cloning and pre-freeze script question

[Jim <jim...@ho...>]

Hi,

I am using open-vm-tools 8.4.2 stable release but my linux other 2.6.x guest
will not clone due to failure of a reported pre-freeze script returning
non zero.
Similar error to report in Tracker-3107225.

I have also tried with 2010.12.19-339835 release which is working but I
would
prefer to only stay with stable releases for a "production" environment.

Some time ago I was also testing a monthly release (exact one unknown)
and cloning with those was also failing with those so I switched to the
stable
release.  Cloning was working for a period with the stable code but I think
that changed after moving the vmtoolsd start to a later point in the boot
process.

Can someone explain the data flow from starting the clone operation in the
vSphere client through to the VM processing the request?
How is a snapshot different from the clone operation when it comes to
quiescing operation?
I think the clone operation starts with a snapshot to get a
stable/quiesced disk
prior to cloning.  So what's different that snapshot works but clone
does not?

I am comfortable examining code but I'm not sure where to start looking.
Grepping/cscope has only led me to the vmbackup stateMachine which has
anything related to quiescing.  Is the vmbackup plugin required for cloning?

Any pointers appreciated. Thanks.
Jim