Error: Failed to create vCenter snapshot associated with volume collection - HPE Alletra

Products

• VMware vCenter Server

Issue/Introduction

Scheduled snapshot tasks initiated from an HPE Alletra storage array fail.  The error indicates that the storage system is unable to resolve the vCenter server name or IP address.

Symptoms:

• HPE Alletra volume collection snapshots fail at scheduled intervals (e.g., 02:00 or 18:00).
• The following error message is reported by the storage array: Failed to create vCenter snapshot associated with volume collection #### schedule #### because the system was unable to look up the vCenter server ####. Verify the vCenter server name or IP address.

Environment

• VMware vCenter Server 7.x / 8.x
• HPE Alletra 6000 Series Storage

Cause

The failure occurs because the third-party storage array management plane cannot resolve the hostname or establish a network connection to the vCenter Server IP.  This is typically due to DNS misconfiguration or network routing issues between the storage array and vCenter.

Resolution

Verify the vSphere environment networking and connectivity to rule out vCenter-side issues:

1. Confirm that the vCenter Server IP address and FQDN have valid Forward and Reverse (PTR) DNS records.
2. Log in to the vCenter Server Appliance (VCSA) via SSH using root credentials.
3. Execute the following command to verify name resolution from the vCenter side: nslookup <vCenter-FQDN>
4. Verify that port 443 (HTTPS) is open and not blocked by firewalls between the HPE Alletra management IP and the vCenter server.
5. Check the vCenter vpxd.log at the time of the failure to see if the API request from the storage array reached vCenter.
6. If the vCenter environment is confirmed to be reachable and DNS is healthy, engage HPE Support to troubleshoot the Alletra array job configuration.

Note: For instructions on how to retrieve vCenter logs, refer to the product documentation.

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