vProxy: Backups failing - "Failed to initialize Block Reader. Failed to open source VMDK"

Summary: The NetWorker VMware Protection (NVP) integration is configured with the vProxy appliance. When performing a backup, the vProxy is unable to open the VM's source VMDK with transport mode hotadd. This only impacts some VMs, but it is consistently the same VMs each time the workflow is run. There is a snapshot of the VM being backed up still attached to the vProxy VM from a previous backup. At the end of a previous backup, the VM snapshots were not properly consolidated, so the snapshot remained mounted on the vProxy. ...

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Symptoms

The NetWorker VMware Protection (NVP) integration is configured with the vProxy appliance. When performing a backup, the vProxy is unable to open the VM's source VMDK with transport mode hotadd. This only impacts some VMs, but it is consistently the same VMs each time the workflow is run. 
YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS NOTICE: VDDK INFO YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS error -[7F251DE08740] [Originator@6876 sub=transport] Cannot use mode hotadd to access [Datastore01] 600009700BCBB96A33AD006E000000A6/VM_Server01-000001.vmdk: Cannot mount using this method. (Mounting VM vm-8629 using transport hotadd failed : Failed to hot-add SCSI targets: Vmomi::MethodFault::Exception: vim.fault.GenericVmConfigFault.)
YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS NOTICE: VDDK INFO VixDiskLib: Unable to locate appropriate transport mode to open disk. Error 13 (You do not have access rights to this file) (Mounting VM vm-123 using transport hotadd failed : Failed to hot-add SCSI targets: Vmomi::MethodFault::Exception: vim.fault.GenericVmConfigFault.) at 4900.
YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS NOTICE: VDDK INFO VixDiskLib: VixDiskLib_OpenEx: Cannot open disk [Datastore01] 600009700BCBB96A33AD006E000000A6/VM_Server01-000001.vmdk. Error 13 (You do not have access rights to this file) (Mounting VM vm-123 using transport hotadd failed : Failed to hot-add SCSI targets: Vmomi::MethodFault::Exception: vim.fault.GenericVmConfigFault.) at 5021.
YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS ERROR:  [@(#) Build number: 70] Data Mover: Hard disk 2: VDDK: Failed to open source VMDK "[Datastore01] 600009700BCBB96A33AD006E000000A6/VM_Server01-000001.vmdk": VDDK Error: 13: You do not have access rights to this file.
YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS ERROR:  [@(#) Build number: 70] Data Mover: Hard disk 2: Failed to initialize Block Reader.
YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS NOTICE: [@(#) Build number: 70]         "Description": "Failed to backup virtual disk \"Hard disk 2\".  Failed to initialize Block Reader.  Failed to open source VMDK \"[Datastore01] 600009700BCBB96A33AD006E000000A6/VM_Server01-000001.vmdk\": VDDK Error: 13: You do not have access rights to this file.",
YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS INFO:   [@(#) Build number: 70] VM '[Datastore01] 600009700BCBB96A33AD006E000000A6/VM_Server01.vmx' not hosted on VSAN.

Cause

There is a snapshot of the failing VM still attached to the vProxy VM from a previous backup. At the end of a previous backup, the VM snapshot was not properly consolidated, so the snapshot remained mounted on the vProxy.

Resolution

The ProxyHC utility can be used to cleanup any left behind disks or snapshots.
NVP-vProxy: How to use health check tool ProxyHC on vProxy appliance

During VM backups, the vProxy sends a create snapshot request to the vCenter server, at the end of the backup a request is sent to remove the snapshot. The vProxy logs these requests in the /opt/emc/vproxy/runtime/logs/vbackupd/vbackupd-snapmgr.log. Responses to these requests come from the VMware API. If snapshots are not being removed in the VMware environment, it is recommended to engage VMware support:
NVP vProxy: Troubleshooting VMware Snapshot Issues during NetWorker backups.

Affected Products

NetWorker

Products

NetWorker
Article Properties
Article Number: 000168799
Article Type: Solution
Last Modified: 27 Sept 2023
Version:  3
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