Disk consolidation error: "The specified delta disk format 'nativeFormat' is not supported".

Products

• VMware vSAN 7.x
• VMware vSAN 8.x
• VMware vCenter Server
• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

• Consolidate disk task initiated from VCD will fail with error: "The specified delta disk format 'nativeFormat' is not supported".
  
  
• Consolidation option will be grayed out in vCenter.
  
  
• "Delete all snapshots" task initiated from vCenter will be completed successfully but the VM disk will still be residing on snapshot.
  
  
• In the var/run/log/vpxd/vpxd.log file, similar entries are seen: 
  
  YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM.SSSZ info vpxd[05857] [Originator@6876 sub=vpxLro opID=vcd-########-####-#####-####-############;activity=urn:uuid:########-####-#####-####-############] [VpxLRO] -- BEGIN task-961416 -- vm-#### -- vim.VirtualMachine.promoteDisks -- ########-####-#####-####-############(########-####-#####-####-############)
YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM.SSSZ info vpxd[57272] [Originator@6876 sub=vpxLro opID=vcd-########-####-#####-####-############;activity=urn:uuid:########-####-#####-####-############-fb] [VpxLRO] -- FINISH lro-270860342
YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM.SSSZ info vpxd[04407] [Originator@6876 sub=vpxLro opID=1691e6f2] [VpxLRO] -- FINISH lro-270859992
YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM.SSSZ info vpxd[05857] [Originator@6876 sub=VmprovXaction opID=vcd-########-####-#####-####-############;activity=urn:uuid:########-####-#####-####-############-81] Starting journal rollback
YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM.SSSZ info vpxd[05857] [Originator@6876 sub=VmprovXaction opID=vcd-########-####-#####-####-############;activity=urn:uuid:########-####-#####-####-############-81] Starting journal rollback
YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM.SSSZ info vpxd[05857] [Originator@6876 sub=VmprovXaction opID=vcd-########-####-#####-####-############;activity=urn:uuid:########-####-#####-####-############-81] Undo ReserveName: Host: vim.HostSystem:host-#####, Name: N/A
YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM.SSSZ info vpxd[05857] [Originator@6876 sub=vpxLro opID=vcd-########-####-#####-####-############;activity=urn:uuid:########-####-#####-####-############-81] [VpxLRO] -- FINISH task-961416
YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM.SSSZ info vpxd[05857] [Originator@6876 sub=Default opID=vcd-########-####-#####-####-############;activity=urn:uuid:########-####-#####-####-############-81] [VpxLRO] -- ERROR task-961416 -- vm-#####-- vim.VirtualMachine.promoteDisks: vim.fault.DeltaDiskFormatNotSupported:
--> Result:
--> (vim.fault.DeltaDiskFormatNotSupported) {
--> faultCause = (vmodl.MethodFault) null,
--> faultMessage = <unset>,
--> datastore = <unset>,
--> deltaDiskFormat = "nativeFormat"
--> msg = ""
--> }
--> Args:
-->
--> Arg unlink:
--> true
--> Arg disks:
--> (vim.vm.device.VirtualDisk) []

Environment

• vCenter 8.x
• vCenter 9.x
• ESXi 8.x
• ESX 9.x

Cause

• VCD uses linked clones. Consolidate disks initiated from VCD will call vCenter Promote Disks API.
• From vCenter perspective, this is an expected behavior. The promote disks of 'native Format type' is Not Supported.

Resolution

As a workaround Clone or Storage vMotion the impacted VM to change the disk format to seSparseFormat and then try to consolidate.