"API Error: unable to fetch cluster details from database" when enabling Data Protection in TMC Self-Managed

Products

• VMware vSphere Kubernetes Service

Issue/Introduction

When attempting to ENABLE DATA PROTECTION for a TKG workload cluster in Tanzu Mission Control (TMC) Self-Managed, the UI immediately displays: API Error: unable to fetch cluster details from database (resource not found)

Environment

TMC Self-Managed (all versions)
vSphere 8 Supervisor with TKG Workload clusters

Cause

The error occurs when the Data Protection service within the TMC control plane loses synchronization with the primary cluster metadata database.
This results in the backup service being unable to locate the specific cluster resource ID required to initiate the protection workflow.

Resolution

Perform a restart of the data protection deployment to force a reconciliation of the cluster metadata.

1. Log in to the cluster hosting the TMC Self-Managed control plane.
2. Identify the pods in the tmc-local namespace related to data protection and backup services.
3. Perform a rollout restart of the data-protection deployments:
   bash

   kubectl -n tmc-local rollout restart deployment data-protection-server

   (Note: The exact deployment name may vary slightly by version; ensure all pods in the data-protection stack are restarted.)
4. Wait for the pods to reach a Running and Ready state.
5. Retry the ENABLE DATA PROTECTION action from the TMC UI.

 

Additional Information

TMC Self-Managed UI Loads Blank Clusters Disconnected After Restart