Backup of VM failed with error message: Unable to open VMDK file [xxx-vSAN-xxx] xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxx/xxx-xxx-xxxxx-000002.vmdk
Article ID: 438959
Updated On:
Products
Issue/Introduction
Backup of the VM failed with error message: Unable to open VMDK file [xxx-vSAN-xxx] xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxx/xxx-xxx-xxxxx-000002.vmdk. VMware reported the following error: You do not have access rights to this file. It can also be caused by network connection problems to ESX(i) server.
From vCenter there is no active snapshots of those virtual machine, there is no left over disks from snapshot.
Environment
VMware vCenter 8.x
VMware ESXi 8.x
Cause
The backup software had a stale cache or reference to a previously deleted snapshot disk. Because the software was trying to lock and back up a .vmdk file that no longer existed on the VMware datastore, it threw an access/lock error.
Resolution
WORKAROUND 1:
Take a manual snapshot and consolidate it to force an update.
WORKAROUND 2:
Move the affected VM to a different folder in the vCenter inventory, perform a backup, and then move it back to its original location.
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