Placing host into maintenance mode with either 'Full data migration' or 'Ensure Accessibility' options may fail if Storage Policy for any VM is "Non-compliant" or "Out of Date"
Article ID: 428021
Updated On:
Products
Issue/Introduction
Attempts to place an ESXi host into Maintenance Mode using either the 'Full data migration' or 'Ensure Accessibility' vSAN evacuation options may fail when any of Virtual Machines residing on the host reporting a "Non-compliant" and "Out of Date" in Storage Policy Compliance view.
To verify:
Log in to the vSphere Client.
Check if any VMs do show VM Storage Policy Compliance status as "Out of Date" or "Non-compliant" in the Summary tab.
Environment
VMware vSAN 8.0.x
Cause
The virtual machine vSAN objects are non-compliant with their Storage Policy, which may prevent the vSAN data migration pre-checks from passing. This is expected behavior.
vSAN requires storage objects to be healthy and compliant with their assigned Storage Policy Based Management (SPBM) rules before allowing an ESXi host to enter Maintenance Mode. If objects are "Out of Date," the system halts the evacuation to prevent potential data unavailability. Additionally, 'Full data migration' for a standard Failures to Tolerate (FTT) = 1 policy fundamentally requires at least three fault domains (nodes) to rebuild the data components during evacuation.
Resolution
To resolve the compliance issue and allow the host to enter Maintenance Mode:
Browse to the affected virtual machine in the vCenter Web Client navigator.
Click the Configure tab.
Select Policies from the left panel.
If the Reapply VM Storage Policy button is clickable, click it to force a policy re-evaluation.
5. If the Reapply VM Storage Policy button is unclickable: a. Click Edit VM Storage Policies. b. Select an alternative available policy (e.g., a cloned vSAN storage policy). c. Click OK.
6. Wait for the compliance check to complete and verify the VM marks as "Compliant".
7. Place the ESXi host into Maintenance Mode using the Ensure Accessibility option.
Additional Information
Reapplying or modifying the VM storage policy triggers the SPBM engine to re-evaluate the object state, forcing a synchronization that clears the "Out of Date" status and marks the objects as compliant. Once the objects are compliant, vSAN can safely calculate the evacuation plan required for 'Ensure Accessibility'.
Ref:
vSAN Health Service - vSAN Storage Policy Compliance up-to-date
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