VMware backup is missing some files

Issue

VMware backup is missing files and/or folders.

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Cause

If your VMware backup ends with warnings, the task details may indicate that one or more files failed to back up. Permissions for the Datastore Browser are managed by the vCenter server — in some cases, access to the Datastore Browser may be disabled for security reasons or to prevent users from accessing core virtual machine files and folders stored on the datastores.

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Resolution

Enable the Datastore Browser feature:

1. Stop the VirtualCenter Server service.

2. Back up the configuration file:

   1. For Windows vCenter Server: C:\ProgramData\VMware\VMware VirtualCenter\vpxd.cfg

   2. For vCenter Server Appliance: /etc/vmware-vpx/vpxd.cfg

Optionally, create a snapshot of the vSphere server VM to enable restoration in case of a failure.

1. Open the vpxd.cfg file in a text editor.

2. Locate the <vpxd> tags and add the following entry within them:

   <enableHttpDatastoreAccess>true</enableHttpDatastoreAccess>

3. Save the changes.

4. Start the VirtualCenter Server service.

5. You should now be able to back up the previously problematic files.