Identifying disks when working with VMware ESXi
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Identifying disks when working with VMware ESXi

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Article ID: 316540

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Updated On:

Products

VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

When performing troubleshooting with ESXi storage, use command line tools to identify a specific disk or LUN connected to ESXi. This article provides information on different ways to identify these disks.

Environment

VMware vSphere ESXi 6.5
VMware vSphere ESXi 6.7
VMware vSphere ESXi 7.0.x
VMware vSphere ESXi 8.0.x

Resolution

Run these commands to collect disk and LUN information from ESXi:

  • Run one of the following commands to generate a list of all LUN paths currently connected to the ESXi host:

    esxcli storage core path list
    esxcfg-scsidevs -l       


    Output will be similar to:
    fc.<UUID1>-fc.<UUID2>-naa.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx011
    UID: fc.<UUID1>-fc.<UUID2>-naa.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx011
    Runtime Name: vmhba0:C0:T0:L23
    Device: naa.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx011
    Device Display Name: DGC Fibre Channel Disk (naa.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx011)
    Adapter: vmhba0
    Channel: 0
    Target: 0
    LUN: 23
    Plugin: NMP
    State: active
    Transport: fc
    Adapter Identifier: fc.<UUID1>
    Target Identifier: fc.<UUID2>
    Adapter Transport Details: WWNN: <WWNN> WWPN: <WWPN>
    Target Transport Details: WWNN: <WWNN> WWPN: <WWPN>
    fc.<UUID1>-fc.50060160c46036df:5006016f446036df-naa.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx011
    UID: <UUID1>-fc.50060160c46036df:5006016f446036df-naa.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx011
    Runtime Name: vmhba0:C0:T1:L23
    Device: naa.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx011
    Device Display Name: DGC Fibre Channel Disk ( naa.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx011)
    Adapter: vmhba0
    Channel: 0
    Target: 1
    LUN: 23
    Plugin: NMP
    State: active
    Transport: fc
    Adapter Identifier: fc.<UUID1>
    Target Identifier: fc.<UUID2>
    Adapter Transport Details: WWNN: <WWNN> WWPN: <WWPN>
    Target Transport Details: WWNN: <WWNN> WWPN: <WWPN>

    Note: For the detail path information of a specific device ( Device: <device>), run the esxcli storage core path list -d <device> command .
  • Alternatively, the  "esxcfg-mpath -b" command can be used to list out all the working paths for the devices detected. 
Output will be similar to:
naa.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx77e : 3PARdata Fibre Channel Disk (naa.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx77e)
   vmhba1:C0:T0:L3 LUN:3 state:active fc Adapter: WWNN: <WWNN> WWPN: <WWPN>  Target: WWNN: <WWNN> WWPN: <WWPN>
   vmhba1:C0:T1:L3 LUN:3 state:active fc Adapter: WWNN: <WWNN> WWPN: <WWPN>  Target: WWNN: <WWNN> WWPN: <WWPN>
   vmhba0:C0:T0:L3 LUN:3 state:active fc Adapter: WWNN: <WWNN> WWPN: <WWPN>  Target: WWNN: <WWNN> WWPN: <WWPN>
   vmhba0:C0:T1:L3 LUN:3 state:active fc Adapter: WWNN: <WWNN> WWPN: <WWPN>  Target: WWNN: <WWNN> WWPN: <WWPN>

naa.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx77e : 3PARdata Fibre Channel Disk (naa.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx77e)
   vmhba1:C0:T0:L7 LUN:7 state:active fc Adapter: WWNN: <WWNN> WWPN: <WWPN>  Target: WWNN: <WWNN> WWPN: <WWPN>
   vmhba1:C0:T1:L7 LUN:7 state:active fc Adapter: WWNN: <WWNN> WWPN: <WWPN>  Target: WWNN: <WWNN> WWPN: <WWPN>
   vmhba0:C0:T0:L7 LUN:7 state:active fc Adapter: WWNN: <WWNN> WWPN: <WWPN>  Target: WWNN: <WWNN> WWPN: <WWPN>
   vmhba0:C0:T1:L7 LUN:7 state:active fc Adapter: WWNN: <WWNN> WWPN: <WWPN>  Target: WWNN: <WWNN> WWPN: <WWPN>

eui.00e04c2020202000 : Local USB Direct-Access (eui.00e04c2020202000)
   vmhba32:C0:T0:L0 LUN:0 state:active Local HBA vmhba32 channel 0 target 0 
  • Run the esxcli storage core device list command to generate a list of LUNs currently connected to the ESXi host.

    Output will be similar to:
    mpx.vmhba0:C0:T0:L0
    Display Name: Local VMware Disk (mpx.vmhba2:C0:T0:L0)
    Has Settable Display Name: false
    Size: 286070
    Device Type: Direct-Access
    Multipath Plugin: NMP
    Devfs Path: /vmfs/devices/disks/ mpx.vmhba2:C0:T0:L0
    Vendor: VMware
    Model: Block device
    Revision: 1.0
    SCSI Level: 2
    Is Pseudo: false
    Status: on
    Is RDM Capable: false
    Is Local: true
    Is Removable: false
    Is SSD: false
    Is Offline: false
    Is Perennially Reserved: false
    Thin Provisioning Status: unknown
    Attached Filters:
    VAAI Status: unsupported
    Other UIDs: vml.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

  • Alternatively, use the  "esxcfg-scsidevs -c" to list out all the devices being detected by the ESXi host.
Output will be similar to:
  • Run the esxcli storage vmfs extent list command to generate a list of extents for each volume and mapping from device name to UUID.

    Output will be similar to:
    Volume Name VMFS UUID Extent Number Device Name Partition
    ------------ ----------------------------------- ------------- ------------------------------------ ---------
    esxi-local 4e0d86e1-0db6f826-6991-d8d3855ff8d6 0 mpx.vmhba2:C0:T0:L0 3
    datastore1 4d4ac840-c1386fa0-9f6d-0050569300a7 0 naa.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx011 1
    vmfs5 4dad8f16-911648ca-d660-d8d38563e658 0 naa.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx011 1

  • Alternatively, execute the "esxcfg-scsidevs -m" command to list out all the VMFS backed datastores that are currently active/mounted on the host along with their UUID information. 
The output should look similar to:
  • Run the esxcli storage filesystem list command to generate a compact list of the LUNs currently connected to the ESXi host, including VMFS version.

    Output will be similar to:
    Mount Point Volume Name UUID Mounted Type Size Free
    ------------------------------------------------- ------------ ----------------------------------- ------- ------ ------------- ------------
    /vmfs/volumes/f98fbd51-d2efb396 ISOs f98fbd51-d2efb396 true NFS 581284225024 181569196032
    /vmfs/volumes/ 4d4ac840-c1386fa0-9f6d-0050569300a7 datastore1 4d4ac840-c1386fa0-9f6d-0050569300a7 true VMFS-3 9395240960 746586112
    /vmfs/volumes/ 4e0d86e1-0db6f826-6991-d8d3855ff8d6 esxi-local 4e0d86e1-0db6f826-6991-d8d3855ff8d6 true VMFS-5 294473695232 293884395520
    /vmfs/volumes/ 4dad8f16-911648ca-d660-d8d38563e658 vmfs5 4dad8f16-911648ca-d660-d8d38563e658 true VMFS-5 1879048192 220200960
    /vmfs/volumes/ 4e303229-94dedb01-508c-d8d3855ff8d6 4e303229-94dedb01-508c-d8d3855ff8d6 true vfat 4293591040 4290248704
    /vmfs/volumes/ f9618575-313f4ef5-943d-d5308d29e876 Hypervisor1 f9618575-313f4ef5-943d-d5308d29e876 true vfat 261853184 128241664
    /vmfs/volumes/ 12e6c575-9a49251d-634c-1c34f28a0238 Hypervisor2 12e6c575-9a49251d-634c-1c34f28a0238 true vfat 261853184 163708928
    /vmfs/volumes/ 2da668ef-40e5d96b-90bf-855ddb9c5547 Hypervisor3 2da668ef-40e5d96b-90bf-855ddb9c5547 true vfat 299778048 114704384
     
  • Run the ls -alh /vmfs/devices/disks command to list the possible targets for certain storage operations.

    Output will be similar to:
    lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 19 Jul 27 16:40 vml.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxa30 -> mpx.vmhba2:C0:T0:L0
    lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 21 Jul 27 16:40 vml.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxa30:1 -> mpx.vmhba2:C0:T0:L0:1
    lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 21 Jul 27 16:40 vml.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxa30:2 -> mpx.vmhba2:C0:T0:L0:2
    lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 21 Jul 27 16:40 vml.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxa30:3 -> mpx.vmhba2:C0:T0:L0:3
    lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 21 Jul 27 16:40 vml.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxa30:4 -> mpx.vmhba2:C0:T0:L0:4
    lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 21 Jul 27 16:40 vml.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxa30:5 -> mpx.vmhba2:C0:T0:L0:5
    lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 21 Jul 27 16:40 vml.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxa30:6 -> mpx.vmhba2:C0:T0:L0:6
    lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 21 Jul 27 16:40 vml.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxa30:7 -> mpx.vmhba2:C0:T0:L0:7
    lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 21 Jul 27 16:40 vml.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxa30:8 -> mpx.vmhba2:C0:T0:L0:8
    lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 36 Jul 27 16:40 vml.02000xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx030 -> naa.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx011
    lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 38 Jul 27 16:40 vml.02000xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx030:1 -> naa.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx011:1
    lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 36 Jul 27 16:40 vml.02000xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx030 -> naa.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx011
    lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 38 Jul 27 16:40 vml.02000xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx030:1 -> naa.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx011:1
These are the definitions for some of identifiers and their conventions:
  • naa.<NAA>:<Partition> or eui.<EUI>:<Partition>

    NAA stands for Network Addressing Authority identifier. EUI stands for Extended Unique Identifier. The number is guaranteed to be unique to that LUN. The NAA or EUI identifier is the preferred method of identifying LUNs and the number is generated by the storage device. Since the NAA or EUI is unique to the LUN, if the LUN is presented the same way across all ESXi hosts, the NAA or EUI identifier remains the same. For more information on these standards, see the SPC-3 documentation from the International Committee for Information Technology Standards (T10).

    The <Partition> represents the partition number on the LUN or Disk. If the <Partition> is specified as 0, it identifies the entire disk instead of only one partition. This identifier is generally used for operations with utilities such as vmkfstools.

    Example: naa.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx4fe:3 = Partition 3 of LUN naa.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxd4fe.
     
  • mpx.vmhba<Adapter>:C<Channel>:T<Target>:L<LUN> or mpx.vmhba<Adapter>:C<Channel>:T<Target>:L<LUN>:<Partition>

    Some devices do not provide the NAA number described above. In these circumstances, an MPX Identifier is generated by ESXi to represent the LUN or disk. The identifier takes the form similar to that of the canonical name of previous versions of ESXi with the mpx. prefix. This identifier can be used in the exact same way as the NAA Identifier(NaaID) described above.
     
  • vml.<VML> or vml.<VML>:<Partition>

    The VML Identifier can be used interchangeably with the NAA Identifier and the MPX Identifier. Appending :<Partition> works in the same way described above. This identifier is generally used for operations with utilities such as vmkfstools.

    To find out the vml ID run the command:

    vmkfstools -q <vm-disk>.vmdk
     
  • vmhba<Adapter>:C<Channel>:T<Target>:L<LUN>

    This identifier is now used exclusively to identify a path to the LUN. When ESXi detects that paths associated to one LUN, each path is assigned this Path Identifier. The LUN also inherits the same name as the first path, but it is now used as a Runtime Name, and not used as readily as the above mentioned identifiers as it may be different depending on the host being used. This identifier is generally used for operations with utilities such as vmkfstools.

    Example: vmhba1:C0:T0:L0 = Adapter 1, Channel 0, Target 0, and LUN 0.

    Note: Generally, multi-port fiber channel adapters are equipped with dedicated controllers for each connection, and therefore each controller is represented by different vmhba#. If the adapter supports multiple connections to the same controller, it is represented by a different channel number. This representation is directly dependent on the capability of the adapter.
     
  • <UUID>

    The <UUID>     is a unique number assigned to a VMFS volume upon the creation of the volume. It may be included in syntax where it is necessary to specify the full path of specific files on a datastore.



Additional Information

There are additional esxcli storage commands available in to identify mounted Virtual Volumes or NFS v4.1 volumes. For more information, see:


Identifizieren der Festplatten bei der Arbeit mit VMware ESXi/ESX
How to detach a LUN device from ESXi hosts
Identifying Raw Device Mappings (RDMs) using the vSphere Client

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