Starting a virtual machine from the command line on VMDK file/files fails with the error: Bad address
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Starting a virtual machine from the command line on VMDK file/files fails with the error: Bad address

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Article ID: 343633

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Updated On: 02-21-2025

Products

VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

Symptoms:
  • A virtual machine fails to start and stops at 95%.
  • Globally, the same virtual machine cannot be started.
  • If you start the virtual machine from the command line using the vmware-cmd full_Path_to_VMX_file start or vim-cmd vmsvc/power.on vmid command, you see errors similar to:

    Traceback (most recent call last):
    File "/usr/bin/vmware-cmd", line 93, in ?
    main()
    File "/usr/bin/vmware-cmd", line 65, in main
    result = TaskManager().HandleIfTask(result, async=False)
    File "/usr/lib/vmware/vmware-cmd/TaskManager.py", line 17, in HandleIfTask
    else: return self.WaitForTask(task)
    File "/usr/lib/vmware/vmware-cmd/TaskManager.py", line 28, in WaitForTask
    result = task.WaitForCompletion()
    File "/usr/lib/vmware/vmware-cmd/Task.py", line 20, in WaitForCompletion
    onProgressUpdate=self.OnProgressUpdate)
    File "/usr/lib/python2.4/site-packages/pyVim/task.py", line 120, in WaitForTask
    raise task.info.error
    pyVmomi.VmomiSupport.vim.fault.GenericVmConfigFault: (vim.fault.GenericVmConfigFault) {
    dynamicType = <unset>,
    dynamicProperty = (vmodl.DynamicProperty) [],
    msg = 'Reason: Bad address.',
    faultCause = <unset>,
    faultMessage = (vmodl.LocalizableMessage) [],
    reason = 'Reason: Bad address.',
    messageInfo = (vim.vm.Message) []
    }
     
  • Running the file * command in the virtual machine directory (/volumes/vmfs/vm_name) reports errors similar to:

    XXXXXXX-000001-delta.vmdk: ERROR: cannot read `XXXXXXX-000001-delta.vmdk' (Bad address)
    XXXXXXX-000002-delta.vmdk: ERROR: cannot read `XXXXXXX-000002-delta.vmdk' (Bad address)
    XXXXXXX_1-000001-delta.vmdk: ERROR: cannot read `XXXXXXX_1-000001-delta.vmdk' (Bad address)
    YYYYYYY01-000001-delta.vmdk: ERROR: cannot read `YYYYYYY01-000001-delta.vmdk' (Bad address)


Cause

The cannot read (Bad address) errors indicate issues with accessing storage, or this issue could be due to a corrupted VMFS volume or represent a hardware issue.

Resolution

To resolve this issue, check the status of the VMFS volume and the corresponding storage or check the status of the block linked to the VMDK file.

To check the status of the VMFS volume and corresponding storage:
 

  • Perform storage diagnostics by running the command:

    vmkfstools -P VMFS_volume

    For example:

    # vmkfstools -P ZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

    VMFS-3.46 file system spanning 2 partitions.
    File system label (if any): ZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
    Mode: public
    Capacity 7476464320512 (891264 file blocks * 8388608), 31524388864 (3758 blocks) avail
    UUID: 4d77bfcd-44b73914-xxxx-0026b98c5ccf
    Partitions spanned (on "lvm"):
    naa.6090a098f09affdc7xxxx401000000af:1
    naa.6090a098f09a6fe77bxxxx010000a099:1
    (One or more partitions spanned by this volume may be offline)

    Or
     
  • A second approach is to check the status of the block linked to the VMDK file. To do so, use the command [vmkfstools -p0] if the issue is oriented to a physical storage issue.

    The same issues appear with missing extents; the issues are displayed in RED:

    [root@ESXHOST03 WHPFRVELMAIL01]# vmkfstools -p0 WHPFRMAIL01-000001-delta.vmdk

    Mapping for file WHPFRMAIL01-000001-delta.vmdk (164049670144 bytes in size):
    [ 0: 5528092672] --> [Backing device/extents are offline]
    [ 5528092672: 16777216] --> [VMFS -- LVID:4d77c035-6798ff66-baf5-0026b98c5ccf/4d77bfc2-20a8cd59-66ab-0026b98c5ccf/1:( 77050478592 --> 77067255808)]
    [ 5544869888: 16777216] --> [VMFS -- LVID:4d77c035-6798ff66-baf5-0026b98c5ccf/4d77bfc2-20a8cd59-66ab-0026b98c5ccf/1:( 77570572288 --> 77587349504)]
    .....
    [ 6048186368: 16777216] --> [VMFS -- LVID:4d77bfc2-48acd114-70ca-0026b98c5ccf/4d77bfc2-20a8cd59-66ab-0026b98c5ccf/1:( 1680818110464 --> 1680834887680)]
    [ 6064963584: 16777216] --> [VMFS -- LVID:4d77bfc2-48acd114-70ca-0026b98c5ccf/4d77bfc2-20a8cd59-66ab-0026b98c5ccf/1:( 1681573085184 --> 1681589862400)]
    [ 6081740800:
    -------------16777216] --> [VMFS -- LVID:4d77bfc2-48acd114-70ca-0026b98c5ccf/4d77bfc2-20a8cd59-66ab-0026b98c5ccf/1:( 1684408434688 --> 1684425211904)]
    [ 6098518016: 16777216] --> [VMFS -- LVID:4d77bfc2-48acd114-70ca-0026b98c5ccf/4d77bfc2-20a8cd59-66ab-0026b98c5ccf/1:( 1690280460288 --> 1690297237504)]
    [ 6115295232: 16777216] --> [VMFS -- LVID:4d77bfc2-48acd114-70ca-0026b98c5ccf/4d77bfc2-20a8cd59-66ab-0026b98c5ccf/1:( 2132032946176 --> 2132049723392)]
    .....
    [ 6215958528: 16777216] --> [VMFS -- LVID:4d77bfc2-48acd114-70ca-0026b98c5ccf/4d77bfc2-20a8cd59-66ab-0026b98c5ccf/1:( 2146545238016 --> 2146562015232)]
    [ 6232735744: 16777216] --> [VMFS -- LVID:4d77bfc2-48acd114-70ca-0026b98c5ccf/4d77bfc2-20a8cd59-66ab-0026b98c5ccf/1:( 2147769974784 --> 2147786752000)]
    [ 6249512960: 120452022272] --> [Backing device/extents are offline]
    [ 126701535232: 562036736] --> [VMFS -- LVID:4d77c035-6798ff66-baf5-0026b98c5ccf/4d77bfc2-20a8cd59-66ab-0026b98c5ccf/1:( 153604915200 --> 154166951936)]
    [ 127263571968: 1191182336] --> [VMFS -- LVID:4d77c035-6798ff66-baf5-0026b98c5ccf/4d77bfc2-20a8cd59-66ab-0026b98c5ccf/1:( 154183729152 --> 155374911488)]
    [ 128454754304: 754974720] --> [VMFS -- LVID:4d77c035-6798ff66-baf5-0026b98c5ccf/4d77bfc2-20a8cd59-66ab-0026b98c5ccf/1:( 155391688704 --> 156146663424)]
    [ 129209729024: 1560281088] --> [VMFS -- LVID:4d77c035-6798ff66-baf5-0026b98c5ccf/4d77bfc2-20a8cd59-66ab-0026b98c5ccf/1:( 156163440640 --> 157723721728)]
    [ 130770010112: 150994944] --> [VMFS -- LVID:4d77c035-6798ff66-baf5-0026b98c5ccf/4d77bfc2-20a8cd59-66ab-0026b98c5ccf/1:( 157740498944 --> 157891493888)]
    [ 130921005056: 23748149248] --> [Backing device/extents are offline]
    [ 154669154304: 8388608] --> [VMFS -- LVID:4d77c035-6798ff66-baf5-0026b98c5ccf/4d77bfc2-20a8cd59-66ab-0026b98c5ccf/1:( 117861056512 --> 117869445120)]
    [ 154677542912: 8388608] --> [VMFS -- LVID:4d77c035-6798ff66-baf5-0026b98c5ccf/4d77bfc2-20a8cd59-66ab-0026b98c5ccf/1:( 117877833728 --> 117886222336)]
    [ 154685931520: 2709520384] --> [VMFS -- LVID:4d77c035-6798ff66-baf5-0026b98c5ccf/4d77bfc2-20a8cd59-66ab-0026b98c5ccf/1:( 118506979328 --> 121216499712)]
    [ 157395451904: 285212672] --> [VMFS -- LVID:4d77c035-6798ff66-baf5-0026b98c5ccf/4d77bfc2-20a8cd59-66ab-0026b98c5ccf/1:( 121233276928 --> 121518489600)]

    Notes:
  • These above steps indicates that there are some missing extents for the datastore where the virtual machine is stored.
  • Contact your storage team to ensure all the extents for the datastore are presented to the host. Also refer Virtual machine is unresponsive and Event IDs 11 and 15 occur in the Windows guest operating system Event log (1005204).
  • If all the extents are presented to the host, raise a support request with VMware. For more information, File a Support Request in Customer Connect.



Additional Information

Virtual machine is unresponsive and Event IDs 11 and 15 occur in the Windows guest operating system Event log

Failed to power on virtual machine

Impact/Risks:

The errors indicate an unreliable storage situation.

Note: Backing up the virtual machine that remains operational is suggested.

 

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