Duplicate uuid.bios and vc.uuid reported in 3rd-party backup solution after restore virtual machine

Products

• VMware vCenter Server

Issue/Introduction

• Virtual machine is restored with 3rd-party backup solution in vCenter Server.
• Duplicate uuid.bios and vc.uuid found in the existing virtual machine on vCenter after a 3rd-party backup solution restore virtual machine.

Environment

VMware vCenter Server 7.x
VMware vCenter Server 8.x

Cause

The 3rd-party backup solution retains the original uuid.bios and vc.uuid instead of generating a new one during virtual machine restore.

Resolution

1. Unregister the restored virtual machine. To remove the virtual machine from the vCenter Server inventory, right-click the virtual machine and click Remove from Inventory. See Remove and Reregister VMs and VM Templates
2. Back up the VM's configuration file. SSH into the source ESXi host, navigate to the VM’s folder, and back up the .vmx file:
   
   cp VM.vmx VM.vmx.bak


3. Edit the virtual machine configuration file, see Tips for editing a .vmx file. Open the .vmx file in a text editor and delete any lines containing the following parameters:
   
   uuid.bios
vc.uuid
uuid.location
   
   
4. Register the virtual machine on a different ESXi Host and power it on, see Add or Register a Virtual Machine (VM) in vCenter Server
5. Power on the virtual machine. New uuid.bios and vc.uuid will be automatically generated.

Additional Information

Reset the vc.uuid of a VM monitored by Aria Operations
Changing or keeping a UUID for a moved virtual machine
Error: "The specified key, name, or identifier '#####' already exists" when attempting to cross vCenter vMotion VM's