Failed to create swap file

[tahnan]

Hi, my vmware guest was running ok. my datastore size is 2TB and only 600GB out of 1TB for guest have been used. But suddenly, the server is not getting up and I have got following error. I also tried ssh and writing some data at datastore but i got input/output error. I need your suggestion what can I do to save the guest data?

Power On virtual machine:Could not start VMX: msg.vmk.status.VMK_IO_ERROR

See the error stack for details on the cause of this problem.

Time: 4/7/2015 2:03:49 PM

Error Stack

Failed to create swap file '/vmfs/volumes/54ece207-a9173cba-71da-002590650ee8/vmguest-4229954867-1.vswp' : I/O error

Could not start VMX: msg.vmk.status.VMK_IO_ERROR

[RyanH84]

Hi,

Can you post the Guest VM logs as well as the vmkernel logs from the server that the VM is trying to power up on?

Regards,

Ryan

[tahnan]

I have attached the LOG file here.

[cykVM]

From your vmkernel.log:

2015-04-07T21:04:17.487Z cpu5:32794)ScsiDeviceIO: 2338: Cmd(0x412e807bd840) 0x28, CmdSN 0x183 from world 34038 to dev "t10.ATA_____Hitachi_HDS721010DLE630_______________________MSK5235H2TW90G" failed H:0x0 D:0x2 P:0x0 Valid sense data: 0x3 0x11 0x4.

2015-04-07T21:04:17.487Z cpu5:32794)WARNING: NMP: nmp_DeviceRequestFastDeviceProbe:237: NMP device "t10.ATA_____Hitachi_HDS721010DLE630_______________________MSK5235H2TW90G" state in doubt; requested fast path state update...

2015-04-07T21:04:17.487Z cpu5:32794)ScsiDeviceIO: 2338: Cmd(0x412e80812000) 0x2a, CmdSN 0x184 from world 32781 to dev "t10.ATA_____Hitachi_HDS721010DLE630_______________________MSK5235H2TW90G" failed H:0x3 D:0x0 P:0x0 Possible sense data: 0x0 0x0 0x0.

2015-04-07T21:04:17.487Z cpu5:34038 opID=6ad3b0f5)WARNING: Swap: 3751: Failed to create swap file '/vmfs/volumes/54ece207-a9173cba-71da-002590650ee8/movie.ngisl.net/vmx-movie.ngisl.net-4229954867-1.vswp' : I/O error

2015-04-07T21:04:17.487Z cpu5:34038 opID=6ad3b0f5)WARNING: Swap: vm 571044: 4406: Swap initialization failed I/O error

2015-04-07T21:04:17.802Z cpu0:34545)Config: 346: "SIOControlFlag2" = 0, Old Value: 1, (Status: 0x0)

Looks like the Hitachi disk has a problem. I would check cabling and probably swap the cable. Might also be a controller issue and/or the disk itself dying.

[tahnan]

cykVM Hi, I did not understood what do you mean by cabling? This esxi host is stand alone machine and dose not have any other disk other than machine has. I tried to change swap location but guest did not start.

[cykVM]

I meant the SATA Cable from controller to the disk. Defective cables might cause this.

Is the VM not starting the only one on that datastore? Are you able to create a new VM on that particular datastore?

Maybe you should run disk vendor's (Hitachi) test tools on that disk from a boot cd (e.g. use Ultimate Boot CD/UBCD) to see what's wrong with that disk.

As said this could have various reasons which are hard to analyze from remote :smileywink: It could be cabling (SATA/SAS cable), the disk itself, the storage controller in use or even a combination of that.

[tahnan]

I have seen several post before posting my issue. Most of them have no definite answer. From what I have got from your discussion is that the issue is not related with VMware or esxi. It may related with hardware or hardware controller. The host has two HDD and one datastore. I have merged two disk together. I am trying exporting the guest, I will try run it to another host. But to have some definite answer, would you be interested to check from server? in that case, I might give you the access so that other may be benefited form this post to have a conclusive answer. 

Also I am unable to create new vm on that datastore.

[cykVM]

My suggestion was only to first rule out any physical hardware issues including defective cabling, defective disk (cluster errors) and/or defective controller.

If all that that is proven OK you have to dig a little deeper and look for software-side bugs including storage-controller's firmware (up to date?) and possible firware bugs on the drive itself and all the way down to controller's vmwarec driver etc.

Just from that error in logfiles you can't decide if that is a hardware or software bug. The most likely cause for me is a defective disk, because you can't write to itr in no way (swap file can't be created, no new VMs or even no file-level copies to that datastore/disk).

[Anjani_Kumar]

Check out this vmware KB. which have multiple reason for this state of your issue. hope you get it fixed from this.

http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?language=en_US&cmd=displayKC&externalId=2013834