VM Protection Fails: “Virtual Disk(s) already has a Storage Policy attached”

This article applies to all JSDR software versions.

Problem

Attempting to start VM protection with JetStream DR is unsuccessful and the following error message is reported: “Virtual Disk(s) already has a Storage Policy attached. Cleanup the Virtual Disk state and try again”.

Troubleshooting

1. Validate the status of the VM to ensure there are no underlying issues related to its virtual disks.
   
   
2. Ensure the VM intended for protection has no snapshots or pending snapshot consolidation, and that it is not using any snapshot disks.
   
   
3. From vCenter select the problematic VM than navigate to: Configure → Policies
   • Validate any assigned storage policies.
   • If no storage policy is currently assigned, the default storage policy should be manually assigned to the VM.

4. The VM storage policy can also be validated and set from the VM’s Virtual Hardware settings screen.

5. If the VM is part of an AVS environment, validate the storage policy using the Run command: set-VMStoragepolicy.

6. Properly assigned storage polic(ies) should display a “Compliant” status.

7. After the VM’s storage polic(ies) have been reset to “default” try re-protecting the VM.
   • No error should be triggered when default storage policies are used.
     
     

This problem typically occurs for VMs that have been restored from a backup or migrated, or for VM’s that were manually unregistered and then re-registered (to address other issues).

JetStream DR protection should be disabled for virtual machines before initiating migration across clusters or datacenters. However, JetStream DR protection can remain enabled while using vMotion within the cluster.

If VM protection is initiated while a VM is concurrently undergoing migration, the JetStream DR protection task will likely fail and report the error “Failed to apply the Storage Policy change.“
VM protection should not be operated while VMs are undergoing any migration tasks.