When attempting to back up a VM with the NetVault Plugin for VMware, it fails with "Failed to take snapshot". Job binary log will be similar to the following sample:
| Status | Date / Time | Job ID | Instance | Phase | Class | Client | Message |
| Information | 2026/05/19 16:57:58 | 252 | 1 | 1 | DataPlugin | NV | Starting backup of VM 'VM Name' |
| JobMessage | 2026/05/19 16:57:59 | 252 | 1 | 1 | DataPlugin | NV | [VM Name] Checking for snapshots |
| JobMessage | 2026/05/19 16:57:59 | 252 | 1 | 1 | DataPlugin | NV | [VM Name] Snapshot quiescing disabled by user preferences |
| JobMessage | 2026/05/19 16:57:59 | 252 | 1 | 1 | DataPlugin | NV | [VM Name] Taking snapshot. |
| Error | 2026/05/19 16:57:59 | 252 | 1 | 1 | DataPlugin | NV | [VM Name] Failed to take snapshot |
| Error | 2026/05/19 16:57:59 | 252 | 1 | 1 | DataPlugin | NV | [VM Name] Backup Failed |
Additional information for the [VM Name] Failed to take snapshot log entry includes the following:
Soap error is Current license or ESXi version prohibits execution of the requested operation.
VMware Virtual Disk Development Kit (VDDK) usage required a VMware Foundation, Standard or Enterprise license. The toolkit is an essential component of the API used by the NetVault Plugin for VMware. The API calls are essential for virtual machines backup and restore operations.
If VMware Plugin backups are required, Upgrade VMware license to Essentials, Standard or Enterprise.
If the VMware installation cannot be licensed, then the virtual machines can be backed up by installing the NetVault Client on the guest OS. Use the NetVault Bare Metal Recovery plugin to backup the entire system or the File System plugin to protect users' file and folders.
