Restored Virtual Machine disappears from the Virtual Machine Group in vCenter Server after Backup Solution Restore

Products

• VMware vCenter Server

Issue/Introduction

This issue occurs when a virtual machine restored using a third-party backup solution is missing from its dedicated Virtual Machine Group or folder within the vCenter Server inventory. The VM is functional and its files exist on the datastore, but it is not visible in its custom grouping in vCenter Server.

Environment

VMware vCenter Server

Cause

When a third-party backup solution restores a VM, the internal reference ID for the VM stored in the vCenter Server database might change. This prevents vCenter Server from correctly updating the VM's membership in custom groups or folders. As a result, the VM is present in the inventory but fails to appear in its custom Virtual Machine Group. This typically happens because the restore process does not trigger the necessary operation to re-add the VM to the group, or the group membership information is lost during the restore.

Resolution

Manually re-add the restored VM to the Virtual Machine Group.

Additional Information

Japanese version: バックアップソリューションリストア後にvCenterサーバの仮想マシングループからリストア済みVMが消える事象について (418906)