VMFS/NFS Datastore Default VM Storage Policy: Uneditable

Products

• VMware Cloud Foundation
• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

In VMware vSphere, administrators may find they are unable to modify the "Datastore default" VM storage policy for VMFS or NFS datastores. This limitation often surfaces when attempting to automate the assignment of third-party replication components (such as Zerto) to all new virtual machines. The following details explain the architectural constraints of Storage Policy-Based Management (SPBM) and provide recommended automation workarounds.

Symptoms

• The Edit configuration option is missing when navigating to Datastore > Configure > General.
• Users cannot replace the "Datastore default" policy with a custom policy at the datastore level.
• New virtual machines (VMs) default to a generic policy rather than a policy containing required replication components.

Environment

VMware ESXi 8.x, 9.x

VMFS 5, VMFS 6, NFS 3, NFS 4.1

Cause

VMware's SPBM architecture treats block-based storage (VMFS) and file-based storage (NFS) differently than software-defined storage (vSAN).

• Architectural Limitation: For VMFS and NFS, the physical storage array manages redundancy and performance at the LUN or Volume level.
• Functionality: SPBM on VMFS is used primarily for tagging and capability matching rather than dictating physical data placement.
• Comparison: Modifying the default storage policy at the datastore level is a capability exclusively reserved for vSAN and vVols.

Resolution

Workarounds

Because the default policy for VMFS/NFS cannot be modified, administrators must use automation to ensure new VMs receive custom storage policies during provisioning.

Option 1: VMware Aria Automation (formerly vRA)

Specify the custom storage policy directly within VMware Aria Automation or VCF Automation cloud templates. This ensures the policy is applied automatically during the provisioning process without requiring manual intervention per VM.

Option 2: PowerCLI / SDK Automation

Implement a post-provisioning script to programmatically assign the targeted storage policy.

Option 3: Create Custom Storage Policies

While you cannot change the default, you can create custom policies and select them during the VM creation wizard. Refer to Create a VM Storage Policy for VMFS Datastore.

Additional Information

• vVols Deprecation: VMware vSphere Virtual Volumes (vVols) capabilities are deprecated beginning with VCF 9.0 and will be removed in VCF 9.1. For more details, see KB 401070.
• Log Retrieval: For instructions on retrieving SPBM-related logs, refer to KB 2032893.