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a_f_rahim
Contributor
Contributor

'hard disk has a backing type that is not supported' - error message ...

hello,

i have recently copied 3 VMware server (GSX) VMs that i had on my native windows host to my SAN using the new 'upload files to storage' option in vi3 client 2.5 ...

but now when i register them with my esx servers (esx 3.5), it gives me the error message given above.

can anyone explain?

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Al_MILCORP
Contributor
Contributor

I get a similar error but only it's:

"Device "Floppy Drive 1" has a backing type that is not supported. This is a general limitation of of the host."

I tried deleting the vmx files and recreate the VM using the original vmdk but it still fails.

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Stoes
Contributor
Contributor

Hi,

We experienced the same issue against an ESX 3.0.2 with VMWare Infrastructure Client/Virtual Center 2.5.0, when we tried to reboot a virtual machine - before the upgrade of VC everything worked fine. We worked around that problem by accessing the ESX directly through the "VMware Virtual Infrastructure Web Access".

Cheers.

Trigsy
Contributor
Contributor

Hi,

I am experiencing the same issue with VC2.5 &ESX3.5. We are trying to P2V using VMWare Converter a DL380G4 which has a SCSI Card that conects to an External Tape Drive.

Device 'SCSI Device 1' has a backing type that is not supported. This is a general limitation of the host

You said you worked around the problem with web access can you explain a little more ?

TIA

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mpjames
Contributor
Contributor

believe it or not - when you go to the web access client for your VMware host (https://yourhost/ui) then you can change the floppy disk to use the host device (instead of the faulty client device). This option was grayed out in the VMware VIC.

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patrickds
Expert
Expert

When exactly do you get this message?

During the P2V process or after, when starting the VM?

If your VM gets created, but does not start, simply remove the SCSI adapter and tape device (if shown) from the VM settings.

If the error occurs before you have a VM created, you'll just have to temporarily remove the SCSI adapter from your physical machine (you can try by simply disabling it in device manager, if you're doing a hot conversion)

I doubt you will be needing the tapedrive in the VM; and if you do, you'll need to use an Adaptec controller, since it's the only type supported for such a configuration.

Anyway, the driver for the physical adapter will have to be replaced, so it would be best to remove it before trying to P2V and avoid the errors.

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patrickds
Expert
Expert

What kind of virtual harddisks were you using?

IDE will not be supported.

Instead of copying the files over and registering them, you might want to use converter, or if you don't have an enterprise license for Converter, you'll have to use vmkfstools on the service console to import the copied virtual disks to an ESX compatible format.

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mpjames
Contributor
Contributor

Here's what I saw:

We had a VM running fine for months on ESX 3.0.2. and wanted to Vmotion it to another server running 3.5.0. I was using VIC 2.5 to do the migration. The migration failed with the following error messages:

  • Device 'Floppy Drive 1' has a backing type that is not supported. This is a general limitation of the host.

  • Device 'CD-ROM' has a backing type that is not supported. This is a general limitation of the host.

When I went to Edit Settings for the VM, it indicated that the floppy drive and cd-rom were set as "Client" device type. The Host device type radio button was grayed out. After I powered off the VM, I couldn't even restart it...

However, using the WebAccess client on the host, I was able to change the device types successfully and set both of them to 'Host Device'. Just a little inconsistency in the two vmware interfaces that really saved my bacon!

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CHSVMWare
Contributor
Contributor

I was seeing the same issue. Fix for me was to right click on the guest in the Virtual Center and "upgrade virtual Hardware". I had the guest powered off too.

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araju
Contributor
Contributor

I migrated a VM from ESX 2.5.2 to ESX 3.0,2 and i am using VC 2.5. I was seeing the same 'Device Floppy 1' issue while trying to power on the VM. I i checked the web interface and it was showing host device. confusion........i did upgrade the VM hardware after migration. but i was still getting the issue.

The problem was (i guess) I added a second hard disk from ESX2.5 after upgrading the VM hardware. I upgraded the hardware once again and it worked fine.

Hope this helps

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DDtAM
Contributor
Contributor

WOW! TY, that worked. Had the same message on the floppy, and CDROM!

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scotty_p
Enthusiast
Enthusiast

I'm getting this same error. I saved a vm from an ESX 3.5 server to a file with converter. I added it to inventory on the new server, but i get this error when i try to power it on. I don't see an option for "upgrade virtual hardware" when i right click on the guest. How can I do this?

Thanks,

Scott

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Texiwill
Leadership
Leadership

Hello,

Moved to VI: Virtual Machine and Guest OS forum


Best regards,

Edward L. Haletky

VMware Communities User Moderator

====

Author of the book 'VMWare ESX Server in the Enterprise: Planning and Securing Virtualization Servers', Copyright 2008 Pearson Education.

Blue Gears and SearchVMware Pro Blogs: http://www.astroarch.com/wiki/index.php/Blog_Roll

Top Virtualization Security Links: http://www.astroarch.com/wiki/index.php/Top_Virtualization_Security_Links

--
Edward L. Haletky
vExpert XIV: 2009-2023,
VMTN Community Moderator
vSphere Upgrade Saga: https://www.astroarch.com/blogs
GitHub Repo: https://github.com/Texiwill
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dgealt
Contributor
Contributor

I got a similar error message on vSphere 4.1 when trying to enable fault tolerance. I believe it is because this vm is using a BusLogic Parallel vSCSI controller instead of a LSI Logic Parallel controller. I have to wait until tonight to test my theory.

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