VMware vSAN is a software-defined storage solution that is integrated with the vSphere hypervisor. It allows the creation of a distributed storage cluster from local disk resources across multiple ESXi hosts, creating a high-performance, highly available storage solution for virtual machines. vSAN works by creating a pool of shared storage from the disk resources on each ESXi host, and then presenting this pool as a single datastore to the vSphere environment.
However, there may be situations where unknown objects appear in the vSAN cluster, which can cause issues with performance, availability, and management. Unknown objects are essentially objects that vSAN is unable to identify, such as virtual machine disk (VMDK) files or snapshots that are not registered with the vCenter Server. In this blog post, we will look at how to identify unknown objects and remove them from vSAN.
Step 1: Identify the unknown objects
The first step is to identify the unknown objects in the vSAN cluster. Follow these detailed steps to navigate to virtual objects under vSAN:
Step 1: Log in to vSphere Web Client
First, log in to the vSphere Web Client by opening a web browser and entering the URL for the vSphere Web Client. Enter your vSphere login credentials and click the “Login” button.
Step 2: Navigate to vSAN Cluster
In the vSphere Web Client, navigate to the vSAN cluster that you want to view virtual objects for. This can be done by selecting the “Hosts and Clusters” view in the navigation pane on the left-hand side of the screen, and then selecting the vSAN cluster from the list.
Step 3: View Virtual Objects
Once you have selected the vSAN cluster, you can view the virtual objects that are associated with that cluster. This can be done by selecting the “Monitor” tab at the top of the screen, and then selecting the “vSAN” option from the list on the left-hand side of the screen.
Step 4: Navigate to Virtual Objects
After selecting the “vSAN” option, you will see a list of options on the left-hand side of the screen. Select the “Virtual Objects” option from the list to view the virtual objects that are associated with the vSAN cluster.
Step 5: View Virtual Objects
Once you have navigated to the “Virtual Objects” screen, you will see a list of all the virtual objects that are associated with the vSAN cluster. This list will include virtual machines, VMDK files, snapshots, and other virtual objects.
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From Esxi host shell you can run following commands to validate the unknown
This command will list all the objects in the vSAN cluster, including any unknown objects. You can identify unknown objects by looking for objects that have a status of “Absent”. These objects may be VMDK files or snapshots that are not registered with the vCenter Server.
Step 2: Verify Remove the unknown objects
Once you have identified the unknown objects, the next step is to remove them from the vSAN cluster. This can be done by using the following command in the ESXi Shell:
# /usr/lib/vmware/osfs/bin/objtool getAttr -u 9a42eb63-0a23-7ddf-7c95-5c6f69f60780Edit Image
This command will help display the properties and object path. Which helps us validate the VM name and object name.
In this output the object is vswp file for Wind10Clone VM.
# /usr/lib/vmware/osfs/bin/objtool delete -u 9a42eb63-0a23-7ddf-7c95-5c6f69f60780Above command will help you delete the unwanted objects
Step 3: Verify the vSAN cluster
Finally, you should verify that the vSAN cluster is working correctly. Follow Step 1 detailed steps to navigate to virtual objects under vSAN to validate if the unknown object is vanished from GUI as well.
Conclusion
Unknown objects in the vSAN cluster can cause issues with performance, availability, and management. It is important to identify and remove these objects as soon as possible to ensure that the vSAN cluster is working correctly. By following the steps outlined in this blog post, you can identify and remove unknown objects from the vSAN cluster and ensure that your virtual machines are running smoothly.