Manual Power-on of SRM Placeholder VM fails with "Incompatible version -1 (expect 2). Module NamespaceMgr power on failed"

Products

• VMware Live Recovery

Issue/Introduction

Symptoms

• Manual power-on operations of a Placeholder Virtual Machine at the recovery site fail.

• You may encounter this while using Array-Based replication with VMware Live Site Recovery.

• The vSphere Client displays the following error:

  "Incompatible version -1 (expect 2). Failed to start the virtual machine. Module NamespaceMgr power on failed."

• Review of the ESXi hostd.log reveals entries similar to: Power On message: Incompatible version -1 (expect 2). Could not retrieve offline Bootstrap state: vim.fault.GenericVmConfigFault

• The SRM/VLSR Recovery Plan Test completes successfully, but the placeholder remains unbootable if handled outside the SRM workflow.

For Example, you may see the VM final power on state set to false under the Recovery plan

Environment

VMware Live Site Recovery Manager 9.x

Cause

This behavior is by design. The error occurs because the user is attempting to manually power on an SRM Placeholder VM outside of an SRM-orchestrated Recovery Plan or Test.

An SRM Placeholder VM is not a functional virtual machine; it is a "shell" containing only metadata files (.vmx, .vmsd). It lacks Virtual Disk files (.vmdk) and a valid storage namespace until a Recovery Plan is executed. The NamespaceMgr error triggers because the ESXi host cannot initialize a VM namespace for an object that has no attached storage volumes or OS disks.

During a legitimate SRM Test or Recovery:

1. SRM coordinates with the storage layer (SRA or VR) to present a writable snapshot of the replicated LUN.

2. SRM "swaps" the placeholder for a functional VM by attaching the newly presented disks to the configuration.

3. SRM automates the power-on sequence.

If a user initiates a manual power-on, the "swap" never occurs, and the host attempts to boot a VM that has no disks, leading to the version mismatch error.

Resolution

To resolve this issue and successfully see the VM powered on at the recovery site, the power-on must be managed by the SRM Recovery Plan settings.

1. Configure Recovery Plan Power-On Settings

If the requirement is for the VM to be powered on during a DR Test:

1. In the SRM/VLR interface, navigate to Recovery Plans.

2. Select your plan and go to the Virtual Machines tab.

3. Right-click the affected VM and select Recovery Settings.

4. Under the Pre-Power On / Post-Power On steps, ensure the "Final Power On State" is set to Power On.

2. Execute the Test/Recovery

1. Run the Test Recovery Plan workflow.

2. SRM will automate the mounting of storage and the transition from a placeholder to a functional VM.

3. Verify the VM is powered on automatically as part of the task.

3. Cleanup

Once testing is complete, run the Cleanup workflow. SRM will gracefully power off the recovered VM, unmount the test storage, and restore the Placeholder shell to its original state.

Additional Information

About Placeholder Virtual Machines