Error: "Invalid policy specified for virtual disk" When Cloning VMs with Custom vVol Storage Policies on PowerStore
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Error: "Invalid policy specified for virtual disk" When Cloning VMs with Custom vVol Storage Policies on PowerStore

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Article ID: 396304

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Updated On:

Products

VMware vCenter Server

Issue/Introduction

When attempting to clone virtual machines with custom vVol storage policies containing replication configurations, the operation fails with the error: "An error occurred while saving the snapshot: Invalid policy specified for virtual disk."

This error occurs during the snapshot creation phase of the cloning process. Manual snapshots with the same policy work correctly, but the automatic snapshot created during the cloning operation fails.

If the VVOL Storage policy where replication is disabled, cloning works fine.

Environment

  • VMware vCenter Server
  • VMware ESXi
  • Dell PowerStore storage with vVols
  • VASA provider version 4.0
  • Custom vVol storage policy with replication settings

Cause

In order to clone a VM the vSphere needs to take a temporary snapshot of the VM, clone the new VM from this temporary snapshot and then deletes the snapshot.

In case of the vVols the snapshot of the virtual disk of a VM is offloaded onto the array. Snapshot of a disk involves two phases prepare and snapshot.

In the first phase which is the "prepare" phase, the vSphere informs the array about the impending snapshot, the array can take necessary steps and prepare of the actual snapshot.

The "prepareToSnapshot" is the VASA API which vSphere invokes on the arrray/VP for this purpose. 

From the vmware.log of the VM TestVM

2025-04-02T02:06:06.714Z In(05) vmx - SnapshotVMX_TakeSnapshot start: 'clone-temp-3441962486', deviceState=0, lazy=0, quiesced=1, forceNative=0, tryNative=1, saveAllocMaps=0
2025-04-02T02:06:06.714Z In(05) vmx - 2103076:VVOLLIB : VVolLib_IsVectoredSnapSupported:14277: VVolLib_IsVectoredSnapSupported: vvolVectoredSnapEnabled: 1 
2025-04-02T02:06:06.714Z In(05)+ vmx - 
2025-04-02T02:06:06.714Z In(05) vmx - VVolObjNotifySnapshotPrepare: Changing state to VEC_SNAP_PREPARE_IN_PROG.
2025-04-02T02:06:06.714Z In(05) vmx - OBJLIB-VVOLOBJ :VVolObjNotifySnapshotPrepare: Building in-mem cache
2025-04-02T02:06:06.742Z Er(02) vmx - 2103076:VVOLLIB : VVolLibExecuteVasaTask:3708:  Task of type 0x5ca1ab1f queued (retval: The VVol task will complete asynchronously)
2025-04-02T02:06:06.742Z Er(02) vmx - DISKLIB-LIB_CREATE   : DiskLib_NotifySnapshotPrepare: FiltLib failed to notify snapshot prepare: Operation completes asynchronously
2025-04-02T02:06:06.752Z In(05) vmx - DISKLIB-CBT   :ChangeTrackerESX_CreateMirror: Created mirror node /vmfs/devices/svm/####-####-cbtmirror.
2025-04-02T02:06:06.771Z In(05) worker-2103088 - 2103088:VVOLLIB : VVolLib_IpcStorageFaultToVVolLibError:765: Storage Fault INVALID_PROFILE (21): InvalidProfile / 
2025-04-02T02:06:06.771Z Er(02) worker-2103088 - 2103088:VVOLLIB : VVolLibExecuteVasaTaskCB:3588: Request of type 0x5ca1ab1f failed: failed with error (24) The VVol storage profile is invalid
2025-04-02T02:06:06.852Z In(05) vmx - OBJLIB-VVOLOBJ : VVolObjPrepareSnapshotCB: Could not snapshot the object 'naa.#################'.
2025-04-02T02:06:06.852Z In(05) vmx - DISKLIB-VMFS  : VmfsExtentCommonPrepareSnapCB: Failed prepare snapshot phase bf= 
2025-04-02T02:06:06.852Z Er(02) vmx - DISKLIB-LINK  : DiskLinkPrepareNativeSnapCBInt: Failed to prepare native snapshot of '/vmfs/volumes/vvol:########/naa.##########/TestVM.vmdk': Invalid policy specified for virtual disk
2025-04-02T02:06:06.857Z In(05) vmx - SNAPSHOT: SnapshotPrepareTakeDoneCB: Failed to prepare disk /vmfs/volumes/vvol:########/naa.########/TestVM-000001.vmdk.> 2025-04-02T02:06:06.857Z In(05) vmx - SNAPSHOT: SnapshotPrepareTakeDoneCB: Prepare phase complete (Invalid policy specified for virtual disk).
2025-04-02T02:06:06.857Z In(05) vmx - SnapshotVMXPrepareTakeDoneCB: Prepare phase failed: Invalid policy specified for virtual disk (5).
2025-04-02T02:06:06.857Z In(05) vmx - SnapshotVMXTakeSnapshotComplete: Done with snapshot 'clone-temp-3441962486': 0
2025-04-02T02:06:06.857Z In(05) vmx - DISKLIB-CBT   : ChangeTrackerESX_DestroyMirror: Destroyed mirror node ####-####-cbtmirror. SrcFd: /vmfs/volumes/vvol:############/naa.############/TestVM-ctk.vmdk, DestFd: /vmfs/volumes/vvol:########/naa.########/TestVM-ctk-mirror.vmdk.
2025-04-02T02:06:06.864Z In(05) vmx - SnapshotVMXTakeSnapshotComplete: Snapshot 0 failed: Invalid policy specified for virtual disk (5).

The logs show a critical error from the PowerStore VASA provider during the "prepareToSnapshotVirtualVolume" operation

From the /var/run/log/vvold.log 

2025-06-02T15:40:16.612Z In(166) VVold[2101499]: [Originator@6876 sub=Default IpcCtx=2105050-3] Came to SI::PrepareToSnapshotVirtualVolume: container #########-####### srcVVol naa.########### snapType SnapshotReadWrite dstProfile (NULL)
2025-06-02T15:40:16.612Z In(166) VVold[2101499]: [Originator@6876 sub=Default IpcCtx=2105050-3] VasaOp::PrepareToSnapshotVirtualVolume [#342991]: ===> Issuing 'prepareToSnapshotVirtualVolume' to VP [PowerStore VASA provider - san:Connected (Outstanding 0/24)]
2025-06-02T15:40:16.709Z Er(163) VVold[2101499]: [Originator@6876 sub=Default IpcCtx=2105050-3] VasaOp::IsSuccessful [#342991]: prepareToSnapshotVirtualVolume transient failure: 21 (INVALID_PROFILE / InvalidProfile / )
2025-06-02T15:40:16.709Z Wa(164) VVold[2101499]: [Originator@6876 sub=Default IpcCtx=2105050-3] VasaOp[#342991] ===> Transient failure prepareToSnapshotVirtualVolume VP (PowerStore VASA provider - san01-ernie) retry=false, batchOp=false container=####-####-####-##### timeElapsed=96 msecs (#outstanding 0)
2025-06-02T15:40:16.709Z Er(163) VVold[2101499]: [Originator@6876 sub=Default IpcCtx=2105050-3] VasaOp[#342991] ===> FINAL FAILURE prepareToSnapshotVirtualVolume, error (INVALID_PROFILE / InvalidProfile / ) VP (PowerStore VASA provider - san) Container (#####-####-###-########) timeElapsed=96 msecs (#outstanding 0)
2025-06-02T15:40:16.709Z Er(163) VVold[2101499]: [Originator@6876 sub=IpcSvc IpcCtx=2105050-3] HandleRequest: Error handling function PrepareToSnapshotVirtualVolume: InvalidProfile /

The VASA provider has a limitation where it cannot properly handle snapshot requests during clone operations for VMs with replication-enabled storage policies.

Resolution

To clone powered-on VMs, vSphere needs to take a quiesced snapshot, which is failing due to the array's limitations and checks.

The PowerStore array does not support snapshot replication, which appears to be the reason for the snapshot failure.

This aligns with the fact that when the policy where replication is disabled is applied, the clone succeeds.

Please engage with Dell PowerStore support. 

We can use one of the following workarounds to clone the VM:

  1. Power off the VM before cloning

    • This method bypasses the need for snapshot creation during the clone process
    • No storage policy changes needed
    • Most reliable workaround

  2. Temporarily modify the storage policy

    • Disable the replication component from the storage policy before cloning
    • Perform the cloning operation
    • Restore the original policy with replication after cloning complete

 

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