button only way is to boot that VM with the SDR ISO and do a SDR restore from the backup sets that you have at the DR site.

[VJware]

Hope the VM is running a server OS and not a desktop OS as the latter is not supported. KB - http://www.symantec.com/business/support/index?page=content&id=TECH190054

[sagarsonker]

There cold be two preliminary reasons why the convert button is grayed out:

1. The computer you are selecting to convert may not be a Server Class Windows Operating System

2. A full SDR backup may not have been taken (which doesn't seem to be your case)

As a double-check, you may want to check if the SDR's green icon is ON when you take the SDR backup.

[Colin_Weaver]

I guess the other question that may prove it is something to do with the catalog process on the second media server is does the first media server show the convert option?

Note 1: the P2V (or B2V as this is what the OP is trying to do is really called)  is a function of metadata in the catalog which is generated during the backup (as long as the SDR, green indicator option is enabled)  It is possible that this same metadata is not generated when cataloging a tape later, which would then mean that to achieve your DR capability you might need to move the catalogs folder content as well as the tape to the DR site. (but then you would only need to inventory the tape)

Note 2: P2V is an operation done in parallel with or immediately after the original backup job as a regular scheduled process, B2V is a convert done as a one off sometime after the backup job has run.

EDIT: New info as I queried this internally, this issue is a limitation for B2V in the current version of Backup Exec which we intend to fix in the next complete release of BE. I will arrange for a public technote to be written acknowledging  this issue. At this current time it looks like copying the existing catalogs folder from one media server to the other might be a better option than SDR, although as well as  getting the technote written some testing will be done against using SDR as a workaround which will confirm this point.

[WikiDonor]

Thank you everyone who are reading and writing comments to this thread. I am backing up a win2003 physical server that I would like to convert it to as VM. I made sure that SDR green dot is onn while creating the backup. I still would like to know do I need to have connectivity with original physical server while converting (P2V).

[sagarsonker]

I guess you are running a job to "convert to VM after backup" i.e. post-backup conversion. Am I right?

Can you attach the screenshot here? That may give more insight.

[Colin_Weaver]

Hi WikiDonor

Pertinent information relating to the ability to convert to virtual is added to the catalogs located on the disk of the media server when you do a backup. Due to an oversight this same required information is not correctly generated when you have to catalog the same tape on a different media server.

Hence the information I have already posted in this forum thread confirming it as a known issue with fix planned for next complete release applies.

C.

[Colin_Weaver]

The Tech article acknowledging this issue is now available

http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH210479

[WikiDonor]

Thank you Colin Weaver,

I will try your workaround that is mentioned in the public document and let you know