Error "Failed to sync data on replica devices. A storage operation requested on unknown storage device '<Device ID>'".

Products

• VMware Site Recovery Manager
• VMware Live Recovery

Issue/Introduction

• A failover activity using VMware Live Recovery (formerly VMware Site Recovery Manager) fails
• Error can be seen in vmware-dr.log:

2025-10-28T04:11:03.245Z error vmware-dr[23265] [SRM@6876 sub=Recovery ctxID=b12d7dd2 opID=########-####-####-####-############-####] [########-####-####-####-############-####.presyncStorage] Operation presync (online) did not succeed for all groups and protected vms
2025-10-28T04:11:03.247Z info vmware-dr[01196] [SRM@6876 sub=DrTask.MirroredTaskQueue opID=########-####-####-####-############-####] Task 'Task-34750243' has completed, tasks in queue 'TaskQueue-34750230': 0
2025-10-28T04:11:03.248Z error vmware-dr[06545] [SRM@6876 sub=Recovery ctxID=########-####-####-####-############-####] [failoverMain] Pre-sync reported failure: (dr.storageProvider.fault.StorageSyncFailed) {
-->    faultCause = (dr.storage.fault.UnknownDevice) {
-->       faultCause = (vmodl.MethodFault) null,
-->       faultMessage = <unset>,
-->       id = "<Device ID>"
-->       msg = ""
-->    },
-->    faultMessage = <unset>
-->    msg = ""
--> }

2025-10-28T04:11:03.225Z verbose vmware-dr[06548] [SRM@6876 sub=Storage opID=########-####-####-####-############-####] Sync: Sync requested:
--> Devices: ["<Device ID>"]
--> Groups: []
2025-10-28T04:11:03.225Z error vmware-dr[06548] [SRM@6876 sub=Storage opID=########-####-####-####-############-####] Couldn't find device '<Device ID>' in array pair. Failing Sync.
2025-10-28T04:11:03.225Z error vmware-dr[01319] [SRM@6876 sub=AbrRecoveryEngine opID=########-####-####-####-############-####] SyncFailed: Failed to sync data for group 'vm-protection-group-########' array pair 'array-pair-########':
--> (dr.storageProvider.fault.StorageSyncFailed) {
-->    faultCause = (dr.storage.fault.UnknownDevice) {
-->       faultCause = (vmodl.MethodFault) null,
-->       faultMessage = <unset>,
-->       id = "<Device ID>"
-->       msg = ""
-->    },
-->    faultMessage = <unset>
-->    msg = ""
--> }

Environment

8.x, 9.x

Cause

The issue is because the device <Device ID> is not available in the array pair as per the SRM logs. 

 

Resolution

• Removing and re-adding the array pair can address the issue. 
• Engage the storage vendor and determine why the device is not available in the array pair.
  
  
  

Note : SRM does not have control over managing the array pairs.