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Troubleshooting an incorrect or mismatched disk configuration
Symptoms
The file filters are reset to C:\Protected\**
You have different partition structures on the primary and secondary servers
Purpose
This article provides information on common disk configuration errors which may affect a VMware vCenter Server Heartbeat server pair.
Resolution
When VMware vCenter Server Heartbeat starts, the complete set of File Filters is checked for consistency. If any of the entries points to a non-existent drive letter or to a non-NTFS partition, the list of File Filters are reset to the default value of C:\Protected\**. This is a safety measure; VMware vCenter Server Heartbeat requires the same drive letter configuration on the Primary and the Secondary servers, and only supports protection of NTFS partitions.
Different partition structures on Primary and Secondary servers, such that one or more file filters point to drives which cannot be protected on both servers. For example:
The Primary server has drive G:, which is a valid NTFS partition, but there is no corresponding drive on the Secondary server
The Primary server has drive G:, which is a valid NTFS partition, but the equivalent drive on the Secondary server is a CD / DVD drive or a FAT / FAT32 partition, which cannot be protected by VMware vCenter Server Heartbeat.
In either case, if a file filter is configured to protect a directory on driveG:, the entire filter set is rejected and the filters are reset to the default value of <Windows drive>\Protected\**.
