VMW0043: Backup or restore of a virtual machine fails: "[91:30] Unable to open the disk(s) for virtual machine [<VMName>]" or "The host is not licensed for this feature" (VMware)

Symptom

1. When using VDDK 5.1 or 5.5 or later, backup or restore of a virtual machine fails.

   The Job Details dialog shows the following error:

   Error Code: [91:30]
    Description: Unable to open the disk(s) for virtual machine [VMname]. Please ensure the following: 1) the proxy is able to communicate with the ESX host and resolve the ESX host address 2) the correct transport mode has been selected 3) the disk types configured to the virtual machine are supported.
    Source: <proxy>, Process: vsbkp

   The following message is included in the vixdisklib.log file:

   Not licensed to use this function. Error 16064 at 2357.
   

2. In some cases, after upgrading to Commvault V11, backups fail and the following message is included in the vsbkp.log file:

   15548 1ab0 08/31 20:38:03 289164 CVMDiskInfo::Dispatch_VixDiskLib_Open() - VixDiskLib_Open failed Err=3ec0 The host is not licensed for this feature
   

Cause

1. APIs for VDDK 5.1 or 5.5 or later require that user permissions be applied at the vCenter level, as described in Restore or backup of virtual machines using VDDK API fails with the error: Not licensed to use this function. Error 16064 at 2357 (2063054).

2. The error message "The host is not licensed for this feature" can be displayed when expired licenses for an older version of vCenter are still resident on a vCenter Server.

Resolution

1. Assign user permissions for the vCenter entity using the vSphere Client or WebClient.

   For step-by-step instructions, see Add a Custom User with Limited Scope.

2. To resolve out-of-date license issues, remove the expired licenses from the vCenter Server.