SnapManager for Hyper-v, snapinfo directory path error on Hyper-V cluster

1. Following error kept occurring (on a 2 Node Hyper-V cluster) while creating a
‘SnapInfo Directory Path’ using SMHV 1.2 on Windows Server 2012
Error: SnapInfo directory path is not valid. Snapinfo path for a standalone host
must be on a dedicated Data ONTAP LUN.
What I failed to understand is that the error is indicating a ‘standalone host’
whereas this is a 2 Node CLUSTER and should have given error indicating
something like – snapinfo directory path cannot be hosted on a CSV volume or
something on that lines.
FACT: Even though I created a shared disk (NOT CSV) via ‘snapdrive’, I was puzzled
and frustrated as I kept getting the error mentioned above.

2. Following figures shows ‘shared disk’ under the Failover Cluster Manager and
SnapDrive.
BULB LIT Finally:
In the SMHV ‘add host’ wizard, I selected an individual host rather than a CLUSTER
NAME, as shown in the figure below.

3. Correct configuration:
Provide the cluster name and then try creating a ‘snapinfo’ directory path as show
in the example below.
IMPORTANT: Use the NetBIOS name of the cluster and NOT FQDN. If the Fully
Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) is used, SMHV will not be able to recognize the
name as a cluster. This is in view of the manner in which the Windows Failover
Cluster (WFC) returns the cluster name through WMI calls. Consequently, the host
will not be recognized by SMHV as a cluster and will fail to use a clustered LUN as
the SnapInfo Directory Location.

4. INFO: If you add a single host, SMHV manages the dedicated VMs on that host. If
you add a host cluster, SMHV manages the shared VMs on the host cluster. If you
plan to add a host cluster, SMHV must be installed on each cluster node.
In the next screen, click ‘Yes’.

7. TIPS for creating SNAPINFO ‘shared disk’ using SnapDrive for Windows.
TIP 1:
Always select the option ‘shared’ if you are running a HYPER-V CLUSTER as shown
in the figure below.

8. TIP 2:
When you reach this screen during ‘shared’ disk configuration, select “Create a
new cluster group”. Do not select “Add to cluster shared volumes (CSV)”.
SnapInfo directory is not supported on CSV volumes.

9. General Tips
TIP 3:
You need to install SnapDrive for Windows on all hosts before installing
SnapManager for Hyper-V. If the hosts are members of a cluster, all nodes in the
cluster require the installation of SnapDrive for Windows. When SnapManager for
Hyper-V starts it communicates with SnapDrive for Windows to get the list of all
virtual machines running on a host. If SnapDrive for Windows is not installed on
the host, this API fails and the SnapManager for Hyper-V internal cache does not
update with the virtual machine information.
TIP 4:
If you add a single host, SMHV manages the dedicated VMs on that host. If you
add a host cluster, SMHV manages the shared VMs on the host cluster. If you plan
to add a host cluster, SMHV must be installed on each cluster node.
Prepared by,
ashwinwriter@gmail.com