Storage vMotion migration fails with the error: The method is disabled by 'SYMC-INCR dd-mm-yyyy hh:mm'

Products

• VMware vCenter Server

Issue/Introduction

• When attempting to perform a Storage vMotion migration, restore a VM from a 3rd-party backup solution, or manage virtual machine inventory in vSphere Client, the operation fails with one of the following error messages:

  • The method is disabled by '_DP-VEPA_BACKUP_RESTORE_LOCK_'

  • The method is disabled by 'SYMC-INCR dd-mm-yyyy hh:mm'

  • The method is disabled by 'Data Recovery'

  • The method is disabled by 'vSphere Data Protection'

  • This method is disabled by 'moref=vm-ID'

  • The method is disabled by 'Zerto Source'

  • Error: fault.MethodDisabled.summary

  • Invalid / explicitly disabled state operation is invoked

  Symptoms:

  • Storage vMotion option is grayed out or unavailable.

  • Virtual machine cannot be moved between folders or datastores.

  • The Remove from Inventory option is disabled.


Environment

vCenter Server 7.x
vCenter Server 8.x
vCenter Server 9.x

Cause

When a virtual machine-level backup task begins, the backup software calls vCenter Server APIs to temporarily disable Storage vMotion and migration operations for that VM to maintain snapshot and data consistency.

This issue occurs when entries in the VPX_DISABLED_METHODS database table are not properly cleared after the backup task completes or fails, leaving a stale lock on the virtual machine object.

Resolution

Work with your 3rd-party backup software vendor to resolve underlying code handling of enableMethods / disableMethods API calls. Do not proceed with manual database modifications until the backup vendor confirms they cannot offer a software-level fix.

WARNING: The workaround below modifies the vCenter Server database. Take offline snapshots of all vCenter Server Appliance (VCSA) instances in the environment before proceeding. If running Enhanced Linked Mode (ELM), turn off all VCSA nodes prior to taking snapshots.

Workaround

Option 1: Schedule Another Backup (Non-Invasive)

Rerun or schedule a new backup task for the affected virtual machine. When the backup job completes successfully, the backup vendor API normally clears the stale entry from the database.

Option 2: Database Cleanup (vPostgres)

If re-running the backup does not clear the lock, manually remove the stale entries from the vCenter Server vPostgres database:

1. Connect to the vCenter Server Appliance via SSH as the root user.

2. Stop the vCenter Server management service:

   service-control --stop vmware-vpxd
   

3. Connect to the internal vPostgres database:

   /opt/vmware/vpostgres/current/bin/psql -d VCDB -U postgres
   

4. Query the database to find the VM's Managed Object ID (ID). Replace Virtual-Machine-Name with the VM's name:

   SELECT id, dns_name, file_name FROM VPX_VM WHERE FILE_NAME LIKE '%Virtual-Machine-Name%';
   

   Note the returned ID number (e.g., 481). The entity reference format will be vm-481.

5. Verify the existence of stale entries in VPX_DISABLED_METHODS:

   SELECT * FROM VPX_DISABLED_METHODS WHERE ENTITY_MO_ID_VAL = 'vm-<ID_NUMBER>';
   

6. Delete the stale entry:

   DELETE FROM VPX_DISABLED_METHODS WHERE ENTITY_MO_ID_VAL = 'vm-<ID_NUMBER>';
   

7. Exit the psql interface (\q) and restart the vCenter Server management service:

   service-control --start vmware-vpxd
   

8. Retry the failed Storage vMotion or migration task in the vSphere Client.
   
   
   

If the issue persists after running these steps or if you encounter difficulties performing the database modification:

• Open a support ticket directly with Broadcom Support through the Broadcom Support Portal.

• Attach the vc-support log bundle along with the output of the database queries executed above to expedite investigation.

Additional Information

• When Storage DRS is enabled for a datastore cluster, it might be disabled on some virtual disks in the datastore cluster. This may result in the errors similar to those under symptoms section.

Enabling a virtual NIC for a virtual machine in a vDS portgroup after a storage migration fails: "Invalid configuration for device '0'" error when re-connecting VM's network adapter.