VM becomes unavailable during vmotion and snapshot operations.

[tim5700]

I am running vCenter 2.5 update 4 with 3 ESX servers running 3.5 update 4. All 3 ESX servers are in the same DRS cluster. I have gigabit connectivity between the ESX hosts and the vCenter server.

On my MS Exchange VM, if I create or delete a snapshot the VM becomes unavailable for several seconds and sometimes several minutes. VMware tools are installed and up to date.

[loewenholz]

Servers that have disk write intensive applications,

such as SQL and Exchange, will have their snapshot files grow rapidly.

So i think, it´s a problem from fast growing snapshot file.

Use Snapshot only for testing because performance will get change from bad to worse.

[tim5700]

It is during the creation of the snaphot this happens. I only use

snapshots during backups.

Sent from my iPhone

On Jul 21, 2009, at 4:07 PM, "loewenholz" <communities-emailer@vmware.com

[pti_loup]

Tim,

When you say that the VM is unavailable, do you mean that the VM is unreachable from the network ? Or that you lose VM console display ? Or something else ? What does a ping to your VM reply during such a blackout ?

Also, on what type of datastore are located your vDisks for this VM ? FC SAN ? IP storage ? Local VMFS ?

[tim5700]

Sorry for not being more specific.

When I run a backup using Veeam, vRanger or anything else that performs a snapshot as the snapshot is running it is not available via the network.

Pings to the VM timeout, since it is an Exchange server Outlook users cannot connect to their mailboxes. It is not as if the server is rebooting either, once the snapshot operation is complete the VM is in the exact state as it was when I started the snapshot.

If memory serves correctly, I can access the VM via the console in VI client.

Tim Lewis, Systems Engineer

MCSE, MCSA, CCNA, VCP:VI3, CCA: Xenserver 4.1

502.424.2368 - Mobile

502.240.0404 - Office

502.240.0409 – Fax

- Providing Vision for Technology Solutions...

www.mirazon.com

[pti_loup]

Hi, Tim!

Just to check one thing : If you connect to your Exchange VM console from the VI Client (To setup a direct connection with it, apart from the network layer), and then create a snapshot, if I'm correct, you will lose your network acces to your VM. But at that very moment, from the VM console, can you type things then and does the VM react ? I mean, is the blackout you're seing a network hang or by a complete VM hang ? We won't search in the same directions then.

And also, you've not answered my other question : Are the vDisks of your VM stored on a SAN, local disks or IP based storage (NAS or iSCSI), or a mixture of that and if so, what ?

Regards,

Pascal.

[tim5700]

OK, the vDisks are stored on a SAN with 2Gbps fibre channel.

You are correct. When snapshotting the VM the entire VM hangs. I opened the console to the VM and created a snapshot. The VM was unavailable at the console and a ping -t to the VM resulted in destination host unavailable.

[orchestrationio]

This was happening with one of our SQL VMs and the only way we resolved it was to upgrade VMtools. I'm not sure which version fixed the problem but it was within U3 on ESXi 3.5.

[tim5700]

I am running the most recent version vmware tools. Perhaps I should

reinstall?

Sent from my iPhone

On Jul 28, 2009, at 11:57 AM, "bombpop" <communities-

[dkollet]

This happens to me as well. Using vRanger, when it is 'removing snapshot' our servers hang and are unreachable. There have been instances where an Exchange (2007 on Win2k8) or DC (Win2k3 SP2) hang for an hour. I'm working on a solution with support....

-Dean

[tim5700]

Does it look like you are close to a solution? If so would you mind posting?

Tim Lewis, Systems Engineer

MCSE, MCSA, CCNA, VCP:VI3, CCA: Xenserver 4.1

502.424.2368 - Mobile

502.240.0404 - Office

502.240.0409 – Fax

- Providing Vision for Technology Solutions...

www.mirazon.com

[acnsys]

Just had this issue recently with one of our VM running Ubuntu server. The vmtools were up-to-date and the VM would froze during a snapshot and become very slow afterwards.

I called support and the engineer focused on the ressources consumption of the VM itself. Running esxtop on the source and destination hosts as on the VM guest he could see quiet big CPU load and wait time for the VM.

The server was running with two vproc and we reverted to one only.

[gilkremer]

Hi, can you please help me - i have a question but i dont know how to post a new disccusion (or a new thread) - i just dont see any buttun for it...

all i see is on the screen (say the vmware infrustructure community) "mark as read" and a filter option and so on..

how do i post a new discussion/thread over here?

[acnsys]

Browse to the specific version

http://communities.vmware.com/community/vmtn/vi/install

http://communities.vmware.com/community/vmtn/vi/esx3.5