Log Spew in vmkernel log "Attempt to setattr non sticky dir/file 'mili' from mounted tardisk 'elx_esx_.v00' "

Products

• VMware vCenter Server
• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

• After upgrade of ESXi host from 7.x to 8.x, /var/log/vmkernel.log filled with the below events more frequently:

[yyyy-mm-dd]T[hh:mm:ss].806Z Wa(180) vmkwarning: cpu7:27839034)WARNING: VisorFS: 1095: Attempt to setattr non sticky dir/file "mili" from mounted tardisk "elx_esx_.v00"

Environment

• VMware ESXi 8.x

Cause

This issue is caused by the inbox Emulex driver (elx-esx-libelxima.so) used. 

Resolution

Either remove the driver if there are no Emulex cards on the ESXi host or update it to the latest async driver which does not have this issue.

1. Get an SSH connection to the ESXi host
2. Use "esxcli network nic list" and "esxcli storage core adapter list " to check if the drivers are used.
3. To remove the VIB (if the driver is not used) use the following cmd:
   • esxcli software vib remove –n elx-esx-libelxima.so 
4. Alternatively, if you just want to update the driver refer to the following KB article:
   • Download and install async drivers in VMware ESXi

Additional Information

• Determining Network/Storage firmware and driver version in ESXi
• Download and install async drivers in VMware ESXi
• Finding IO Drivers in the Broadcom Support Portal