Missing writer XML files for quiesced snapshots when using dynamic disks at the OS level

Products

• VMware vCenter Server

Issue/Introduction

• When taking quiesced snapshots of VMs that use dynamic disks at the OS level, the metadata.zip file only contains the backup.xml and does not include the writer XML files.
• Some VM backups may fail due to the missing writer XML files in the metadata.zip.
  
  

 

Environment

vSphere ESXi 6.x
vSphere ESXi 7.x
vSphere ESXi 8.x

Resolution

This is expected behavior. When dynamic disks are used, the quiesced snapshot process might not capture the full state of the system, or certain components like writer XML files may be missing from the metadata.zip file, which can lead to backup failures or inconsistencies.

Additional Information

Note: If you take a snapshot of a Dynamic Disk (a Microsoft-specific disk type), the snapshot technology preserves the quiesce state of the file system, but does not preserve the quiesce state of the application.

Take Snapshots of a Virtual Machine