NVP vProxy: VM backups sitting in Waiting to Run state in an environment using hosts file entries or dual stack (IPv4 and IPv6) configuration

Summary: NetWorker server has been upgraded to 19.9.0.4/19.10.0.1 or later but still observes issue where NetWorker VMware Protection (NVP) policies sit in "Waiting to Run" state. This occurs even when a vProxy is available for backup. The problem can appear in environments using "hosts" files over DNS and/or if the environment has dual stack (IPv4 and IPv6) configuration. ...

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

VMware VMs backed up using the NetWorker VMware Protection (NVP) environment sit in a "waiting to run" state. 
The NetWorker server is 19.9.0.4/19.10.0.1 or later using latest 4.3.0.x vProxy appliance. 
If the workflow is configured with "manual vProxy selection" set, backups show "waiting to run" even thought the vProxy has hotadd sessions available (Only hotadd is set)
If the workflow has "automatic vProxy selection" is set and the vProxy has both Hotadd and NBD enabled, VM backups run as expected.

Cause

There are a few different causes:

DNS:

  • There is no DNS in the environment, hosts file entries are used.
  • DNS is configured in the environment but hosts files are used on some systems. Linux server's (including the vProxy appliance, vCenter server appliance, and ESXi hosts) use the /etc/nsswitch.conf file, which by default checks /etc/hosts files first before resolving names over DNS. If both DNS and hosts files are configured, the hosts file will have priority over DNS. 
Mixed IPv4 and IPv6
  • The NetWorker server, vProxy appliances, and VMware vCenter or combination of these systems have mixed IPv4 and IPv6 addresses. The vProxy appliance must use IPv4 only or IPv6 only; dual stack is not supported. This is as per the NetWorker VMware Protection with vProxy appliance requirements in the NetWorker VMware Integration Guide.

Resolution

The NetWorker server, vProxy appliances, Data Domain systems, and VMware vCenter or VMware ESXi hosts should be added to NetWorker using FQDN. The Basic Configuration of the NetWorker VMware Integration Guide states "Use Fully Qualified Domain Names (FQDNs) everywhere."

Do not configure the vProxy appliance to use both IPv4 and IPv6 (dual stack). One or the other must be used, not both. In an IPv6 enabled VMware environment, the following components should not have any unreachable IPv4 entries in the DNS server:
  • NetWorker server FQDN
  • vProxy appliance FQDN
  • Data Domain FQDN
  • vCenter FQDN
  • ESXi FQDN

The FQDNs listed above should return only AAAA records from the DNS and should not have any unreachable IPv4 records in the DNS. 

See IPv6 Considerations section of the NetWorker VMware Integration Guide.

The NetWorker VMware Integration Guide can be found through: https://www.dell.com/support/home/product-support/product/networker/docs

Additional Information

NVP vProxy: VM backup workflow sits in waiting to run state, no VM backup sessions start and vProxy is not picked up by workflow.
Article Properties
Article Number: 000227307
Article Type: Solution
Last Modified: 12 Aug 2024
Version:  1
Find answers to your questions from other Dell users
Support Services
Check if your device is covered by Support Services.