No files available for restore using FLR in a Windows guest VM on VDP 5.1.11.3

[mcreedjr]

I have VDP 5.1.11.3 installed and backing up a mix of Windows and Linux VMs across two ESXi 5.1 Update 1. The VMs are backing up properly and I have recent mount points available, however, when I log into the FLR client on a Windows Server 2003 guest VM, mount and mount a backup, I see no files that I can restore. I have the same symptoms when attempting to use the FLR client on a different Windows Server 2008 R2 VM. I have checked dozens of mounted backups and all show no files available for restore.

Both VMs in question have a single virtual disk, no special partitioning configuration, MBR-type partition tables and only Windows basic disk types.

See below for a screenshot of the symptom I'm experiencing.

   

[HannaL]

Have you tried increasing the memory given to the VDP appliance?

[ruben_v]

Same here, mounted backups seem empty in FLR.

[preston20111014]

I am using 5.1.21.15 and seeing the same issue.  I have a Windows 7 VM that is working fine but servers are not showing any files.

[mcreedjr]

Preston,

My issue was resolved by doubling the about of vRAM exposed to the VMware Data Protection VM. I was able to use FLR to view the files on nearly all of the VMs I was backing up. I still had a few I was not able to view, but this was due to some of the limitations that are outlined within the Administrator's Guide. Only certain guest OS partitioning setups are supported. At least one of my virtual servers was a Windows Server VM that contained dynamic disks. Those are not support with FLR. Another had the virtual disks exposed to the VM as IDE devices and not SCSI devices. This was a result of a P2V migration.

I suggest you give more RAM to your VDP appliance and if you still can't see the guest files using FLR, then check the FLR caveats to make sure your VMs meet the criteria.

Good luck.

--Mike

[preston20111014]

Thanks for the response Mike,

I doubled my RAM on the VDP appliance but am still experiencing the same issue.  Was there any event in the logs that lead to you discovery of needing more RAM?  When looking at the resource allocation and performance charts it doesn't seem like memory is an issue. 

I've verified that the volume is on a Basic disk with MBR Primary partition and NTFS format with no compression or encyption so I'm pretty sure I'm not running into any of the FLR caveats.

Best,

Preston