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ERROR_VOLMGR_PLEX_TYPE_INVALID
Interpret the state transition: volmgr plex type invalid
ERROR_VOLMGR_PLEX_TYPE_INVALID has unsigned value 0xC038003E. In the volmgr layer, it rejects a specific contract because the plex-type field does not describe a supported simple, spanned, striped, mirrored or RAID-5 organization. Diagnosis of this result should follow volume plex descriptor, layout type and regeneration state through one controlled state transition.
Dynamic volumes are represented as packs containing disks and volumes; each volume has one or more plexes, and each plex is assembled from members and extents. Indices and counts are relative to the submitted layout generation, while configuration logs are replicated across participating dynamic disks for it. This object model determines which identifiers, counts and ownership state are meaningful.
Keep the first result attached to its request parameters and object generation. Cleanup failures or a later drive-letter change are secondary evidence, not replacements for the original boundary.
Record geometry, identity and ownership
| Storage diagnostic field | Value |
|---|---|
| Owning object | volume plex descriptor, layout type and regeneration state |
| Rejected invariant | the plex-type field does not describe a supported simple, spanned, striped, mirrored or RAID-5 organization |
| Identity and generation | volume ID, plex ordinal, plex type, member array, active/inactive state, health status and current regeneration job |
| Narrow experiment | serialize the exact VM_VOLUME_LAYOUT buffer, validate every count and Size field, and compare it with a layout produced by a known-good management API |
| Closest comparison | ERROR_VOLMGR_UNEXPECTED_DISK_LAYOUT_CHANGE |
A management layer handling this result should report later recovery errors separately, because they answer a different question from the failed storage operation.
Separate validation from capability
- Before changing state for it, freeze the failing generation and save volume ID, plex ordinal, plex type, member array, active/inactive state, health status and current regeneration job.
- Exercise this exact comparison for it: serialize the exact VM_VOLUME_LAYOUT buffer, validate every count and Size field, and compare it with a layout produced by a known-good management API.
- During the result comparison, keep image bytes, unrelated disks, provider policy and cluster topology fixed.
- After the test, record the next return value and the durable object state; crossing the boundary should expose a later result rather than silently retrying.
Compare traces for ERROR_VOLMGR_UNEXPECTED_DISK_LAYOUT_CHANGE and this result. The latter page covers a nearby storage boundary, whereas it rejects the plex-type field does not describe a supported simple, spanned, striped, mirrored or RAID-5 organization while diagnosing it. A correct caller should be able to reproduce each case independently for it.
Mechanism-specific note
Plex type determines how extents are interpreted and which maintenance operations are meaningful. Log the raw type value and the member geometry used to infer it. Do not map an unknown value to “simple” as a fallback, because that can reinterpret striped or parity metadata as a linear extent list.
Verification after correction
Select an operation compatible with the actual plex type and keep at least one active data copy throughout detach, repair or regeneration. Keep the correction scoped to the owning object and avoid rewriting adjacent metadata merely to make the call return success for it.
- The controlled A/B case changes only the invariant responsible for it.
- No unrelated disk, cluster owner, tier policy or virtual-disk backing file is altered to hide this result.
- Health, synchronization or job state reaches a terminal value consistent with the repaired the operation.
- Telemetry includes both symbolic names when it or
ERROR_VOLMGR_UNEXPECTED_DISK_LAYOUT_CHANGEoccurs again.
Avoid broad rescans, forced failovers and metadata deletion until identities and generations are captured. Those actions can make a stale request appear to heal without fixing its caller while diagnosing it.
Technical references
- Microsoft: COM error codes for VOLMGR, VHD and SDIAG — documents the supported management path relevant to it.
- Microsoft: Virtual Disk Service object model — defines the volmgr objects used to interpret it.
- Microsoft: Pack object — primary API or object-model reference for the boundary.
- Microsoft: Virtual Disk Service common return codes — use this source to verify volmgr state and parameters for it.
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