HCX backup fails with the error "Error occurred while running backup. Running low on disk space. Backup cannot be performed."

Products

• VMware HCX

Issue/Introduction

• HCX Backup fails with the error "Error occurred while running backup. Running low on disk space. Backup cannot be performed." while performing the Backups from HCX appliance management page.
  
  
  
  
• The following error is observed in /common/logs/appliance-management/appliance-management.log:
  TimeStamp [Timer-0, , ] ERROR c.v.v.s.b.facade.impl.BackupJob- Unable to backup. Error occurred while running backup. Running low on disk space. Backup cannot be performed.
• This occurs despite backups being configured to an external destination and the actual backup file size being relatively small.
• The common partition on the appliance shows high disk utilization, often exceeding 55-60%, primarily due to the internal PostgreSQL database.

Environment

VMware HCX

Cause

The appliance's internal backup mechanism performs a local disk space pre-check before initiating the backup process. This check evaluates the available space on the /common partition where system components, including the internal database, reside. If the /common partition's utilization exceeds a certain threshold (observed to be around 55-60% or higher), the backup process is aborted with the "Running low on disk space" error.
The high utilization of the /common partition is often due to the growth of internal PostgreSQL database tables (e.g., large job history tables or similar operational data), which can consume significant space. 

Resolution

This issue is resolved in VMware HCX 4.11.3, available at Broadcom downloads.

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