Snapshot deletion task started while VM in powered off state

Products

• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

• Unable to delete VM snapshot(s) while VM is powered on due to lack of available storage space.
• During the snapshot deletion task process the options to power on the VM are not available (greyed out).

 

If the VM is powered off at the time the snapshot deletion (consolidation) task is started and the process is taking a long time you may want to attempt a way to power on the VM.

Cause

VM snapshot taken and left in place for extended period of time (beyond recommended 72 hours) and has consumed storage to the point of fully utilized (no more available space).

Resolution

There is no supported method to power on a VM while its snapshot(s) is/are being deleted (consolidated) when the task was started while the VM is in a powered off state.

• Any attempts to power on the VM while the snapshot deletion task is completing may lead to data loss.

Additional Information

Helpful links:

• Estimate the time required to consolidate virtual machine snapshots

• Best practices for using VMware snapshots in the vSphere environment

• Overview of virtual machine snapshots in vSphere

• Managing snapshots in vSphere Web Client

 

Recommendation:

• Utilize your vSphere products to create an alarm and set to send email notifications of any snapshots created for this VM or others, and to notify if snapshots remain after a 24 hours period; you could configure to auto delete the snapshots at that time.

  • This could help avoid this type of situation in the future.