Error 105979 : Backup Failed Due to Duplicate VM UUID

Error 105979 : Backup Failed Due to Duplicate VM UUID

KB ID 105979

Issue

Encountering the Error "Backup Failed Due to Duplicate VM UUID"

Cause

This error occurs when two or more VMs on the same Proxmox host have the same UUID.

The backup cannot uniquely identify these VMs, so the backup of the affected VMs is skipped.

Resolution

Follow the steps below to assign a new UUID to one of the affected VMs.

Step 1: Identify the Affected VMs

  1. Open the backup failure message for Error 105979.

  2. The message displays the duplicate UUID and the names of the affected VMs.

  3. Note down the VM name(s) shown in the error message.

Step 2: Find the VM ID

Log in to the Proxmox host and run:

qm list

Find the VM ID (VMID) corresponding to one of the affected VMs.

VMIDVM NameStatus
<VMID><VM_NAME><STATUS>

Step 3: Verify the Duplicate UUID

Run the following command using the VM ID:

qm config <VMID>

Check for the following entry:

smbios1: uuid=<DUPLICATE_UUID>

Repeat this step for the other affected VM(s) to confirm that they have the same UUID.

Step 4: Generate a New UUID

If the uuidgen package is not available, install it using:

apt update
apt install -y uuid-runtime

Generate a new UUID:

uuidgen

Copy the generated UUID.

Step 5: Stop the VM and Assign the New UUID

Stop the VM whose UUID needs to be changed:

qm shutdown <VMID>

Check that the VM has stopped:

qm status <VMID>

The status should be:

status: stopped

Assign the newly generated UUID:

qm set <VMID> --smbios1 uuid=<NEW_UUID>

Step 6: Start the VM

Start the VM:

qm start <VMID>

Verify that it is running:

qm status <VMID>

The status should be:

status: running

Step 7: Verify the UUID and Run the Backup

Verify the new UUID:

qm config <VMID>

Make sure that:

  • The VM now has the newly assigned UUID.

  • The new UUID is different from the duplicate UUID reported in Error 105979.

Once verified, run the backup job again.

The backup should now complete successfully.

Notes
Note: Change the UUID only for one of the VMs having the duplicate UUID. Do not change the UUID of all affected VMs. If you are unsure which VM's UUID should be changed, contact your Proxmox administrator before making the change.

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