"LVM Snapshot based auto-backup of vCenter Server will not be taken during vcenter patching", pre-check warning message during vCenter Server patching

Products

• VMware vCenter Server

Issue/Introduction

• vCenter Server patching shows pre-check Warning message as below:
  
  LVM Snapshot based auto-backup of vCenter Server will not be taken during vcenter patching.
  
  
  
  
• Appliance management log reports lvm_snapshot messages as below:
  
  /var/log/vmware/applmgmt/applmgmt.log

ERROR:vmware.appliance.monitoring.stats:Got exception while reading storage stats : 'StatId storage.util.filesystem.lvm_snapshot does not exist.'
vmware.appliance.monitoring.statsMonitor.NotFoundException: 'StatId storage.util.filesystem.lvm_snapshot does not exist.'

YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS AM/PM UTC [11674]INFO:vmware.appliance.update.update_pending:Got precheck result {'check_time': datetime.datetime(YYYY, MM, DD, HH, MM, SS, ###), 'estimated_time_to_install': ##, 'issues': {'errors': [], 'info': [], 'warnings': [{'id': 'com.vmware.appliance.noid', 'message': {'args': [], 'default_message': 'LVM Snapshot based auto-backup of vCenter Server will not be taken during vcenter patching.', 'id': 'vcsa.lvm.backup.precheck.error.text'}, 'resolution': {'args': [], 'default_message': 'Please ensure a valid LVM snapshot disk and altroot disk is present on vCenter Server and LVM snapshot disk has sufficient space available on it to take the backup.', 'id': 'vcsa.lvm.backup.precheck.error.resolution'}]}
  
  
• vCenter patching might also report the following error message:
  
  Error in method invocation Timeout happens while waiting for task to terminate
  
  

Environment

• vCenter Server 7.x
• vCenter Server 8.x

Cause

• This issue is caused when the lvm_snapshot mount point is missing on the vCenter Server.
• Absence of lvm_snapshot mount point can be verified using the df -h command as below:
  
  Filesystem                               1K-blocks     Used Available Use% Mounted on
devtmpfs                                      4096        0      4096   0% /dev
tmpfs                                     10232588     1396  10231192   1% /dev/shm
tmpfs                                      4093036     1620   4091416   1% /run
tmpfs                                         4096        0      4096   0% /sys/fs/cgroup
/dev/mapper/vg_root_0-lv_root_0           49222292 27906740  18782792  60% /
/dev/sda3                                   498900    37416    424788   9% /boot
/dev/sda2                                    10202     1978      8224  20% /boot/efi
tmpfs                                     10232588     4776  10227812   1% /tmp
/dev/mapper/vtsdblog_vg-vtsdblog           5066432    32804   4755512   1% /storage/vtsdblog
/dev/mapper/netdump_vg-netdump             1005120       24    936696   1% /storage/netdump
/dev/mapper/lifecycle_vg-lifecycle       102618040  4111676  93247512   5% /storage/lifecycle
/dev/mapper/log_vg-log                    10210580  4842892   4827428  51% /storage/log
/dev/mapper/vtsdb_vg-vtsdb                10210580    35684   9634636   1% /storage/vtsdb
/dev/mapper/archive_vg-archive            51282400 46151260   2493728  95% /storage/archive
/dev/mapper/dblog_vg-dblog                15367112    98340  14466368   1% /storage/dblog
/dev/mapper/imagebuilder_vg-imagebuilder  10210580       36   9670284   1% /storage/imagebuilder
/dev/mapper/db_vg-db                      10210580   637204   9033116   7% /storage/db
/dev/mapper/autodeploy_vg-autodeploy      10210580       40   9670280   1% /storage/autodeploy
/dev/mapper/seat_vg-seat                  10210580   447608   9222712   5% /storage/seat
/dev/mapper/core_vg-core                  25618660  1496820  22795148   7% /storage/core
/dev/mapper/updatemgr_vg-updatemgr       102618040  4739108  92620080   5% /storage/updatemgr
overlay                                   49222292 27906740  18782792  60% /storage/containers/vc-ws1a-broker/<ID>/rootfs

Resolution

The missing lvm_snapshot mount point needs to be re-created on vCenter Server.

 

If vCenter is NOT self managed:

Then use the script: non_self_managed_vc_LVM_cleanup.py attached to this KB. The script performs an LVM snapshot clean-up workflow (clears all the created snapshot volumes and re-creates the lvm_snapshot logical volume).

 

Take a vCenter file backup or a snapshot. Execute the scipt using:
$ python non_self_managed_vc_LVM_cleanup.py

 

Otherwise, contact Broadcom technical support for assistance.