PowerProtect: Backup Copies Stuck at IN USE-RESTORING Status with No Active Restore Operations

Copies are left with IN-USE or RESTORING status despite there being no restores in progress. This prevents the affected copies from being expired and deleted or used in any other restores.

A known code defect in PowerProtect Data Manager causes backup copies to remain in an IN‑USE or RESTORING state after a restore operation completes or is cancelled. All PowerProtect Data Manager versions prior to 19.22.0‑24 and prior to 20.1.0.1‑10 may be affected.

Under normal operation, PowerProtect Data Manager transitions the copy status back to IDLE after the restore finishes. The defect prevents this state transition from occurring, which leaves the copies permanently locked in the IN‑USE or RESTORING state. 

1. Prevent Future Occurrences
   • Upgrade to PowerProtect Data Manager 19.22.0‑24, 20.1.0.1‑10, or later. Download the latest PowerProtect Data Manager release from the PowerProtect Data Manager Drivers & Downloads page. These versions contain the fix that prevents copies from becoming stuck in IN‑USE or RESTORING status after restore operations.
   • Verify after upgrade - After upgrading, perform a test restore and confirm the copy status returns to IDLE after the restore completes.
   • Important: The upgrade prevents the issue from occurring on future restore operations. It does not automatically correct copies that are already stuck in IN‑USE or RESTORING status. Existing stuck copies require the cleanup procedure described in Step 2.
2. Clean Up Already Affected Copies
   • Open a Dell Support service request and reference this article ID. Request cleanup of copies stuck in IN‑USE/RESTORING status.
   • Dell Support performs the remediation. Dell Support uses an approved remediation script to change the copy state from IN‑USE or RESTORING to IDLE for all affected copies.