Virtual Machine Displays Old Datastore Registration After Storage vMotion

Products

• VMware vCenter Server

Issue/Introduction

Virtual machines (VMs) migrated via Storage vMotion may continue to display an association with the source datastore in the inventory. This prevents administrators from unmounting or decommissioning the legacy storage because vCenter Server identifies active registrations. This behavior is common in environments utilizing linked clones, instant clones, or VMs with persistent snapshots. Symptoms include the old datastore appearing in the Related Objects tab, the VM Summary tab, or errors when attempting to delete the source LUN. Identifying and clearing these persistent disk descriptor references is required to release the storage lock.

Environment

• vCenter Server
• vSphere ESXi
• VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF)
• VMware Horizon

Cause

In VDI and snapshot-heavy environments, VMs often run on delta disks (snapshots). While Storage vMotion relocates the active delta files, the disk's descriptor file may contain a hard-coded path to a parent base disk or a shared replica residing on the old datastore. vCenter maintains the registration link to preserve the integrity of the snapshot chain. Additionally, peripheral device configurations (ISO mappings or serial port logs) can hold active references to the source storage.

Resolution

[!CAUTION] VDI Warning: Do not use the standard vCenter Consolidate or Delete All Snapshots options for managed VDI clones (linked/instant clones). Performing these actions manually can orphan the VM or corrupt the desktop broker database. Use the VDI management console for remediation.

1. Recompose or Update the VDI Pool (VDI Environments)

   • Open the VDI management console (e.g., VMware Horizon Administrator).
   • Initiate a Recompose, Rebalance, or Image Update operation for the affected pool.
   • Ensure the provisioning settings are updated to target only the new datastore.
   • This process destroys the legacy delta disks and provisions fresh clones entirely on the new storage.

2. Verify and Disconnect ISO Media

   • Right-click the VM and select Edit Settings.
   • Expand the CD/DVD drive hardware section.
   • If the drive is set to "Datastore ISO file" pointing to the old datastore, change the selection to Client Device.
   • Ensure the Connected and Connect at Power On checkboxes are unchecked.

3. Perform Snapshot Consolidation (Non-VDI VMs)

   • Right-click the VM and select Snapshots > Consolidate.
   • If standard consolidation fails due to disk locks, see Consolidating snapshots in VMware ESXi for manual steps.

4. Redirect Serial Port Backing Files

   • Review Serial Port settings in the VM hardware configuration.
   • If a serial port is configured to output to a file, ensure the file path is moved to the new datastore or the configuration is removed.