I was going to write a cleanup script to prune some of my older backups, but I was wondering if I could use something like the -force option when invoking clonevm so that the older files are overwritten in stead of appending with an underscore and a number.

Any ideas on how to overwirte old files using this process?

-Mark 

Get-VM : Cannot validate argument on parameter ‘Name’. The argument is null or empty. Supply an argument that is not nu
ll or empty and then try the command again.
At C:scriptsorig_backupScript.ps1:15 char:17
+ $vm = Get-VM <<<< $customer.MasterVM
+ CategoryInfo : InvalidData: (:) [Get-VM], ParameterBindingValidationException
+ FullyQualifiedErrorId : ParameterArgumentValidationError,VMware.VimAutomation.ViCore.Cmdlets.Commands.GetVM

Get-Datastore : Cannot validate argument on parameter 'Name'. The argument is null or empty. Supply an argument that is
not null or empty and then try the command again.
At C:scriptsorig_backupScript.ps1:35 char:57
+ $cloneSpec.Location.Datastore = (Get-Datastore -Name <<<< $BackupDS | Get-View).MoRef
+ CategoryInfo : InvalidData: (:) [Get-Datastore], ParameterBindingValidationException
+ FullyQualifiedErrorId : ParameterArgumentValidationError,VMware.VimAutomation.ViCore.Cmdlets.Commands.GetDatasto
re

Exception calling "CloneVM" with "3" argument(s): "The operation is not supported on the object."
At C:scriptsorig_backupScript.ps1:41 char:20
+ $vmView.CloneVM <<<< ( $cloneFolder, $cloneName, $cloneSpec )
+ CategoryInfo : NotSpecified: (:) [], MethodInvocationException
+ FullyQualifiedErrorId : DotNetMethodException

Get-VM : 4/28/2011 8:09:19 AM Get-VM VM with name 'MasterVM-20110428' was not found, using the specified filt
er(s).
At C:scriptsorig_backupScript.ps1:44 char:11
+ Get-VM <<<< $cloneName
+ CategoryInfo : ObjectNotFound: (:) [Get-VM], VimException
+ FullyQualifiedErrorId : Core_OutputHelper_WriteNotFoundError,VMware.VimAutomation.ViCore.Cmdlets.Commands.GetVM

Get-VM : Cannot validate argument on parameter 'Name'. The argument is null or empty. Supply an argument that is not nu
ll or empty and then try the command again.
At C:scriptsorig_backupScript.ps1:47 char:35
+ Get-Snapshot -VM (Get-VM -Name <<<< $customerMasterVM) -Name $cloneSnap | Remove-Snapshot -confirm:$False
+ CategoryInfo : InvalidData: (:) [Get-VM], ParameterBindingValidationException
+ FullyQualifiedErrorId : ParameterArgumentValidationError,VMware.VimAutomation.ViCore.Cmdlets.Commands.GetVM

first.thanks for the great idea behind your script.
I get the error mentioned by MarkZi in one of the environments I try to use the script.
In this case I want to clone the machine from local datastore to the local datastore on another server. For that I added
“$CloneSpec.Location.Host = ( get-vmhost -Name $Machine.BackupHost | get-view).MoRef” to the script.

The datastore exists and the value of $CloneSpec.Location.Datastore looks fine.
Can I find out where the error is more exactly?

1- Could you please what is the csv file format ?
2-How can I execute this script ?

Many thanks

Using PowerCLI 4.1 build 264274
Host are ESX 4.0.0, 294855

1. Good question. Cloning does indeed take a snapshot. Maybe it's worth trying to see if it works.

2. .MasterVM refers to the column in the CSV. $customer is a line of that CSV

1. Why snapshot and then clone? Doesn't cloning involve a snapshot anyways?

2. Why the “.MasterVM” in your statement in line 15? (Get-VM $customer.MasterVM)

I presume that this is related to the format of the input CSV, that the first line of the CSV labels the type in each successive line. It's just not obvious to me what mechanism is that accomodates this.

Thanks,

Marge

$cloneSpec.Location.Transform = [Vmware.Vim.VirtualMachineRelocateTransformation]::sparse