How to list delta files in all datastores

[kastek]

I've recently found the VI Toolkit and have learned a lot from these forums.

I'd like to be able to search the contents of all datastores for the existence of any delta files, indicating the presence of lingering snapshots...old or new.

I'd like to see the paths, filenames, sizes and dates of any delta files.

Can anyone point me in the right direction?

Thank you...Mike

[admin]

This is pretty easy with the VI Toolkit Community Extensions.

If you use that, you can run

get-datastore | get-tkedatastorefile | where { $_.Path -match "delta" }

to find these files.

The extensions require PowerShell 2 CTP2. If that's a non-starter for you for some reason the script code should at least tell you enough to get started.

[kastek]

Wow...that was easy...thank you very much.

Is there an easy way to have the output not truncate, so I can see the whole Path and Modification fields?

Path Size Modification Datastore

[HNVMW30001SAN01... 16777216 1/14/2008 7:00:1... HNVMW30001SAN01

[HNVMW30001SAN01... 16777216 1/14/2008 7:00:1... HNVMW30001SAN01

Thank you...Mike

[admin]

Either pipe the output into

format-list *

or you can pipe it into

select Path, Modification

.

[kastek]

Perfect...thanks again...but...when I run the following commands separately from the Powershell command line they work fine...

-

---

Add-PSSnapin VMWare.VImAutomation.Core

"C:\Program Files\VMware\Infrastructure\VIToolkitForWindows\Scripts\Initialize-VIToolkitEnvironment.ps1"

Add-Module "C:\Program Files\VMware\Infrastructure\VIToolkitForWindows\coreModule\viToolkitExtensions.psm1"

Connect-VIServer -Server 192.168.xxx.xxx -User xxx -Password xxx

Get-Datastore | get-tkedatastorefile | where { $_.Path -match "delta" } | format-list * > c:\deltachk.txt

-

---

...but when I run them inside a script using "PowerShell.exe c:\deltachk.ps1" I get the following errors...

-

---

Get-View : 10/10/2008 11:28:32 AM Get-View You are not currently connected to any servers. Please connect first using Connect-VIServer or one of its aliases.

At C:\Program Files\VMware\Infrastructure\VIToolkitForWindows\coreModule\viToolkitExtensions.psm1:460 char:28

+ $datastoreView = get-view <<<< $ds.id

Get-View : The argument cannot be null or empty.

At C:\Program Files\VMware\Infrastructure\VIToolkitForWindows\coreModule\viToolkitExtensions.psm1:461 char:31

+ $datastoreBrowser = get-view <<<< $datastoreView.browser

You cannot call a method on a null-valued expression.

At C:\Program Files\VMware\Infrastructure\VIToolkitForWindows\coreModule\viToolkitExtensions.psm1:468 char:59

+ $task = $datastoreBrowser.SearchDatastoreSubFolders_Task <<<< ("[$name] /$subpath", $spec)

-

---

...what am I doing wrong???

Thank you...MIke

Message was edited by: kastek

[kastek]

Can anyone see what I'm doing wrong in thepost above?

Thank you...Mike

[LucD]

The message says you are not connected.

So perhaps add a Connect-VIServer at the beginning of your c:\deltachk.ps1 script.

[kastek]

Thanks LucD...but I do call the "Connect-VIServer" command already?

[LucD]

To further analyse what exactly goes wrong it would perhaps be useful if you posted the script.

[kastek]

Script attached...

[Skark166]

I think you'd be ok if you ditched line 4.

Skark166

[kastek]

Line 4...you mean the one that adds the viToolkitExtensions.psm1?

If I don't have that the "get-tkedatastorefile" command is not recognized.

[admin]

The problem may be that the connection is not actually succeeding.

Can you replace line 6 with just "get-datastore" and see if you get any output?

[kastek]

Yes I do get output...and just to clarify...when I issue the commands one at a time inside powershell it works fine...just doesn't work via the script?

[LucD]

Add-Module is a cmdlet from PowerShell v2, and PowerShell 2 CTP2 is required for the VITK Community Extensions.

So that should be ok.

And I can't see anything wrong in the script.

Are you sure the Connect-VIServer is working ?

Do you see the "Name Port User" message in the output ?

[kastek]

Yes I do see the "Name Port User" in the output

[admin]

There is a scoping problem with the $defaultVIServer variable.

This is a workaround: in your script change:

Connect-VIServer -Server 192.168.xxx.xxx -User xxx -Password xxx

to

$server = Connect-VIServer -Server 192.168.xxx.xxx -User xxx -Password xxx
$global:defaultVIServer = $server

It seems there is something peculiar about script cmdlets that makes them run in a different context from other cmdlets. The way we populate and use $defaultVIServer is probably not helping.

[kastek]

Still not working...same error

[kastek]

Des anyone have a method to search all datastores for "delta" files, without using the VI Toolkit Community Extensions?

[LucD]

Sure, something I had lying around in my goodies chest :smileywink:

function Get-DatastoreDir ($DSName){

  $dsImpl = Get-Datastore -Name $DSName
  $ds = Get-Datastore -Name $DSName | Get-View
  $dsBrowser = Get-View -Id $ds.Browser

  $datastorepath = "[http://" + $ds.Summary.Name + "|http://" + $ds.Summary.Name + "]"
  
  $searchspec = New-Object VMware.Vim.HostDatastoreBrowserSearchSpec
  $searchSpec.matchpattern = "*"
  $searchSpec.details = New-Object VMware.Vim.FileQueryFlags
  $searchSpec.details.fileSize = $true
  $searchSpec.details.fileType = $true
  $searchSpec.details.modification = $true
 
  $taskMoRef = $dsBrowser.SearchDatastoreSubFolders_Task($datastorePath, $searchSpec) 
  $task = Get-View $taskMoRef 
  while ($task.Info.State -eq "running"){$task = Get-View $taskMoRef}

  $report = @() 
  foreach ($result in $task.info.Result){
    foreach($file in $result.File){
      if($file.GetType().Name -ne "FolderFileInfo"){
	    $row = "" | Select Filename, Folder, Filesize, Modification
        $row.Filename = $file.Path
	    $row.Folder = $result.FolderPath
	    $row.Filesize = $file.FileSize
	    $row.Modification = $file.Modification
	    $report += $row
	  }
    }
  }
  $report
}

Get-DatastoreDir <datastore-name> | Where-Object {$_.Filename -match "flat"}

If you want to do this for all your datastores you could change the last line to

Get-Datastore | %{Get-DatastoreDir $_.Name} | Where-Object {$_.Filename -match "flat"}

[kastek]

That did it..perfectly...thank you very, very much!

[RS_1]

@c_shanklin : your workaround works for me (i got the "You are not currently connected..." case too)

Thanks !

[Skark166]

I always use this to initialize the toolkit:

$vmsnap = Get-PSSnapin vmware* -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
if ($vmsnap -eq $NULL) { Add-PSSnapIn -Name VMWare.VimAutomation.core }
Initialize-VIToolkitEnvironment.ps1

Skark166

[LucD]

That loads the VITK snapin and defines some aliases and functions (in Initialize-VIToolkitEnvironment.ps1) but it doesn't do a Connect-VIServer.

[filip_hasa]

Do you know how to get from command line? RCLI.

I cannot find it.

Thank you

[LucD]

That should normally be in the vifs.pl command but I'm afraid it doesn't allow masking nor recursive folder listings.