VPLEX: XCOPY fails when performing storage vMotion on local volumes across clusters.

Summary: This article addresses the XCOPY failure when using source and target VPLEX local volumes across clusters.

This article applies to This article does not apply to This article is not tied to any specific product. Not all product versions are identified in this article.
Check out other resources

Symptoms

XCOPY has existed since the GeoSynchrony 5.3 release. ESX hosts connecting to VPLEX frontend ports see XCOPY as a supported feature.

XCOPY fails on two local VPLEX volumes used by cross-connected hosts where one volume is used as the source and the other as the target.

To recognize when vMotion is failing due to XCOPY, check the firmware logs for the following event messages:

These event messages are only seen during the timeframe the VMotion was attempted.

Firmware Log Extract:
128.221.252.38/cpu0/log:5988:W/"00601661eb55144244-2":289074:<4>2017/03/07 08:30:03.10: stdf/41 xcopy malformed command, target lu not supported, ITL fcp: (0x10008c7cff20xxx)(0x50001442xxxxx)(0xc000000000000, VPD83T3:6000144000000010xxxxxxxxx)
128.221.252.38/cpu0/log:5988:W/"00601661eb55144244-2":289075:<4>2017/03/07 08:30:04.10: stdf/41 xcopy malformed command, target lu not supported, ITL fcp: (0x10008c7cff20xxx)(0x50001442xxxxx)(0xc000000000000, VPD83T3:6000144000000010xxxxxxxxx)
128.221.252.38/cpu0/log:5988:W/"00601661eb55144244-2":289076:<4>2017/03/07 08:30:05.10: stdf/41 xcopy malformed command, target lu not supported, ITL fcp: (0x10008c7cff20xxx)(0x50001442xxxxx)(0xc000000000000, VPD83T3:6000144000000010xxxxxxxxx)
128.221.252.38/cpu0/log:5988:W/"00601661eb55144244-2":289077:<4>2017/03/07 08:30:06.10: stdf/41 xcopy malformed command, target lu not supported, ITL fcp: (0x10008c7cff20xxx)(0x50001442xxxxx)(0xc000000000000, VPD83T3:6000144000000010xxxxxxxxx)
128.221.252.38/cpu0/log:5988:W/"00601661eb55144244-2":289078:<4>2017/03/07 08:30:07.10: stdf/41 xcopy malformed command, target lu not supported, ITL fcp: (0x10008c7cff20xxx)(0x50001442xxxxx)(0xc000000000000, VPD83T3:6000144000000010xxxxxxxxx)

Cause

The XCOPY operation fails if the receiving VPLEX director is unable to reach both source and target volumes. 

Resolution

Check the following conditions as XCOPY fail if any of these are met: 

  1. The World Wide Port Name (WWPN) provided in the target descriptor does not correspond to any Logical Unit (LU).  
  2. STDFLU private data pointer is NULL.
  3. If the LU is not exported (Does not belong to a storage view or not masked through this director).

This validation happens for both source LU and target LU.

The XCOPY source and target volumes must be presented to both the storage-views across the clusters: 

  • Export the source volume to the storage-view where the target volume is already exported. 

VPlexcli:/> cd /clusters/cluster-1/exports/storage-views/Test_Storage_View

VPlexcli:/clusters/cluster-1/exports/storage-views/Test_Storage_View> export storage-view addvirtualvolume (Source_Volume ) --force
 

  • Export the target volume to the storage-view where the source volume is already exported. 

VPlexcli:/> cd /clusters/cluster-2/exports/storage-views/Test_Storage_View
VPlexcli:/clusters/cluster-2/exports/storage-views/Test_Storage_View> export storage-view addvirtualvolume (Target_Volume ) --force
 

  • Set the visibility of both the source and target devices as global:

 VPlexcli:/> cd clusters/cluster-1/devices/device_Target_volume
VPlexcli:/clusters/cluster-1/devices/device_Target_volume> set visibility global
VPlexcli:/clusters/cluster-1/devices/device_Target_volume> ll

Attributes:
Name                    Value
----------------------  ------------------
application-consistent  false
auto-resume             true
block-count             1310720
block-offset            0
block-size              4K
capacity                5G
geometry                raid-0
health-indications      []
health-state            ok
locality                local
operational-status      ok
rebuild-allowed         -
rebuild-eta             -
rebuild-progress        -
rebuild-status          -
rebuild-type            -
rule-set-name           cluster-1-detaches
service-status          running
stripe-depth            4K
system-id               device_Target_volume
thin-capable            false
transfer-size           -
virtual-volume          Target_Volume
visibility              global <<<


VPlexcli:/clusters/cluster-1/devices/device_Target_volume> cd clusters/cluster-2/devices/device_Source_volume
VPlexcli:/clusters/cluster-2/devices/device_Source_volume> set visibility global
VPlexcli:/clusters/cluster-2/devices/device_Source_volume> ll

Attributes:
Name                    Value
----------------------  ------------------
application-consistent  false
auto-resume             true
block-count             1310720
block-offset            0
block-size              4K
capacity                5G
geometry                raid-0
health-indications      []
health-state            ok
locality                local
operational-status      ok
rebuild-allowed         -
rebuild-eta             -
rebuild-progress        -
rebuild-status          -
rebuild-type            -
rule-set-name           cluster-2-detaches
service-status          running
stripe-depth            4K
system-id               device_Source_volume
thin-capable            false
transfer-size           -
virtual-volume          Source_Volume
visibility              global <<<

This only applies to cross-connected storage-views.

Additional Information

Be aware of the following KB articles which may be relevant:

Affected Products

VPLEX Series

Products

VPLEX for All Flash, VPLEX Series, VPLEX VS2, VPLEX VS6
Article Properties
Article Number: 000168544
Article Type: Solution
Last Modified: 30 Jan 2026
Version:  6
Find answers to your questions from other Dell users
Support Services
Check if your device is covered by Support Services.