VMware Cloud Community
kellino
Enthusiast
Enthusiast

Orphaned Template

Not sure how this happened, but all our Virtual Center templates are now "orphaned". The only thing I can think of is that our hosts were removed from a cluster and then added back in. All the VM's are fine, but we just lost the templates which are on the same datastores.

In any case, it seems that there is no solution for orphaned objects and that they must be removed from the inventory. I can do this, but then how do I import then back in?

Thanks!

Reply
0 Kudos
55 Replies
kellino
Enthusiast
Enthusiast

I figured it out. You can browse the datastore and right-click to add it back.

Reply
0 Kudos
ben2355
Contributor
Contributor

We're having the same problem please explain the fix.. what chose should the be when we right-click

Reply
0 Kudos
banaszyb
Contributor
Contributor

So I understand the fix...but what caused all the templates to go orphaned? I had the same thing occur sometime in the past couple of days.

For the previous poster...

Right click on your orphaned template

Select "Remove from Inventory"

From the host you would like the template to reside on...

Select you host

Select the "Configuration" tab

Select "Storage" under the Hardware pane

Double click on the storage device in the right pane..this will bring up the "Datastore Browser"

Browse to your orphaned template's location

Right click on the template file..it will have a ".vmtx" extention with the Type displayed as "Template VM"

Choose "Add to Inventory"

Go through and answer the wizard information to complete the "fix"

I hope that wasn't too detailed. I apologize if it was.

Now what caused this?

Brian

Reply
0 Kudos
razz0raus
Contributor
Contributor

Yesterday we found this issue. In the event logs it showed the ESX server we have the templates on was dissconnected for some reason - it came back up on its own - however the templates were not re-connected at the same time - hence they became "Orphaned".

I am not sure if this is a bug or not - but if its happend to others I'd like to know Smiley Happy

Cheers,

Chris

Reply
0 Kudos
wcc
Contributor
Contributor

This seems to have happened to us this morning, we didn't have all servers orphaned. But we did notice that the servers that had orphaned had migrated to another host in the cluster, reported a failed migration, when in fact it had succesfully migrated and registered the guest on the new host, but did not clean up virtual center. The guest in VC reported it was still on the old host as an orphaned VM. But if you connect with VIC directly to the new host the VM was there and running. It seems to be more of a bug with VC not updating properly.

Reply
0 Kudos
wsellers
Contributor
Contributor

I'm experiencing the exact same problem this morning... Does anyone know exactly why this happens?

William Sellers / Google Voice: 225-341-2727
Reply
0 Kudos
tlaurent
Contributor
Contributor

We are seeing the problem but only with our templates - its weird, I can fix it by Removing from Inventory and adding back but then after a coupld of days they get orphaned again. Guess its time to rebuild our templates ! Smiley Sad

Reply
0 Kudos
mansof
Enthusiast
Enthusiast

The same happened to me.

Got all the Templates orphaned.

I removed form Inventory, and then added them again.

I wonder how we can bring those orphaned templates back to a parent without having to remove from inventory and then add the template.

-Francisco

Reply
0 Kudos
jftwp
Enthusiast
Enthusiast

Just came across this today for the first time, during a template deployment DEMO to some others in our group no less. Red-faced, I turned to other VMware topics.

Soon as done with demo, wondering WTF, I went into the datatstores and verified all templates were indeed there, which they were, then googled and found this thread.

Note: We use HA/DRS clusters here with all ESX hosts. Periodically, we remove a given host from a cluster for maintenance (mode) or other reasons. Periodically, as it turns out, is apparently once too many where templates are concerned.

I found it interesting to note that, during the re-registration process for a given vmtx file (when right-clicking, adding to inventory), there is a step in the wizard where it asks you to specify a particular host in a cluster, noting "On high-availability clusters and full-manual dynamic workload management clusters each template must be assigned to a specific host."

Okay, well, fine. Be that as it may, why would the removal of a HA/DRS host, which is/was harboring one or more templates, ORPHAN those templates upon re-entry into the given cluster? That is indeed a bummer.

Any word from VMware on this topic? I could call support, I suppose, but will wait since not urgent and good feedback from others inflicted with this little TEMPLATE GOTCHA.

Running ESX 3.0.1 and VC 2.0.1 here, by the way. Templates all located on commonly (hosts in cluster) accessible (FC SAN-based) datastores, along with all VMs, of course.

Reply
0 Kudos
thickclouds
Enthusiast
Enthusiast

Anyone every find a root cause on why the templates are not reconnected with the host?

Charlie Gautreaux vExpert http://www.thickclouds.com
Reply
0 Kudos
timruge
Contributor
Contributor

I'm interested in this too

Reply
0 Kudos
CWedge
Enthusiast
Enthusiast

Mark me up for this problem..

Just happened the other day, I was like WTF....

Someone have time to log a support call and reference this thread...??

I fixed mine already so i'd have to wait for it to happen again..

Reply
0 Kudos
jsintz
Enthusiast
Enthusiast

Just happened to me.

I deployed a vm from the template, move the created vm to another host. Then decided to update my template with another round of MS patches. I got an error when I tried to convert to vm and then the templated showed as orphaned. This was the only template that got orphaned, all others seem fine.

Reply
0 Kudos
thickclouds
Enthusiast
Enthusiast

Very annoying! VMware needs to give us all a cause for this.

Charlie Gautreaux vExpert http://www.thickclouds.com
Reply
0 Kudos
bbourdua
Contributor
Contributor

Just had the same problem. As far as I know it was after applying a patch to fix vMotion. ( http://www.vmware.com/support/vi3/doc/esx-2066306-patch.html )

I put the host in maintenance mode, rebooted it, and exited maintenance. Strangely, after the reboot the templates were not orphaned anymore. I didn't have to remove them from inventory and then add them again.

Reply
0 Kudos
DAKEGG
Contributor
Contributor

I just had the same problem immediately following a reboot to add an additional gig NIC, no patches had been applied, the shutdown and subsequent restart were normal - all except my templates were orphaned.

Thanks for the "dummies" guide to recovering them.

Reply
0 Kudos
Randy_B
Enthusiast
Enthusiast

We're seeing this happen as well, any time we have to reboot or disconnect a server that has the templates on them, they all get orphaned. Has anyone opened a ticket to file it as a bug yet?

Randy

Reply
0 Kudos
bbourdua
Contributor
Contributor

I had all my templates go orphaned again this week, except this time there was no apparent reason. No reboot, no update, no nothing. Nothing useful in the logs either...

I openned a ticket with Dell Gold support this morning.

Reply
0 Kudos
sirdaver
Contributor
Contributor

Also having this problem. No changes made, the templates just decide to be orphaned for no reason it seems.

Reply
0 Kudos