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info4km
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Contributor

ESXi - This locked snapshot cannot be deleted errors

We have ESXi running.  I wanted to move the VM with the original snapshots to a new server.  Without VCenter it looks like the only way is to scp the entire directory to the new server.   I did this for 4 servers.  one works great.   The other 3 allow me to create snapshots, but does not allow me to remove any snapshots.  I keep getting "This locked snapshot cannot be deleted.".

I searched some posts/questions and nothing has really helped.  Not sure what to do really.  I guess I could try fully removing the servers and copying them again.   I didn't want to do this if I didn't have to.

Thanks in advance for any help.

KM

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info4km
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FYI - I've recopied them after taking them out of the inventory and deleting them from the disk on the new server.  The newly copied VMs still give me the same error.  On the original server they are fine.  Not sure where to go from here.  I can use the converter but I'd lose the snapshots.   Any ideas -- thanks.

KM

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a_p_
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I have to admit, that I've never seen something like this, and I'd love to take a closer look at this.

If it is ok with you, then please run ls -elisa > filelist.txt for one of the affected VMs on the old server, as well as on the new server, and attach both files (renamed to s.th. like filelist-old.txt, and filelist-new.txt) along with the new VM's .vmdk descriptor/header files, and the .vmsd file to a reply post.


André

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info4km
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Ok. I've attached a zip file with the vmsd file and the 2 file lists.  which .vmdk files did you also want?

currently I am also trying the converter, but I think last time I tried this the snapshots were lost.  I'll let you know how that goes as well.

KM

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a_p_
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I only need the small descriptor .vmdk files from the new host, i.e. not the flat/delta/sesparse .vmdk files.

André

PS: There's no attachment on your previous reply.

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info4km
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I will try again -- here are two zips with all the files.  I thought maybe they were being stripped.  I renamed them .sh but they are zips.

btw - converter does remove the snapshots.

KM

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a_p_
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Sorry, but the attached files are reported as being corrupted. Maybe it's due to the .sh extension, which may be interpreted as text files, rather than binary files during the upload (only a guess)!?

I was at least able to see the archives' contents. The one that's supposed to contain the .vmdk files, only contains a single file for a snapshot. Do you have only a single snapshot? What's missing is the base virtual disk's .vmdk file.

André

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continuum
Immortal
Immortal

Hello
I have seen this before - but those were quite obscure conditions ....
Anyway - please create the filelists that Andre already asked for.
I would also like to see the last two vmware.logs of the VM that does not behave itself.

For worst case I have a workaround that copies the flat or delta files using ddrescue in readonly mode.
Fixing the problem would be the faster option so please give us something to work with.


________________________________________________
Do you need support with a VMFS recovery problem ? - send a message via skype "sanbarrow"
I do not support Workstation 16 at this time ...

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info4km
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I have attached the files separately.  hopefully this works.  there are 9 snapshots.

KM

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info4km
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I realized I did not send the VMware logs.  here are the last few.

KM

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a_p_
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The file contents look ok to me, but what looks strange is the used disk space (second column from the ls command) for the small files.

Not sure whether this is related to some scp settings!?

Cayn you please try to upload the small files (i.e. all files other than the flat, and delta files) to the new location using the datastore browser, to see whether the numbers  in the second column change to the ones seen in the original location?

André

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info4km
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FYI -- Size is the 7th field.    right now for example the behavior is the same but the ls info is as shown below.  [ALSO FYI - I copied the server to another VMWare ESXi server we have -- and the snapshots are working]:

289415108 869376 -rw-------    1 root     root     889319424 Mon Mar 20 19:25:20 2017 scrappy.mydomain.com-000001-delta.vmdk
255860676      0 -rw-------    1 root     root           352 Thu Jul 26 19:08:04 2012 scrappy.mydomain.com-000001.vmdk
444604420   1024 -rw-------    1 root     root        126976 Thu Jan 17 17:42:14 2019 scrappy.mydomain.com-000003-delta.vmdk
448798724      0 -rw-------    1 root     root           359 Thu Jan 17 17:42:15 2019 scrappy.mydomain.com-000003.vmdk
247472068  66560 -rw-------    1 root     root      67235840 Thu Jan 17 17:36:53 2019 scrappy.mydomain.com-000004-delta.vmdk
327163844      0 -rw-------    1 root     root           359 Thu Jan 17 17:35:44 2019 scrappy.mydomain.com-000004.vmdk
322969540 345088 -rw-------    1 root     root     352448512 Tue Jul 31 16:01:31 2012 scrappy.mydomain.com-000005-delta.vmdk
272637892      0 -rw-------    1 root     root           359 Tue Jul 31 14:00:17 2012 scrappy.mydomain.com-000005.vmdk
335552452 214016 -rw-------    1 root     root     218230784 Tue Jul 31 17:22:13 2012 scrappy.mydomain.com-000006-delta.vmdk
213917636      0 -rw-------    1 root     root           359 Tue Jul 31 16:05:32 2012 scrappy.mydomain.com-000006.vmdk
251666372 2769920 -rw-------    1 root     root     2835476480 Mon Jan 14 21:05:07 2019 scrappy.mydomain.com-000007-delta.vmdk
306192324      0 -rw-------    1 root     root           359 Wed Feb 26 17:10:52 2014 scrappy.mydomain.com-000007.vmdk
339746756 1246208 -rw-------    1 root     root     1275195392 Tue Feb 28 18:56:35 2017 scrappy.mydomain.com-000008-delta.vmdk
348135364      0 -rw-------    1 root     root           359 Wed Apr 17 16:55:07 2013 scrappy.mydomain.com-000008.vmdk
297803716 1868800 -rw-------    1 root     root     1912729600 Wed Aug 23 23:20:52 2017 scrappy.mydomain.com-000009-delta.vmdk
390078404      0 -rw-------    1 root     root           359 Wed Aug 23 22:19:06 2017 scrappy.mydomain.com-000009.vmdk
301998020  82944 -rw-------    1 root     root      84013056 Thu Jul 27 17:06:07 2017 scrappy.mydomain.com-000010-delta.vmdk
230694852      0 -rw-------    1 root     root           359 Thu Jul 27 15:58:16 2017 scrappy.mydomain.com-000010.vmdk
377495492 2524160 -rw-------    1 root     root     2583818240 Mon Jan 14 21:16:38 2019 scrappy.mydomain.com-000013-delta.vmdk
268443588      0 -rw-------    1 root     root           359 Wed Aug 30 20:00:29 2017 scrappy.mydomain.com-000013.vmdk
285220804   1024 -rw-------    1 root     root         28934 Thu Jul 26 19:08:04 2012 scrappy.mydomain.com-Snapshot12.vmsn
310386628   1024 -rw-------    1 root     root         28934 Tue Jul 31 14:00:17 2012 scrappy.mydomain.com-Snapshot15.vmsn
331358148   1024 -rw-------    1 root     root         28934 Tue Jul 31 16:05:32 2012 scrappy.mydomain.com-Snapshot16.vmsn
360718276   1024 -rw-------    1 root     root         28934 Wed Apr 17 16:55:07 2013 scrappy.mydomain.com-Snapshot24.vmsn
276832196   1024 -rw-------    1 root     root         28934 Tue Jan 28 16:54:10 2014 scrappy.mydomain.com-Snapshot38.vmsn
381689796   1024 -rw-------    1 root     root         29013 Mon May  8 17:47:41 2017 scrappy.mydomain.com-Snapshot54.vmsn
385884100   1024 -rw-------    1 root     root         29013 Thu Jul 27 17:07:19 2017 scrappy.mydomain.com-Snapshot57.vmsn
373301188   1024 -rw-------    1 root     root         29013 Wed Aug 23 23:21:23 2017 scrappy.mydomain.com-Snapshot59.vmsn
264249284   1024 -rw-------    1 root     root         29013 Mon Jan  8 16:50:00 2018 scrappy.mydomain.com-Snapshot61.vmsn
390078468 4196352 -rw-------    1 root     root     4296267762 Thu Jan 17 17:41:56 2019 scrappy.mydomain.com-Snapshot67.vmsn
222306244 62914560 -rw-------    1 root     root     64424509440 Mon Aug 15 15:25:16 2011 scrappy.mydomain.com-flat.vmdk
423632900   1024 -rw-------    1 root     root          8684 Thu Jan 17 17:42:14 2019 scrappy.mydomain.com.nvram
226500548      0 -rw-------    1 root     root           512 Thu Nov 11 18:01:02 2010 scrappy.mydomain.com.vmdk
218111940      8 -rw-r--r--    1 root     root          4473 Thu Jan 17 17:42:15 2019 scrappy.mydomain.com.vmsd
432021508      8 -rwx------    1 root     root          3513 Thu Jan 17 17:42:15 2019 scrappy.mydomain.com.vmx
427827204      0 -rw-------    1 root     root           279 Thu Jan 17 17:42:14 2019 scrappy.mydomain.com.vmxf
239083460   1024 -rw-r--r--    1 root     root         71596 Wed Nov 28 21:17:34 2018 vmware-330.log
234889156   1024 -rw-r--r--    1 root     root         72424 Thu Nov 29 17:01:51 2018 vmware-331.log
243277764   1024 -rw-r--r--    1 root     root         71282 Tue Dec 11 19:40:36 2018 vmware-332.log
352329668   1024 -rw-r--r--    1 root     root         72562 Wed Dec 12 22:39:10 2018 vmware-333.log
356523972   1024 -rw-r--r--    1 root     root         72970 Mon Jan 14 20:41:11 2019 vmware-334.log
4202436   1024 -rw-------    1 root     root        143425 Wed Jan 16 17:18:42 2019 vmware-335.log
364912644   1024 -rw-------    1 root     root        162753 Thu Jan 17 17:42:13 2019 vmware.log

KM

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a_p_
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FYI -- Size is the 7th field.

That's correct, but the used disk space in kB is in the second column.

How does this look like on the other, working ESXi host that you've mentioned?.

André

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info4km
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Sorry I misread your other email.   The listing shows 64 for many of them.  I was consolidating and trying all kinds of things on this new server to get it to work. Maybe that is why.  One of the original entries is as follows:

570433540   64 -rw-------    1 root     root                359 Thu Jul 27 15:58:16 2017 scrappy.mydomain.com-000010.vmdk

The other 2 servers have normal entries for each file and they don't work either. For example:

503324676   64 -rw-------    1 root     root                350 Thu Jul 26 19:10:21 2012 shaggy.mydomain.com-000001.vmdk

486547460   64 -rw-------    1 root     root                350 Thu Jul 26 19:09:52 2012 scooby.mydomain.com-000001.vmdk

Before trying any suggested action I'll make a new copy of the server again so it's correct.

KM

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