Esxi 6 startup with host - disabled

[wangmurong]

I've configured the startup/shutdown with the host for each VM. While I can configure settings for shutdown and order - for each machine - the startup is "disabled".

When I simulate a power-out (i.e, UPS reaches low battery) the host shutdown but the machines (VMs) are not being gracefully shutdown. It is just the host being shutdown.

My impression is that the "startup/shutdown with host" is somehow disabled?

The vmware tools are installed on each machine.

This is a small implementation and so not part of a cluster.

Any help on how to enable the shutdown with host would be appreciated.

[ryanrpatel]

Do you have a screenshot showing your settings? It's a pretty basic setting of on\off and disabled if you have HA ON for the Cluster, which you stated you do not have.

[wangmurong]

Here's the screen shot. There seems not to be a lot to it. Which is why I am not sure why startup is disabled and why it does not gracefully shut the machines down on a power-outage.

[ryanrpatel]

Move the VMs from "Manual Startup" into Any Order. While it's in there you can move them up or down depending on the actual order. When it does a shutdown, it does the reverse order of the Startup, but you have it set to Manual.

[wangmurong]

Thanks. Having (re)read the documentation, searched online and now seen your comment to "move them up" I suddenly figured it out. The machines can be just "moved up" into any categories of startup (automatic, any order and manual). I was confused as there was no indication (e.g., no space) that the machines would move up out of category.

The the startup problem is my secondary issue. How do I check the machines are actually being gracefully "guest shutdown"? On the last test I had the vSphere running and expected to see my test and windows VMs shutdown in the console before loosing connection to vSphere. Instead it disconnected and the host shutdown leaving me with the impression that guest hadn't happened. My test VM is Ubuntu and the log (last -x shutdown) times do not align with the host shutdown.

How can I check guest shutdown is happening as expected. Sorry a naive question but it seems the place to start.