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4 Replies Last post: Dec 12, 2007 2:37 PM by tom howarth
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VM Just Won't Leave Me Alone!!!

Dec 12, 2007 1:59 PM

Click to view Sun VMWare Admins's profile Novice Sun VMWare Admins 12 posts since
May 14, 2007

A few weeks ago we dropped a connection to one of our ESX servers. Seeing that his machine was listed as orphaned, one of our Exchange admins removed his server from the inventory and added it back to a different ESX cluster. At least that is the story that I got. Well once the server was added back, that server has been trying to add itself back into inventory continuously, but can't. The end result is a VM appearing in VirtualCenter and then disappearing seconds later over and over throughtout the day.

Any help would be appreciated!!!

This is a sample of one of the events pulled from one of the ESX servers in the affected cluster:

Dec 12 05:40:21 c122svmw09 vmkernel: 87:17:17:27.702 cpu1:1033)World: vm 30245: 690: Starting world vmware-vmx with flags 4

Dec 12 05:40:23 c122svmw09 vmkernel: 87:17:17:29.824 cpu2:30245)FS3: 1717: Checking if lock holders are live for lock [type 10c00001 offset 55994368 v 438, hb offset 3227648

Dec 12 05:40:23 c122svmw09 vmkernel: gen 95, mode 1, owner 4732555d-8e829cc4-a37b-0015c5fe8f85 mtime 1605031]

Dec 12 05:40:30 c122svmw09 vmkernel: 87:17:17:36.571 cpu3:30245)World: vm 29224: 690: Starting world vmm0:MACHINENAME with flags 8

Dec 12 05:40:30 c122svmw09 vmkernel: 87:17:17:36.571 cpu3:30245)Sched: vm 29224: 4836: adding 'vmm0:MACHINENAME': group 'host/user': cpu: shares=486 min=0 max=-1

Dec 12 05:40:30 c122svmw09 vmkernel: 87:17:17:36.571 cpu3:30245)Sched: vm 29224: 4849: renamed group 8217 to vm.30245

Dec 12 05:40:30 c122svmw09 vmkernel: 87:17:17:36.571 cpu3:30245)Sched: vm 29224: 4863: moved group 8217 to be under group 4

Dec 12 05:40:30 c122svmw09 vmkernel: 87:17:17:36.579 cpu3:30245)FS3: 1717: Checking if lock holders are live for lock [type 10c00001 offset 56008704 v 439, hb offset 3227648

Dec 12 05:40:30 c122svmw09 vmkernel: gen 95, mode 1, owner 4732555d-8e829cc4-a37b-0015c5fe8f85 mtime 1605031]

Dec 12 05:40:34 c122svmw09 vmkernel: 87:17:17:40.585 cpu0:30245)WARNING: Swap: vm 29224: 1528: Failed to open swap file '/volumes/4515efc6-6320bd19-1c0f-0014220ce9ce/MACHINENAME/MACHINENAME-9c516134.vswp': Lock was not free

Dec 12 05:40:34 c122svmw09 vmkernel: 87:17:17:40.585 cpu0:30245)WARNING: Swap: vm 29224: 2448: Failed to initialize swap file '/volumes/4515efc6-6320bd19-1c0f-0014220ce9ce/MACHINENAME/MACHINENAME-9c516134.vswp'

Dec 12 05:40:34 c122svmw09 vmkernel: 87:17:17:40.585 cpu0:30245)WARNING: World: vm 29224: 699: init fn swap failed with: No swap file!

Dec 12 05:40:34 c122svmw09 vmkernel: 87:17:17:40.585 cpu0:30245)WARNING: World: vm 29224: 1530: WorldInit failed: trying to cleanup.

Dec 12 05:40:35 c122svmw09 vmkernel: 87:17:17:41.579 cpu1:30245)World: vm 30245: 3864: Killing self with status=0x0:Success

Reply Re: VM Just Won't Leave Me Alone!!! Dec 12, 2007 2:04 PM
Click to view oreeh's profile Guru oreeh 9,815 posts since
Nov 30, 2005 Moderator
Connect directly to the ESX hosts and remove the offending VM there.
Also check if it is set to autostart.
Reply Re: VM Just Won't Leave Me Alone!!! Dec 12, 2007 2:07 PM
Click to view RParker's profile Champion RParker 5,270 posts since
Dec 6, 2006

So if you simply click "disconnect" on the server that you don't need, it will keep coming back?

If this is on SQL server you can find the VPXHOSTs table and delete it, AFTER you shutdown the VC services. Then when it comes back up, it should not know about that host.

The next time you have a server do this, try putting the server in maintenance mode, disconnect from VC, delete it from VC, login to the host directly, delete the vpxuser, reboot the box, then reconnect it back to VC.

Whenever you want to remove a host permanently put the host in maintenance mode first, then disconnect it from VC and delete it.

Reply Re: VM Just Won't Leave Me Alone!!! Dec 12, 2007 2:25 PM
in response to: RParker
Click to view Sun VMWare Admins's profile Novice Sun VMWare Admins 12 posts since
May 14, 2007

Thanks for the replies.

I can't connect to the host to remove it becuase the host changes between any in the ESX cluster and it only stays on each for a few seconds. I believe it is VirtualCenter trying to add it.

I made have not been clear, this is a VM, not a host that is acting like this.

I have tried removing it from inventory when it appears in the console, but the task never completes while it is still there, just disappears again. I am guessing there is a database of VMs that VirtualCenter reads from. I just thought this might be a situation others have seen. I think I'm going to open a case with VMWare on this.

Reply Re: VM Just Won't Leave Me Alone!!! Dec 12, 2007 2:37 PM
in response to: Sun VMWare Admins
Click to view tom howarth's profile Guru tom howarth 7,299 posts since
Jul 25, 2005 Moderator

Oreeh is correct, the VM guest is hosted on a particular machine, connect directly to that HOST and you will find it in there, remove it from the inventorty of the HOST. then putty to the host and restart management service on that HOST.

service mgmt-vmware restart

"Bravery is being the only one who knows you're afraid." - David Hackworth

Kind Regards

Tom,

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