PowerProtect Data Manager: vSphere 9.0 does not support Transparent Snapshots Data Mover (TSDM) functionality
Summary: As with all major vSphere (vCenter, ESXi) version updates, there are a significant number of platform-level changes that are occurring in 9.0. As a result, the underlying vSphere services and Application Programing Interface (API) used for the Transparent Snapshot Data Mover (TSDM) solution have been disrupted. Therefore, the PowerProtect Data Managers TSDM solution is not available in vSphere 9.0. ...
Symptoms
PowerProtect Data Manager Virtual Machine (VM) protection with vSphere 9.0 does not offer TSDM. PowerProtect Data Manager19.21 automatically falls back to VMware API for Data Protection (VADP) as a Protection Mechanism.
Important Points:
- PowerProtect Data Manager can still protect vSphere 9.0 virtual machines using VADP.
- Consult e-Lab Navigator for supported options.
- PowerProtect Data Manager displays an alert/banner to inform that TSDM with vSphere 9.0 is not supported.
- PowerProtect Data Manager displays an alert/banner message when no external proxies are available for VADP backup.
Cause
PowerProtect Data Manager 19.21.0-xx and 19.22.0-xx do not support TSDM backups when using vSphere 9.0. Broadcom vSphere 9.0 introduced significant changes in the Services and API used for TSDM.
Resolution
Dell and Broadcom have worked closely together to add support back into vSphere. The support for TSDM backup against vSphere 9.1 has been added to PowerProtect 20.1.0.0-17 and newer releases.
The following table describes the product level changes in PowerProtect Data Manager 19.21 made to accommodate for the lack of TSDM support in vSphere 9.0:
|
Use case |
Impact |
Mitigation |
|
Enable Auto VIB management for the vCenter |
Auto VIB management option will be disabled for vCenter 9.0 |
Tooltip for Auto VIB management option displays the below message
When automatic vSphere Installation Bundle (VIB) management is enabled, Transparent Snapshot Data Mover (TSDM) VIBs can be deployed by Data Manager, provided that virtual machines are targeted for protection. However, TSDM does not support vCenter version 9.0 or later, so VIBs are not managed for such a vCenter version, even when automatic VIB management is enabled. |
|
VIB Install |
VIB Install will not be supported for ESXi hosts managed by vCenter 9.0
VIB status for the ESXi will be displayed as ‘Not Eligible’ and VIB install will not be allowed. |
Below message will be seen in the tooltip of Install button
Install is supported only for hosts with the Ready for install status and vCenter version earlier than 9.0. |
|
VIB Upgrade |
VIB Upgrade will not be supported for ESXi hosts managed by vCenter 9.0
VIB status for the ESXi will be displayed as ‘Not Eligible’ and VIB upgrade will not be allowed. |
Below message will be seen in the tooltip of Upgrade button
Upgrade is supported only for hosts with the Ready for upgrade status and vCenter version earlier than 9.0. |
|
Create new policy /Edit existing policy |
PPDM will override the data mover to VADP for VMs running on vCenter 9.0, even if the policy specifies TSDM as the protection mechanism.
|
Below message will be seen in the tooltip to choose Protection Mechanism in Policy
Allow PowerProtect Data Manager to select the protection mechanism. PowerProtect Data Manager might determine that the Transparent Snapshot Data Mover (TSDM) cannot be used to protect certain assets. As a result, VMware vStorage API for Data Protection (VADP) is used as the protection mechanism instead of TSDM. For example, VADP is used when Fault Tolerance is enabled for the virtual machine (VM), the VM has virtual or physical Raw Device Mappings (RDM), the vSphere version is earlier than 7.0 U3, or vSphere version is 9.0.
|
|
Backup/Restore for existing TSDM protected assets when vCenter is upgraded to version 9.0 |
TSDM backups and restores will not be supported for these protected assets, backup and restore operations will fall back to VADP. A full backup will be initiated with VADP
|
Below one time Alert will be generated after vCenter is upgraded to 9.0
The vCenter has been upgraded to version 9.0, which is incompatible with TSDM. All the existing TSDM protected assets will use VADP for backup and recovery.
|
Additional Impact Consideration for VADP backups:
- Additional infrastructure needs for deployment of external Protection Engines. Each external protection engine requires a DNS name, IP address, and vSphere resources.
- Expect longer backup times due to initial full backup triggered by data mover change from TSDM to VADP.