Known Issues and Limitations: IBM Spectrum Protect Plus V10.1.0.x

Content

This document is divided into linked sections for ease of navigation. Use the following links to jump to the section of the document that you require:

• IBM Spectrum Protect Plus common
• Hypervisor VMware related
• Hypervisor Hyper-V related
• Limitations solved with V10.1.0_patch1

IBM Spectrum Protect Plus common

Virtual machines deleted from a Hyper-V or VMware server continue to be displayed as backup sources (internal reference #ECC-11836)
Problem: If a virtual machine is deleted from a Hyper-V or VMware server after an Inventory job completes, the VM continues to be displayed as a backup source in IBM Spectrum Protect Plus after the Inventory job runs again. This scenario occurs if the Inventory job of one or multiple servers that are part of the job does not complete successfully, which in turn does not trigger a cleanup job.
Workaround: None.
Limitation: Since V10.1.0.
 

Backups fail when selecting sources at the datastore cluster level (internal reference #ECC-12266)
Problem: When creating a backup job definition, the IBM Spectrum Protect Plus interface supports selecting sources to back up at the datastore cluster level; however, the backups will fail when selected at this level. The following error displays:
"Failed to find virtual machine under path: <path>. There are no virtual machines to backup."
Workaround: The workaround is to select datastores under the cluster level.
Limitation: Since V10.1.0.
 

Backups fail when a vSnap certificate is changed (internal reference #ECC-12208)
Problem: When a vSnap certificate is changed, such as when a user imports a certificate, backups will fail with the following error:
"Failed to get Live Storage reason : server certificate change is restricted during renegotiation."
Workaround: The IBM Spectrum Protect Plus service must be restarted from the Administrative Console to allow backups to complete again.
Limitation: Since V10.1.0.
 

File restores might fail if another operation is occurring on the same virtual machine during the time of the attempted file restore (internal reference #SPPL3-113)
Problem: File restores might fail if another operation, such as a scheduled backup, is occurring on the same virtual machine during the time of the attempted file restore. A similar issue might occur if you are attempting to run multiple file restore jobs simultaneously.
Workaround: Ensure that no other operations are occurring on a virtual machine while restoring a file from the same virtual machine.
Limitation: Since V10.1.0.
 

Backup jobs can save only virtual machines selected within a single page (internal reference #ECC-10924)
Problem: Backup jobs can save only virtual machines selected on a single page. The virtual machines selected on further pages are not saved.
Workaround: None.
Limitation: Since V10.1.0.
 

vSnap servers remain on the Backup Storage page after deletion (internal reference #ECC-12307)
Problem: After deleting a primary or secondary vSnap server through the Backup Storage page, the server remains in the list of available servers.
Workaround: Navigate to a different page in the user interface, then return to the Backup Storage page. The deleted vSnap server is removed from the list.
Limitation: Since V10.1.0.
 

The Maintenance job cannot be rescheduled (internal reference #ECC-11937)
Problem: The Maintenance job, which removes resources and associated objects created by IBM Spectrum Protect Plus when a job in a pending state is deleted, cannot be rescheduled.
Workaround: Ensure that scheduled jobs do not run at the same time as the Maintenance job.
Limitation: Since V10.1.0.
 

Ability to edit Backup Storage is disabled if IBM Spectrum Protect Plus fails to authenticate with vSnap server (internal reference #ECC-12118)
Problem: If IBM Spectrum Protect Plus fails to authenticate with a vSnap server (that is. if the vSnap user's password is changed, access is revoked, or if the associated user with access to the vSnap server is deleted) the server will appear in the Backup Storage list with its status listed as "Not Connected". However, the ability to edit the Backup Storage registration will be disabled.
Workaround: In the case of a user being deleted or having their access revoked, edit the Backup Storage registration in IBM Spectrum Protect Plus and specify the new credentials before deleting the original user or revoking access.
Limitation: Since V10.1.0.
 

Jobs cannot be saved when scheduling a report with a frequency less than 5 minutes when using Microsoft Edge (internal reference #ECC-12221)
Problem: By default, a warning message displays in IBM Spectrum Protect Plus when attempting to schedule a report with a frequency that is less than 5 minutes. However, when defining a report schedule with a frequency that is less than 5 minutes with Microsoft Edge, the warning message does not display, and the job cannot be saved.
Workaround: Select frequencies that are 5 minutes or higher, or use a different supported browser when creating schedules.
Limitation: Since V10.1.0.
 

First entries in lists automatically display in menus when using Microsoft Edge (internal reference #ECC-12203)
Problem: When selecting options from drop-down menus in IBM Spectrum Protect Plus, the first entry in a list automatically displays in the menu when using the Microsoft Edge browser; however, the item is not selected. In addition, if there is one entry in a drop-down menu, the item cannot be selected when using the Microsoft Edge browser.
Limitation: Since V10.1.0.
 

Certificates in the .p12 format cannot be imported through the Administrative Console (internal reference #ECC-12119)
Problem: The Administrative Console supports importing external public key certificates, which allows the appliance to make outbound connections to resources, such as secured LDAP and secured HTTPS servers. The certificate import feature supports .cer and .crt certificate types. Note that .p12 certificates can only be imported into the IBM Spectrum Protect Plus keystore.
Workaround: To import the .p12 certificates into the keystore, perform the following procedure:
Login as root user on the IBM Spectrum Protect Plus appliance and at the command line execute the following command:
“/usr/java/latest/bin/keytool -importkeystore -deststorepass ecx-beta -destkeystore /opt/virgo/configuration/keystore -srckeystore cs.p12 -srcstoretype PKCS12"
Then reboot the appliance.
Limitation: Since V10.1.0.
 

Backup and offload of a virtual machine template fails (internal reference #ECC-12337)
Problem: A backup of a virtual machine template fails with the following error:
“Full VM backup of VMware Virtual Machine ‘<template_name>’ failed with RC=4379”
Workaround: To enable backup and offloading of virtual machine templates, you must specify VMENABLETEMPLATEBACKUPS in the data mover option file. Note that a backup of a template can only be performed as a Full backup. For more information about configuring your environment for backing up virtual machine templates, see https://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/en/SSEQVQ_8.1.2/client/r_opt_vmenabletemplatebkup.html.
Limitation: Since V10.1.0.
 

A file restore in a Linux environment might use the wrong source if guest network settings were not configured correctly (internal reference #SPPL3-285)
Problem: When backing up a Linux virtual machine with the file indexing option enabled, if the guest operating system has a fully qualified domain name, it must be resolvable from the guest. If the resolution fails, the file index might be associated with the wrong source virtual machine. Subsequent file restores may lead to files being restored (or attempted to be restored) from the wrong backup.
Workaround: If the Linux virtual machine being backed up has a fully qualified domain name, run the commands "hostname" and "hostname --fqdn" inside the guest OS and verify that both commands return valid output. If there are resolution errors, update the Linux network settings either by specifying the correct DNS information or by adding appropriate entries in the /etc/hosts file. Note that each virtual machine must have a unique host name.
Limitation: Since V10.1.0.
 

Offloading to IBM Spectrum Protect fails if FlashCopy Manager is installed on the data mover machine (internal reference #SPPL3-297)
Problem: When performing an offload job from IBM Spectrum Protect Plus to IBM Spectrum Protect, the job fails if Flash Copy Manager is installed on the associated data mover machine.
Workaround: Uninstall the Flash Copy Manager component from the data mover machine.
Limitation: Since V10.1.0.
 

IBM Spectrum Protect Plus system log sizes grows in some situations. (internal reference #SPPSUP-374)
Problem:  ** IBM Spectrum Protect Plus does not offer a mechanism to limit log sizes to a specific size. If the system log file is too large the file system could be filled and the download of this log file is difficult. Logs that contribute to large deviations are however regularly reviewed for its usefulness to troubleshooting.
Workaround: Make sure that logs are reviewed and removed regularly.
Limitation: Since V10.1.0. Permanent restriction.
 

In IBM Spectrum Protect Plus, permission groups specify the ability to edit a certificate, but no edit button is displayed on the Keys and Certificates screen. (internal reference #SPP-8611)
Problem:  Certain pre-defined roles have assigned permission groups that allow for creating, viewing, editing, or removing certain features of IBM Spectrum Protect Plus.  In particular, the Application Admin, Backup Only, Restore Only and SYSADMIN groups have the Edit ability for Certificates.  However, if a user that is assigned to one of these groups views certifications on the Keys and Certificates screen, there is no Edit button.  Currently, there is no way to edit a certificate from the Keys and Certificates screen.
Workaround:  None.
Limitation: Since V10.1.0. Permanent restriction.
 

The IBM Spectrum Protect Plus appliance time zone must be set through a command line interface (internal reference #ECC-12434),
Problem: The IBM Spectrum Protect Plus appliance time zone cannot be set through the user interface or Administrative Console. An incorrect time zone might impact job scheduling. Set the time zone through the appliance’s command line interface.
Workaround: To set the time zone, log in to the appliance as root and enter the following command: "ls -l /etc/localtime".
Make a backup of the existing localtime file by entering the following command: "sudo mv /etc/localtime /etc/localtime.bak".
Create a link (here, America/Chicago is used as an example) through the following command: "sudo ln -s /usr/share/zoneinfo/America/Chicago /etc/localtime".
Execute "ls -l /etc/localtime" to see the time zone change.
Restart Virgo through the following command: "service virgo restart".
Limitation: Since V10.1.0_patch1.
 

Hypervisor VMware related

For VMware backups, HotAdd Transport mode is not supported (internal reference #ECC-11021)
Problem: The VMware HotAdd Transport feature is not supported in IBM Spectrum Protect Plus operations.
Workaround:  None.
Limitation: Since V10.1.0.
 

Hypervisor Hyper-V related

A Hyper-V Linux VM fails file indexing (internal reference #ECC-11708)
Problem: A Hyper-V Linux VM fails file indexing with the following error:
"Could not establish an SSH session with server on host(null) at port(22). Error (host must not be null)"
Workaround: A guest should use a specific kernel for Ubuntu Linux. For more information, see https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/virtualization/hyper-v/Supported-Ubuntu-virtual-machines-on-Hyper-V?f=255&MSPPError=-2147217396.
Limitation: Since V10.1.0.
 

A Hyper-V restore running in Production mode fails if the original source is not overwritten (internal reference #ECC-12235)
Problem: In a Hyper-V environment, if an attempted restore running in Production mode fails to overwrite the original source, the restore will fail with a HypervisorVMDeleteException error.
Workaround: You must manually delete the source VM through Hyper-V Manager, then manually resume the restore job in IBM Spectrum Protect Plus.
Limitation: Since V10.1.0.
 

Backup target LUNs on vSnap storage do not automatically expand for Hyper-V backups (internal reference #ECC-11356)
Problem: For Hyper-V backups, if the source datastore is expanded, the backup target LUN on vSnap storage does not automatically expand.
Limitation: Since V10.1.0.
 

A Hyper-V restore using the Production restore type does not preserve the path of the original volume (internal reference #SPPL3-190)
Problem: When restoring a Hyper-V virtual machine to the original host using the Production restore type, the directory path is not preserved on the original volume.
Limitation: Since V10.1.0_patch1.
 

Limitations solved with V10.1.0_patch1

If the automount parameter is not enabled on Hyper-V hosts, backups might fail (internal reference #SPPL3-207)
Problem: If the automount parameter is not enabled on a Hyper-V host, backups might fail with the following errors:
Unprotected vm: XXXXX [Destination volume creation failed for soure volume C]
Unprotected vm: YYYYY [Failed to format volume. Disk: 39, partition: 2]
Workaround: For releases prior to the IBM Spectrum Protect Plus 10.1.0_patch1, you must enable the DiskPart automount parameter on Hyper-V hosts. For more information about enabling the automount parameter, see https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc753703(v=ws.11).aspx.
Limitation: Since V10.1.0. Solved with V10.1.0_patch1.
 

SQL log truncation might fail for Windows virtual machines running on a Hyper-V server (internal reference #SPPL3-238)
Problem: Log truncation might fail for a backup job which has the SQL log truncation option selected. This impacts Windows Virtual Machines on Hyper-V. The backup task completes successfully, but when SQL log truncation is attempted, the log returns the following message:
"Truncating application logs of vm <vm_name>”.
The job then ends abruptly with a "failed" status. The message "Successfully truncated logs for <vm_name>” does not appear.
Workaround:
For releases prior to the IBM Spectrum Protect Plus 10.1.0_patch1, this issue does not affect the recoverability of the VM, only the truncation of SQL logs. As a result, the logs keep growing, and out-of-space issues might ensue. Therefore, if you encounter this issue, the workaround is to perform a SQL log truncation independently. For more information see https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms189085(v=sql.105).aspx.
Limitation: Since V10.1.0. Solved with V10.1.0_patch1.
 

A VM protection job with file-level indexing completes with the following message: “Cataloging task for search in 0 seconds. Files Indexed : 0 , Files Skipped : 0” (internal reference #SPPL3-224)
Problem: A Windows VM protection job with file-level indexing completes with the following message:
“Cataloging task for search in 0 seconds. Files Indexed : 0 , Files Skipped : 0”.
But the job log indicates that files were found via file discovery. Consequently, the files for this virtual machine are not available for search and recovery. This issue does not impact Linux virtual machines.
Limitation: Since V10.1.0. Solved with V10.1.0_patch1.
 

A file restore in a Linux environment fails if the file name or path to the file contains spaces (internal reference #SPPL3-264)
Problem: When performing a file restore in a Linux environment, the file restore fails if the file name or path to the file contain spaces.
Workaround: For releases prior to the IBM Spectrum Protect Plus 10.1.0_patch1, a file can be restored from a higher-level directory that does not contain spaces. For example, restoring a file from the “path” directory in the following example would be successful: /path/a path/file name.txt. Note that the file must be restored to an alternate location in this instance, then copied to the desired location. Alternatively, remove spaces from the file name or path to the file, back up the associated virtual machine, then run the file restore again.
Limitation: Since V10.1.0. Solved with V10.1.0_patch1.
 

Attempts to access the Administrative Console on port 8090 fail (internal reference #SPPL3-263/252)
Problem: A user is unable to access the IBM Spectrum Protect Plus Administrative Console through port 8090 after installation.
Workaround: For releases prior to the IBM Spectrum Protect Plus 10.1.0_patch1, the workaround is to first log in to the IBM Spectrum Protect appliance as a root user and execute the following command: systemctl start adminconsole.
Once complete, reboot the appliance.
Limitation: Since V10.1.0. Solved with V10.1.0_patch1.
 

Virtual machines support only one offload job type at a time (internal reference #ECC-12346)
Problem: A virtual machine can support only one type of offload job (that is, vSnap offload or direct offload). If a virtual machine is a part of two different offload types, the job that runs last will remove the previous recovery points from IBM Spectrum Protect Plus.
Workaround: For releases prior to the IBM Spectrum Protect Plus 10.1.0_patch1, ensure virtual machines are assigned to one offload job type, either vSnap offload or direct offload.
Limitation: Since V10.1.0. Solved with V10.1.0_patch1.
 

UUIDs remain the same after a Test/Clone mode restore (internal reference #SPPL3-270)
Problem: When restoring a virtual machine through a Test/Clone mode restore, the UUID of the cloned virtual machine remains the same as the UUID of the source virtual machine. The lack of a unique UUID introduces issues when attempting to perform file cataloging.
Workaround:
For releases prior to the IBM Spectrum Protect Plus 10.1.0_patch1, there are several workarounds for this issue as described in the following VMware article:https://kb.vmware.com/s/article/2006865.

• Migrate the cloned virtual machine to a different vCenter ESX host.
• Change the UUID of the cloned virtual machine by logging in to the ESX host where the cloned virtual machine resides and entering the following command: vmkfstools -J setuuid <vmname>.vmdk
• Create a vSphere clone of the virtual machine clone created through IBM Spectrum Protect Plus. Once complete, the VM Guest OS will boot up with a unique UUID, and the virtual machine clone created through IBM Spectrum Protect Plus can be deleted.

Limitation: Since V10.1.0. Solved with V10.1.0_patch1.