DPM 2019 U2 console crashes when adding any new Replica to Legacy Storage

Question

Symptoms -

• DPM Console crashes (and freezes) on the last step of the Wizard when adding a new Replica to any existing or new Protection Group.
• Error message shows disconnected from DPM, DPMexeception, check DPM and DPM Writer services are running etc.
• Only occurs with DPM 2019 U2, was fine on U1
• I believe there is a similar and parallel issue for DPM 2016 for a certain update, but I can deal only with DPM 2019 from experience.

Does anyone else have this? I hope you have found your way to this, despite no DPM tag available here!

Answer 1

The cause seems to a bug in some .dll files in U2 that don't recognise Legacy storage (they were so excited about their new storage types in DPM2016/2019 they forgot people often upgraded DPM with existing storage).

Official Solution -

• Microsoft have told us via a Professional Support call that this will be fixed in U3.
• They have promised to send us a private fix of .dll files, and to refund the support call cost (still waiting on these, but its only been a few hours). If you need the fix before U3, you could try what we did this and ask for the refund, but its a slight risk.

Unsupported workaround (verified and no issues found, but other rare issues can not be guaranteed against) -

• Install a temporary installation of DPM 2019 U1 on a test server.
• Copy these .dlls from DPM/Bin to your DPM server in a special folder - eg. Original Storage DLL Files From 2019 U1

Microsoft.EnterpriseStorage.Dls.Prm.dll
Microsoft.EnterpriseStorage.Dls.Prm.MbcParser.dll
Microsoft.EnterpriseStorage.Dls.PrmCatalog.dll
Microsoft.EnterpriseStorage.Dls.PrmCommon.dll
Microsoft.Internal.EnterpriseStorage.Dls.UI.ObjectModel.ClientDatasource.dll
Microsoft.Internal.EnterpriseStorage.Dls.UI.ObjectModel.Exchange.dll
Microsoft.Internal.EnterpriseStorage.Dls.UI.ObjectModel.GenericDatasource.dll
Microsoft.Internal.EnterpriseStorage.Dls.UI.ObjectModel.HyperVDatasource.dll
Microsoft.Internal.EnterpriseStorage.Dls.UI.ObjectModel.SharePoint.dll
Microsoft.Internal.EnterpriseStorage.Dls.UI.ObjectModel.SQL.dll
Microsoft.Internal.EnterpriseStorage.Dls.UI.ObjectModel.SystemProtection.dll
Microsoft.Internal.EnterpriseStorage.Dls.UI.ObjectModel.VMWareVMDatasource.dll
StorageManager.dll

• Copy as a safe copy the same .dlls from your live DPM/bin folder to another special folder - eg. Original Storage DLL Files From 2019 U2
• Check no DPM jobs are running
• Stop DPM Service, and Disable
• Reboot Server
• Stop DPM Writer Service
• Copy and paste (overwrite) the .dlls from Original Storage DLL Files From 2019 U1 to the live DPM/Bin folder
• Set DPM Service to Manual, and Start
• Start DPM Writer service

The fix can be reversed at any time, if needed.

Thank you to Microsoft Jim for the original workaround, and all contributors to this thread - https://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/01d4599e-2377-43c3-853e-febec993af70/dpm-2019-ur2-crashes-on-pg-changecreation?forum=dataprotectionmanager. Note that we included one additional vmware .dll in our list to Jim, for completeness. RIP TechNet, you are missed.

Microsoft PLEASE add a DPM Tag to this forum!