Unable to remove or create an NFS datastore

Products

• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

• Cannot add NFS storage to an ESXi/ESX host.
• Multiple entries for a single NFS datastore display in vCenter Server.
• NFS datastore entries in vCenter Server cannot be removed.

 

Resolution

To resolve this issue, remove the duplicated NFS datastore and add it again via the vSphere Client.

To remove the duplicated NFS datastore entries in vCenter Server:

1. Remove the NFS share with command # esxcli storage nfs remove -v NFS_Datastore_Name
2. If the 1st step fails, restart the vCenter Server services. For more information, see Stopping, starting, or restarting vCenter services.
3. Restart the ESXi/ESX management agents. For more information, see Restarting the Management agents on an ESX or ESXi Server. 
4. If the first 3 steps fail to remove the inaccessible share, reboot the ESXi host.

Note: If multiple hosts are to mount the same NFS, ensure that they mount it with the same IP Address and mount point. Otherwise, vCenter Server displays multiple NFS datastores for the same mount point.