How to recover PowerPath Migration Enabler (PPME) from setup, if the PPME cluster resource is missing [PPME error(82)]

Summary: How to recover PowerPath Migration Enabler (PPME) from setup, if the PPME cluster resource is missing [PPME error(82)]

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Instructions

Recovering from SETUP state:     
In an advanced PPME recovery scenario, you cannot recover an existing, previously set up, cluster handle, because you (accidentally) deleted the last PPME cluster resource in the cluster. You try recreating the resource from the WSFC GUI, but the type "EMC PowerPath Migration Enabler Resource" is absent. In this case, you must recreate the the resource type and the resource from the command line. Below is the procedure.



Precondition

  • You are working with a cluster (This example assumes to a 2-node configuration.)
  • Your migration is in a setup state
  • You lost your non-migration node
  • During other cluster recovery, the PPME resource is (accidentally) deleted (by someone)
  • You try cleanup of the previously set-up session, but that fails. You experience:   
For example:     
C:\lab>powermig query -handle c66

Handle: c66
Source: harddisk5 (1.00 GB, thin)
Target: harddisk4 (1.00 GB, thin)
Technology: HostCopy
Migration state: needsRecovery(cleanup)
Throttle Value: 0
Note: In this example, we assume the above 'harddisk5' is 'Cluster Disk 2' in the group 'TEST_GROUP' of the cluster.
  • From here, you try recover, but get:     
For example:      
PPME error(82): The source device does not appear to have a dependent PPME resource instance
  • You try to re-create the PPME resource, but EMC PowerPath Migration Enabler Resource is unexpectedly missing from the context menu under Add Resources > More Resource in the Failover Cluster Manager GUI.


Issue

You cannot gracefully recover from this state without a valid PPME resource definition.
You cannot recreate the resource without a the correct resource type.


Resolution

To address this issue, you first must re-create the PPME definition from the command line.

Open Powershell.
  1. To add the resource type back, use 'add-clusterresourcetype':     
PS C:\Program Files> add-clusterresourcetype -name "PPME" -displayname "EMC PowerPath Migration Enabler Resource" -dll "c:\windows\cluster\ppme.dll" -cluster .

Name DisplayName
---- -----------
PPME EMC PowerPath Migration Enabler Resource
Note: The resource type name and dll location is always  the same. You can copy and paste the command from above.
 
Note: The resource type name must be 'PPME', otherwise the resource online() action in the GUI later fails.
  1. Assuming a group (application) 'TEST_GROUP', with a cluster disk resource 'Cluster Disk 2' in it (see note above), you now add the corresponding PPME resource to the group using 'add-clusterresource':    
PS C:\Program Files> add-clusterresource -group "TEST_GROUP" -name "PPME Cluster Disk 2" -type "PPME"

Name                State   OwnerGroup ResourceType
----                -----   ---------- ------------
PPME Cluster Disk 2 Offline NP_DB      PPME
Note: Your group name and your PPME resource name is different. You must compose the correct PPME resource name using the following instructions. You cannot copy and paste the above command.

The PPME resource name is not arbitrary, but follows a strict naming convention that is disk resource name-specific. The PPME resource must be named with a string consisting of uppercase "PPME", plus a space, plus the corresponding source disk resource name.

For example:      
#Pseudocode

cluster_disk_resource_name = "Cluster Disk 2"
ppme_resource_name = "PPME" + " " + cluster_disk_resource_name
If the cluster disk resource name is "Cluster Disk 2", then the resulting PPME resource name is (and must be) "PPME Cluster Disk 2".

If the cluster disk resource name is "CORE_MATERIAL_DB-WEST-INDEX_SPACE-12", then the resulting PPME resource name must be "PPME CORE_MATERIAL-WEST-INDEX_SPACE-12".
  1. Go back to the Failover cluster GUI to online the resource
  • Online, the PPME resource 'PPME Cluster Disk 2', and
  • Make 'Cluster Disk 2' dependent on resource 'PPME Cluster Disk 2'
Note: Again, this is an example to illustrate the solution path. You must make your cluster disk resource dependent on your recreated PPME resource.
  1. Return to the command line and attempt the recover again.
For example:      
C:\lab>powermig recover -handle c66

Recover migration for handle c66 ? [yes]/no:

C:\lab>powermig info -all

No migrations found.

This concludes the procedure.

Affected Products

Microsoft Windows Server 2016, Microsoft Windows Server 2019, Microsoft Windows 2012 Server R2
Article Properties
Article Number: 000185238
Article Type: How To
Last Modified: 26 Aug 2022
Version:  5
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