VM Replica failing after removing and readding?

[mysticalice]

Hi
Have a replica job that pulls VMs from a different network to a local network, using a VEEAM proxy on the source end and sending to the VEEAM server on the destination end. Works great, but a few days ago we had to resize one of the drives on the VM, and since then were getting warnings about the drive size (Even though that drive, the one that was increased, is exempt in the job setup, so it's not even copying the drive).

The replica job was completing but with warnings about "VM disk size changed since last sync, deleting all restore points". Every time the job ran it would finish with the same warning.

There is a backup veeam job running on a different VEEAM server, backing the same VM up that has no errors.

I decided to remove the 'warning' VM from the replica job. I also went to the 'replicas' in veeam and deleted this VM (clicked remove from configuration, didn'tn click remove from disk). I then went to the datastore that hosted the replica and deleted the folder this VM's replica was housed in.

Since then, I added the VM back into the job, but now it fails with the message (see attached image)

[mysticalice]

Worth adding, I created a new veeam replica job, and the VM backs up just fine.

[P.Tide]

Hi,

Every time you manually delete and readd a VM it gets a new unique morefID from vCenter. Veeam server identifies VMs in Jobs by that ID so in your case backup server just does not see your VM though drives are the same.

If you resize the source virtual disk replica job does not fail. Instead, it merges existing restore points and proceed smoothly.

Thank you.

[mysticalice]

I ran the job a dozen times and every time it said it was merging/deleting restore points, finishing with a warning.

Now that the VM has been removed, then re-added, how do I get it to actually work? I don't want to have a separate job just for this replica, as I have now.

[foggy]

Have you removed the replica VM from virtual infrastructure on the target host as well? In replication job, try to give the replica VM a different name (from what it was before deletion). Contact support if this doesn't help.

Not sure why the size change warning persisted, the job should be able to remove all the snapshots, reconfigure VM and proceed normally. Probably the fact that the disk was excluded could affect this.

[mysticalice]

Not sure what you mean removing the replica VM from the target host. What I did is log into the target vcenter, delete the vm (remove from inventory), navigate to the target datastore and delete the folder that contains the replica VM files.

Not sure how to give the replica VM a different name? How? Where? Are you referring to renaming the VM name on the source vcenter?

[foggy]

Not sure what you mean removing the replica VM from the target host. What I did is log into the target vcenter, delete the vm (remove from inventory), navigate to the target datastore and delete the folder that contains the replica VM files.

So you removed the replica from inventory, not from Veeam B&R console, right? Try to remove it from Veeam B&R then.

Not sure how to give the replica VM a different name? How? Where? Are you referring to renaming the VM name on the source vcenter?

I mean specifying different suffix for the replica VM when you creating/editing the replication job.

[mysticalice]

- Removed the VM from the replica job
- Navigated to 'replicas', found the VM in the list, right clicked and 'remove from replicas' (did not remove from disk)
- went to the replica datastore on the target host and deleted the folder for that VM
- removed the VM from inventory
- went back to the replica job and added the VM back into the job
- ran the job and got the error messages in my first post.
- added the VM to a DIFFERENT job (same datastore) and it worked.

so it's just that one job (the one I removed the vm from) that doesn't work when I re-add it

[foggy]

I suggest ask support for assistance with this. Probably some database cleanup is required.

[mysticalice]

Here's what I did to resolve the issue (for anyone running into this)

Remove the VM from the job (if you've re-added it to one) and save the job.

- Ensure the following are deleted:
-- Replica VM name in vcenter/vmware (i.e. VM_Replica)
-- vcenter/vmware Datastore folder holding the replica VM is deleted
-- in VEEAM, navigate to 'replicas' (not the job, but the actual VM name), and delete it - select 'delete from configuration' (not delete from disk)

Then restart the VEEAM B&R service (this part may not be necessary but I did it anyway)