VSC 6.0 Downgrade triggers errors for VASA and SMVI functions

[dnchance]

I just downgraded from VSC 6.2 to 6.0 due to the Host Inventory issue with the vCenter 6.0 u2 web client.   I have performed this at our main datacenter without much of an issue but at this site it has gone very wrong.

The procedure was to uninstall, backup the SMVI repository files that are needed (backups.xml, schedules.xml, and the backup jobs folder), delete the install folder, make sure the MOBs are gone in vCenter adn then reinstall as 6.0.  Restore the SMVI files and restart the web-client.  For VASA I ran an unregister command from the web cli and ensured MOBS were removed (they had to be unregistered manually).  THen i deleted the VM and redeployed as 6.0 and ran the registration from teh web cli.

Using VSC is where the problems start.  I can add storage systems correctly but after that I get the following errors when doing anything:

Clicking on the Retister/Unregister Vasa Vendor Provider:
aultCode:Server.ResourceUnavailable faultString:'Cannot invoke method 'getVCenterToVpAssociation'.' faultDetail:'Method 'getVCenterToVpAssociation' not found.'

Running a backup job:

Job Platinum_belnaev01_SQL_6pm failed to start: faultCode:Server.ResourceUnavailable faultString:'Cannot invoke method 'getMorefForEntities'.' faultDetail:'3 arguments were sent but 2 were expected.'

Adding a VM to a backup Job, running an on demand backup, scheduling a backup:

faultCode:Server.ResourceUnavailable faultString:'Cannot invoke method 'isSnapStarCompatible'.' faultDetail:'Method 'isSnapStarCompatible' not found.'

VSC  Restore option:
faultCode:Server.ResourceUnavailable faultString:'Cannot invoke method 'getBackupList'.' faultDetail:'5 arguments were sent but 1 were expected  

The Y arguments were sent when 1 were expected lines make me think that possibly something fromt he old install is still hanging about that I didn't clean up properly.

[dnchance · Accepted solution]

After working with support and following this KB:

https://kb.netapp.com/support/index?page=content&id=1015437&locale=en_US

The support engineer suggested that we upgrade back to 6.2 to see if that fixes the problem.  It did.  He said that 6.0 is not in the Interop matrix for vCenter 6.0 update 1 or update 2.  Given that NetApp is supposed to be issuing a patch for VSC 6.2 that works around the API Issue causing our hosts to disappear we will be staying on 6.2 until then at this site.   

VSC 6.0 is still working in our main site so hopefully it continues to work until the patch comes out.

[TheDataCentreBrit]

You mention "I just downgraded from VSC 6.2 to 6.0 due to the Host Inventory issue with the vCenter 6.0 u2 web client.   I have performed this at our main datacenter without much of an issue but at this site it has gone very wrong.", could you elaborate on the issue?

I am having some strange issues in VSC 6.2 myself and I'm working with support to get to the bottom of it, any additional informaiton out in the wild that could be related would be useful.

[dnchance]

By "Has gone very wrong" I mean that 6.0 would not work at all, no backups and errors for just about any activity inside VSC.  Clean installs didn't help either. 

6.2 at this site works fine except for the fact that the vmware web-client can't see hosts or anything related to hosts (known issue with api's NetApp is using that are broken on VMware's side).

So I can't tell you how well datastore provisioning is working or any of the features that require a host being in inventory, but SMVI is working fine for us there.   

If you are using VSC 6.2 and vCenter 6.0 u1 or u2 you may be seeing the web client issues with the inventory service that may be impacting some things that VSC wants to do that depend on the inventory service not being broken.

[EricNTAP]

A new patch for VSC has been released, 6.2P1.  It can be downloaded here:

http://mysupport.netapp.com/NOW/download/software/vsc_win/6.2P1/

The bug/BURT in question, ESX hosts being hidden in inventory, is 980727.

VSC 6.2 merges the seperateness of VVOLs/VP in 6.0 and no VVOLs but integration with SnapCenter 1.0 of VSC 6.1.