Error "You cannot disable DRS on a cluster that contains vApps. To disable DRS on this cluster you must manually delete all vApps in the cluster." when trying to disable DRS in the cluster.

Products

• VMware vCenter Server

Issue/Introduction

The following error message will return on trying to disable DRS in a cluster that has any vApp configured:

"You cannot disable DRS on a cluster that contains vApps. To disable DRS on this cluster you must manually delete all vApps in the cluster."

 

 

Environment

vCenter Server Appliance

Cause

This is not an error in the system, the error message is proactively preventing an operation that is not supported.

Since DRS is a requirement for vApps to work, you cannot have any vApp in the cluster to disable DRS.

 

Resolution

To workaround if you cannot delete any of the existing vApps:

Set DRS to Manual or Partially Automated to prevent the automatic VM migrations.

 

In case you definitely need to disable DRS for any reason, delete any existing vApp from the cluster you need to disable DRS.

To delete the vApp follow these steps:

1. Drag the VMs you do not want to delete out from the vApp to the cluster level (it's not required to power off the VMs).
   
   
2. Power off the VMs that can be deleted along with the vApp (power off the whole vApp).
   
   
3. Wait for all the tasks related to the shutdown to complete (this can take some time if the vApp has shutdown delay implemented).
   
   
4. Right click to the vApp and choose "Delete from disk" (Warning: this will permanently delete all the VMs that are remaining in the vApp).
   
   
5. Confirm the remaining VMs can be deleted, if any; then choose "Yes" on the message: "Deleting this vApp will remove its VMs and resource pools from the inventory. It will also delete all VM files from the disk. Delete this vApp?"
   
   
6. Proceed to disable DRS in the cluster.