Avamar: Resolving VM Restore issues with Instant Access and esx_splitter error

Restoring a virtual machine (VM) to a different VC using IA, resulting in a power-on failure due to an inability to create a virtual SCSI device. The error messages below indicate a problem with the esx_splitter filter (which RP4VM installs). 

Customer restored one VM to a different VC using Instant Access. IA job completed successfully but failed to start the new VM.

Error message:

• Module DevicePowerOn power on failed.
• Unable to create virtual SCSI device for scsi0:0, ‘/vmfs/volumes/xxxxxxx.vmdk’
• Failed to attach filter ‘esx_splitter ‘ to scsi0:0: Not found (195887107).

A specific condition where the source VM is restored to a different VC using IA causes this issue. The IA job completes successfully, but the new VM fails to start due to a virtual SCSI device creation failure.

• The error message indicates a failure to create a virtual SCSI device for the specified VM Disk (VMDK) file. This results in a Module DevicePowerOn power on failed error.
• The error message also mentions an inability to attach the esx_splitter filter to the SCSI device, with a Not found (195887107) error code.
• The issue occurs when restoring a VM from a RP4VM-protected ESXi host to another ESXi host that RP4VM does NOT protect.
• The presence of the esx_splitter filter, installed by RP4VM, is a key factor in the failure to start the new VM.
• The source VM is fine and the source, target VC, and ESXi host versions are consistent.
• Removing the existing SCSI device and re-adding it resolves the issue, indicating a configuration-related problem.

The resolution to the VM restore issue is to remove the SCSI device from the virtual machine settings or comment out the lines containing esx_splitter in the .vmx file.

Step-by-Step Guide

1. Remove SCSI Device from Virtual Machine Settings:
   1. Go to the virtual machine settings in the vCenter Server.
   2. Click the Hardware tab.
   3. Scroll down to the SCSI Controller section.
   4. Click the Remove button next to the SCSI device.
   5. Confirm that you want to remove the device.
2. Comment out esx_splitter in the .vmx file:
   1. Open the .vmx file in a text editor.
   2. Search for the lines containing esx_splitter.
   3. Comment out these lines by adding a '#' symbol at the beginning of each line.
   4. Save the changes to the .vmx file.

Verifying the Issue is Resolved:

After removing the SCSI device or commenting out esx_splitter in the .vmx file, try to power on the virtual machine again.
If the virtual machine powers on successfully, the issue is resolved.

Tools and Resources:

You can use the vSphere Client to manage the virtual machine settings and the .vmx file.