Hyper-V virtual machines failed with the error “VM not found for UUID” and error code PHOENIX279

Problem Description

Scheduled backup jobs or manual backup attempts for Hyper-V virtual machines fail with the following error message displayed in the Druva Management Console: VM not found for UUID
Multiple retry attempts continue to fail with error code PHOENIX279. The affected virtual machines were previously configured and backing up successfully but are no longer recognized by the Druva agent.

Cause

This issue occurs due to a UUID (Universally Unique Identifier) mismatch.
When a Hyper-V VM is initially configured for backup, Druva registers and tracks it using its unique configuration ID (VMId).
If the VM undergoes a major infrastructure change—such as a manual migration, restoration from a legacy replica, or being deleted and re-created with the same name—Hyper-V assigns it a brand-new UUID.
Because Druva looks for the original UUID registered in the backup policy, it fails to locate the VM.

Traceback

The following footprint can be observed within the job logs or case feed:

2025-10-10 11:00:28     Starting backup operation.
2025-10-10 11:00:45     VM not found for UUID (419688B3-19C0-4711-B452-D140A3BC07B2)
2025-10-10 11:01:23     Backup operation failed.
2025-10-10 11:23:48     Job retry attempt:2 Failed Error code:PHOENIX279

Resolution

Follow these steps to synchronize the new VM configuration details with the Druva Console:

Step 1: Verify the Current UUID of the VM

Log into the Hyper-V host running the affected virtual machine.
Open PowerShell with Administrative privileges.
Run the following command to retrieve the current unique identifier (replace "YourVMName" with the actual name of your VM):
```
Get-VM -Name "YourVMName" | Select-Object Name, VMId
```
(Alternatively, you can verify this by checking the XML/VMCX configuration file name located under C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Hyper-V\Virtual Machines)

Step 2: Disable the existing VM in Druva

Disable the affected VMs from the existing backup policy in the Druva Console.

Step 3: Refresh the Hyper-V Inventory

To force Druva to discover the newly generated UUID, trigger a manual sync:

Go to Protect → Hyper-V → Infrastructure.
Select the specific Hyper-V host or cluster where the VM resides.
Click the Refresh action item to discover the updated virtual machine components.

Step 4: Reconfigure the VM for Backup

Once the refresh job completes successfully, configure the virtual machine for backup.
Trigger a manual Backup Now to verify that the PHOENIX279 error is resolved.