Storage DRS migration fails for virtual machines with Independent Non-Persistent disks
Article ID: 427722
Updated On:
Products
Issue/Introduction
Storage DRS (SDRS) is failing to trigger automated migrations notwithstanding a configured datastore space utilization threshold of 60%. This has led to a critical imbalance where two datastores are nearing exhaustion at over 80% capacity, contrasting with the underutilized state of the remaining cluster members.
The system remains stagnant, providing no remedial recommendations to address the significant skew in storage utilization across the cluster.
Environment
- vCenter 7.x
- vCenter 8.x
Cause
The root cause stems from a technical limitation of Storage vMotion, which does not support disks in Independent Non-Persistent mode because the live synchronization required for migration is incompatible with a disk designed to discard all changes upon power-off or session termination
Resolution
To resolve this issue and allow Storage DRS to manage the virtual machine, the disk mode must be changed to a supported persistent state.
- Power off the affected virtual machine.
- Right-click the VM in the vSphere inventory and select Edit Settings.
- Expand the Hard disk section for the impacted disk.
- Change the Disk Mode from Independent Non-Persistent to Dependent (recommended) or Independent Persistent.
- Click OK to save the changes.
- Power on the virtual machine.
Once the disk is in a persistent mode, Storage DRS will be able to perform live migrations as expected. If the disk must remain non-persistent for a specific use case, the VM must be moved via Cold Migration (while powered off).
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