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averylarry
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Pick a missing datastore

Post by averylarry »

I don't know if this is worth asking for -- but I'd like to be able to pick a non-existant datastore for replications.

You ask why.

I am using replica jobs for an offsite disaster recovery process. I replicate to a local datastore, and then I pull the hard drive and physically take it offsite. I have 5 different drives (for each week of the month) and therefore 5 different replication jobs (one for each drive, since each drive is a different datastore).

So now when I add a VM, I have to modify the 5 offsite replication jobs to add the VM (I supposed I could use folders or something but . . .). I am unable to choose a datastore for the new VM unless the datastore actually exists. This means I have to wait and modify each job when the correct drive is onsite (which also allows me to choose thin disk for the destination).

I would like the job to at least allow me to pick the datastore that is already associated with other VMs in the job -- even if it is not currently available . . .
Gostev
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Re: Pick a missing datastore

Post by Gostev »

Thanks for sharing your use case... I need to think it over.
dellock6
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Re: Pick a missing datastore

Post by dellock6 »

Has you suggested yourself, a viable solution can be to select a container rather than single VMs, like folders, datastores or resource pools, even vCenter itself. In this way, the job once configured is always correct, and you never need to edit it when you add or remove VMs.
So, no need to edit the job while datastore is missing.

Luca.
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foggy
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Re: Pick a missing datastore

Post by foggy »

In addition to what Luca said, I see no barriers in adding a VM to the job even in case where the datastore is not available. I've tried to physically switch off the target storage device and could successfully edit the job, add a VM, and go through all the wizard steps after that, even specify the thin/thick disks options, and save settings. The datastore is still mounted in VC and available for selection in the job wizard.

Ted, could you please clarify the exact actions you perform while editing the job and whether you have all the datastores available in VC?
averylarry
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Re: Pick a missing datastore

Post by averylarry »

Edit the job.
Add a VM. Set exclusions. Next.
The datastore is blank. I add the VM and choose thin disk anyway. Both "Next" and "Finish" give the error "Select destination datastore." I can only cancel.

However --
Edit the job.
Add a VM. Set exclusions. Finish (do NOT go to the destination screen). That seems to work but I can't choose thin disk. I can't test it either way since that datastore is on a shelf 25 miles away from where I am.

If I did a container -- can it be set to always do thin disk? I have always set it manually just to be certain (I have trust issues!).

I think the key here is that the datastore is blank when I get on the destination window. Alexander -- maybe you would have to rescan the host in order for the datastore to actually be missing when editing the job?
averylarry
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Re: Pick a missing datastore

Post by averylarry »

Also -- this is a standalone host. It's not connected to a vCenter server.
averylarry
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Re: Pick a missing datastore

Post by averylarry »

Using containers probably won't work for me anyway. I have too many disk exclusions (mostly leftover from when I put all the pagefiles on their own independent excluded virtual disks).

This is a pretty small shop -- only 16 VMs. I don't think this will come up too often.
dellock6
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Re: Pick a missing datastore

Post by dellock6 »

I'm not sure, maybe via powershell you can do it. For sure you can add a single VM to an existing job via PS, my doubt is about getting the same error even via PS like in the GUI.

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Re: Pick a missing datastore

Post by foggy »

averylarry wrote:I think the key here is that the datastore is blank when I get on the destination window. Alexander -- maybe you would have to rescan the host in order for the datastore to actually be missing when editing the job?
Spot on. I had to rescan the host both in VC and in Veeam UI to get the same blank datastore text box on job editing.
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