Cannot delete old snapshots

[TobiasM]

Hello

When I run the VMWare vSphere Health Check script I´ve spotted some old snapsshots

(some older than 200days). We use vSphere 5.0.0 and NetApp Virtual Storage Console 2.1.2

and the retention time for keeping old snapshot is 5 days on the primary site. The old snapshot

which I want to remove has probably been done at some kind of test. Now I want to delete them,

which a didn´t succeed in. I can find the datastores and the folders with the snapshots in. But

when I try to remove the folder it asks if  "If WM's are sharing base disks contained in this folder,

this folder deletaing may preventable other VM's from operating correctly". Unfortunately it

seems to be the case becasue I get the following error message when I try to delete the folder.

How do I do to remove these the old snapshot? I can´t see them in the vSphere snapshot manager.

/T.

[rickardnobel]

Hej Tobias,

if select the VM summary do you see any message on "Snapshot consolidation needed"?

[kumarsenthild]

Hi,

Please dont delete any files & folders in VMware.

For your issue we have three options

Option 1 : Try to create new snapshot and go to the snapshot manager & select delete all snapshots ( It will take some time , it will strunk in 95 % )

Option 2 : - Best option for me.. power off the VM & clone the VM - It will commit all snapshot , once you verified clone VM you can delete old VM.

Option 3: Need to verify the snaphsot chains from parent disk to last snapshot disk

[TobiasM]

Hej Rickard

I can´t see any message like "Snapshot consolidate needed" on the summary tab

[rickardnobel · Accepted solution]

TobiasM wrote:

Hej Rickard

I can´t see any message like "Snapshot consolidate needed" on the summary tab

Ok, that is when vCenter notices that there is a mismatch between the snapshot information (*.vmsd file) and the actualt snapshots being in use (delta-xxxx.vmdk).

You have no option to remove/repair the snapshot from the Netapp side?

[TobiasM]

HI

I will probobly use options number 2, in that case I have to change the name of the datastore folder and lose all my snapshot retention.

We use NetApp VSC therefor we do not get any snapshot in the snapshot manager

It would been nice if I just could remove the folder, is there posibility for that?

/T

[TobiasM]

Yes, it´s possible to remove the snapshot from the storage system. But what happends to the snapshot/base disk relation i vmware?

[kumarsenthild]

Before delete the folder please take a clone of the VM.

Once you take a clone of the VM ,

1, Go the orginal VM setting , note down all disk datastore path and SCSI # .

2, Remove all disks from the VM ( Dont delete the disk) and click finish

3, Again go the setting and add the disk one by one and finish.

4, Now try to power on the VM & check the status of the VM

5, If everything fine then u can delete the folders as you mentioned.