Challenge
A VM being started by SureBackup fails with the error:
Cause
This error occurs when the VM being Power On by the SureBackup job fails to become stable within the "Maximum allowed boot time" specified in the Application Group settings or the Linked Jobs section.
The SureBackup job determines stabilization using different Stabilization Algorithms. These algorithms are hypervisors specific: VMware Stabilization Algorithm / Hyper-V Stabilization Algorithm. The most commonly used one, "Stabilization by IP," watches the VM as it is Powered On and waits to see if an IP address is reported by the integration services running within the Guest OS (VMware Tools or Hyper-V Integration Services). If an IP fails to be reported to the hypervisor before the "Maximum Allowed Boot Time," the error "OS did not boot in the allotted time" occurs.
Solution
This section assumes the VM being tested had a NIC and guest integration services (VMware Tools or Hyper-V Integration Services) running when it was backed up. If guest integration services were not present when a VM was backed up, SureBackup will not check the IP or Heartbeat status and instead wait the full "Maximum allowed boot time" before further testing.
More Information
It is important to remember that the purpose of the SureBackup job is to pre-emptively identify potential issues in the event of a disaster recovery scenario. If the SureBackup job demonstrates that a VM has a problem, it is doing what it is designed to do. During initial configuration, some limits and timeouts will have to be tweaked to allow the SureBackup to operate. When the SureBackup job fails in the future, it could mean either there is an issue with the SureBackup job configuration or a problem with the machine that was backed up.
Additional SureBackup Resources
SureBackup Performance Considerations
Video: How to configure SureBackup in Veeam Backup & Replication
Video: What is the Virtual Lab and how is it configured?
