Error: "There is not enough space on the file system for the selected operation" when powering on a virtual machine

Products

• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

Virtual Machine Power-On Failure

The virtual machine failed to power on due to the following issues:

1. Insufficient Disk Space: There is not enough space available for the virtual disk.
2. Power-On Failure: The virtual machine could not be started. The disk power-on module failed.
   • Error: Unable to open the disk at '/vmfs/volumes/<Datastore-Name>/<VM-Name>/<VM-Name>.vmdk' or one of its dependent snapshot disks. The file system does not have enough space for the operation.

Snapshot Consolidation Failure:

     3. Consolidation Error: An error occurred while consolidating the disks due to insufficient space on the file system for the operation.

Cause

The issue can occur as a result of a full datastore that is backing the VMDK file of the VM.

 

Resolution

Action Required: Expand Datastore or Manage Disk Space

To address the issue, please take one of the following actions:

1. Expand the Datastore: Request an expansion of the datastore to provide additional space.
2. Free Up Space: Alternatively, delete unnecessary files, migrate the virtual machine disk to another datastore with available space, or consolidate any existing snapshots.

Workaround (if the above solutions are not feasible):

If the above solutions cannot be applied, follow these steps to move the snapshot disk and its descriptor file to available space on the datastore:

1. Copy the Snapshot Disk: Move the snapshot disk to another datastore with sufficient free space.

2. Verify the Integrity of the Copy: After copying the snapshot disk, confirm that the md5sum of the copied file matches the md5sum of the original. Refer to the knowledge base article for guidance. Using MD5sum to verify the integrity of copied files

3. Delete the Original Snapshot: Once the copied snapshot disk is verified, delete the original snapshot file from its previous location.

4. Update the Snapshot Descriptor File: Modify the parentFileNameHint in the snapshot descriptor file to reflect the new location of the base disk after it has been moved to a different directory. Here’s an example of the updated descriptor:

   # Disk DescriptorFile
   version=1
   encoding="UTF-8"
   CID=xxxxxxx
   parentCID=xxxxxxx
   isNativeSnapshot="no"
   createType="seSparse"
   parentFileNameHint="/vmfs/volumes/datastoreUUID/VMfolder/VMname.vmdk"
   # Extent description
   RW xxxxxxxxx SESPARSE "VMname-000001-sesparse.vmdk"
    
    
5. Update the VMX File: Use vi to edit the virtual machine’s .vmx file, updating the snapshot disk path to the new datastore location. 

            Example: Scsi0:2.fileName = "/vmfs/volumes/anotherdatastoreUUID/VMfolder/VMname-000002.vmdk"

By following these steps, the virtual machine’s disk and snapshot files can be effectively managed.

Additional Information