vCenter Server is going crazy after move to another datastore

[ilikebeer]

Hello. I have a little problem. I plugged an ssd drive to my Gen8 and moved some vms to the new datastore with vcenter web client and option : move, only datastore.

Everything worked fine, perfect performance, etc.

Then I liked to move the vcente appliance (testversion) as well to the new drive. I was not sure, if I can do this also via vcenter and move options. So i connected to my esx client and went to configuration, datastore and search. There I marked the vcentre folder on the old datastore ans said moved to the other. When completed, I started the vcenter vom new datastore.

The problem is, that is seems not to be in sync with the esx. It shows me VMs running, which are not running at all. I also cannot kill the process via ssh, as there is not process runnning, only in the GUI. I also cannot move these machines.

Is there a possibility to fix this, or do I need to do a reinstall 😞 Thx for help !

[dmcdave212]

You probably would have been fine to run a Storage vMotion of the vCenter to be honest, even if it is the one you are connected.  That said, you have mentioned that it is "testversion" so presumably it's not the one that's managing the cluster.

Anyway... Did you unregister the VM from the ESXi host before you moved it on the datastore?  If not, ESXi if going to be expecting the files to be in their original location otherwise you're going to get something weird happen, I guess the status is now "Orphaned" in vSphere client?  If so, try right click and pick the Unregister VM from Inventory option.  Then browse the datastore you moved the files to, open the folder with the files for your VM, find the .vmx file, right click and Register to Inventory.

Dave

[ilikebeer]

Hi. I moved them via vsphere web client. opened the vm tab and the right clic : move.... So i did not unregistered before. This was working very fine and easy.

The problem is only with the vcenter appliance. This was orphaned and this I registered new on esxi.

[dmcdave212]

So did you do a storage vmotion of the vcenter appliance VM?

[ilikebeer]

For the vcenter appliance, I moved the datastore via esx web client and then via search datastore to another datastore...

(would be a shutdown, removal from datastore and new installation of the vcenter appliance the best solution?)

[dmcdave212]

I don't think you need to reinstall vCenter.

so the VM looks normal when you access it from vSphere Client connected to the ESXi host directly but does not look ok from vSphere Client connected to the vCenter?  In vCenter does the VM say the status is Orphaned?   If so, I think you can right click it and select Remove from Inventory.  Then go to vSphere Client connected to ESXi and shut down the VM and again Remove from Inventory.  Then back on the vSphere Client connected to vCenter Server, browse the datastore for the .vmx file for you VM, right click on it and then pick Add to Inventory.

Hopefully that'll get things consistent again.

Dave

[ilikebeer]

Hi. Sorry for late reply. No, there are no orphaned devices. In esx host everything looks fine. But on vcenter i am still facing problems. The screen is shown normal now, which was also a problem before. That means, VMs are all shown in the current state as it should.

When I now f.e. want the increase my datastorage, there is now storage device listed to expand. (and I have 2TB left)

In esx host web browser, I could choose the device from which I want do take the storage to expand. This is what I mean with mayby inconsistence or something. All happened, when I moves the vcenter appliance. What a screenshot help?

[ilikebeer]

So, would it be ok to switch off the vcenter server and reinstall it? :_)