need to check multiwriter is enabled in VM

[td_sk]

Hi All,

   Thanks in Advance.

   For creating build verification documents, I need to check if the particular VM is enabled with multi writer disk's or not .Any help much appreciated.

I need a report some thing like the following.

   

Header 1	Header 2	Header 3	Header 2
Capacity GB	StorageFormat	Filename	Multi-writer
40 GB	EagerZeroedThick	[LUN-1]vmtest.vmdk	no
60 GB	EagerZeroedThick	[LUN-1]vmtest_1.vmdk	yes

[LucD]

Try something like this

Get-VM | Get-HardDisk | %{

    $ctrl = Get-ScsiController -HardDisk $_

    $_ | Select @{N='VM';E={$_.Parent.Name}},

        Name,

        StorageFormat,

        FileName,

        @{N='Multi-Writer';E={

           Get-AdvancedSetting -Entity $_.Parent -Name "scsi$($ctrl.ExtensionData.BusNumber):$($_.ExtensionData.UnitNumber).sharing" |

           Select -ExpandProperty Value

        }}

}

[Vel_VMware]

Hi,

Excellent, thanks a lot.

Can you please add two more information in that script Cluster and host please and can be export in .csv

Thanks and Regards,

[LucD]

Sure, try like this

Get-VM | Get-HardDisk | %{

    $ctrl = Get-ScsiController -HardDisk $_

    $_ | Select @{N='VM';E={$_.Parent.Name}},

        @{N='VMHost';E={$_.Parent.VMHost.Name}},

        @{N='Cluster';E={Get-Cluster -VM $_.Parent | Select -ExpandProperty Name}},

        Name,

        StorageFormat,

        FileName,

        @{N='Multi-Writer';E={

           Get-AdvancedSetting -Entity $_.Parent -Name "scsi$($ctrl.ExtensionData.BusNumber):$($_.ExtensionData.UnitNumber).sharing" |

           Select -ExpandProperty Value

        }}

}

[Vel_VMware]

Hi,

Superb, I tried to export it in .CSV by adding below command at the end, but no luck.

"$ctrl | Export-CSV C:\MultiWriter.csv"

[LucD]

The ForEach block doesn't place anything on the pipeline.

One way of capturing and exporting the result is like this

$report = Get-VM | Get-HardDisk | %{

    $ctrl = Get-ScsiController -HardDisk $_

    $_ | Select @{N='VM';E={$_.Parent.Name}},

        @{N='VMHost';E={$_.Parent.VMHost.Name}},

        @{N='Cluster';E={Get-Cluster -VM $_.Parent | Select -ExpandProperty Name}},

        Name,

        StorageFormat,

        FileName,

        @{N='Multi-Writer';E={

           Get-AdvancedSetting -Entity $_.Parent -Name "scsi$($ctrl.ExtensionData.BusNumber):$($_.ExtensionData.UnitNumber).sharing" |

           Select -ExpandProperty Value

        }}

}

$report | Export-Csv -Path C:\MultiWriter.csv -NoTypeInformation -UseCulture

[Vel_VMware]

Hi,

Thanks a looooot......It works great.

[Vel_VMware]

Hi,

I am getting empty in multiwriter column and no data, can you please it in the script.

Thanks in advance.

[LucD]

If there is multi-writer set, you will get an empty cell.

Only when there is an entry will you see True or False in the column.

[Vel_VMware]

I couldn't get you, you meant, If there is no multi-writer set, will get an empty cell...?

Where I will get an entry True or False? In my case, I have number of multi writer enabled VM's but I got empty cells on those VM's also.

Can you please clarify me..

[LucD]

If multi-write is set for a vDisk on a VM, you should have an Advanced Setting on the VM that looks like scsix:y.sharing = “multi-writer”.

The value on that key is what you should see in the column (it's not True or False, I was wrong).

When you do a Get-AdvancedSetting for a VM with multi-write enabled, do you see such entries being returned?

Get-AdvancedSetting -Entity (Get-VM MyVM) | where{$_.Name -match "^scsi.*sharing"}

[Vel_VMware]

Yeah, its there in VMX config file. I have created that shared disk.

[LucD]

Can you show me a sample entry?

I would like to verify that the calculated property is querying for the correct key.

[Vel_VMware]

Do I need to add this below line in the script.?

Get-AdvancedSetting -Entity (Get-VM MyVM) | where{$_.Name -match "^scsi.*sharing"}

[LucD]

No, just run that line by itself, and replace the MyVM by one of your VMnames (one where you know that multi-writer is defined).

[Vel_VMware]

I am not getting any out after running that given single line script. Its just simply came out from run time after completion of script execution.

[LucD]

Leave out the where-clause and see if you can find the multi-write entry in the output.

[Vel_VMware]

Yeah, I could see scsi.x:x - multi-writer, I got the response blank in multi writer while running script.

What should I get the out for this, True or False or blank in multiwriter column.

[LucD]

Looks like the Advanced Settings doesn't list that value anymore, at least not in vSphere 6.5.

Try this alternative method

Get-VM | Get-HardDisk | %{

    $ctrl = Get-ScsiController -HardDisk $_

    $_ | Select @{N='VM';E={$_.Parent.Name}},

        Name,

        StorageFormat,

        FileName,

        @{N='Multi-Writer';E={$_.ExtensionData.Backing.Sharing}}

}

[exploreeverythi]

I had this problem a while ago. We were able to check 'multi-writer' flag from 'Advanced Setting', when the VMs were on ESXi 5.5. After an upgrade to 6.0, the multi-writer values disappeared from Advanced Setting and the only way we could check is by opening the vmx file of the VM.

I did try $_.ExtensionData.Backing.Sharing but it is showing empty, but the VM does have multi-writer enabled on the vmx.

[LucD]

In 6.5 the Backing property seems to work.

So it looks like in 6 one needs to check the VMX (I'll verify that in any case)

[LucD]

On 6 the Backing seems to provide the multi-writer state as well.

Only until 5.5 do you need to access the VMX (through the Get-AdvancedSettings cmdlet).

The following script test the version, and retrieves the setting accordingly

Get-VM | Get-HardDisk | %{

    $ctrl = Get-ScsiController -HardDisk $_

    $_ | Select @{N='VM';E={$_.Parent.Name}},

        Name,

        StorageFormat,

        FileName,

        @{N='Multi-Writer';E={

            if($_.Parent.VMHost.ApiVersion -le "5.5"){

                $ctrl = Get-ScsiController -HardDisk $_

                Get-AdvancedSetting -Entity $_.Parent -Name "scsi$($ctrl.ExtensionData.BusNumber):$($_.ExtensionData.UnitNumber).sharing" |

                Select -ExpandProperty Value

            }

            else{

                $_.ExtensionData.Backing.Sharing

            }

       }}

}

[Vel_VMware]

Excellent, thanks a lot for your effort, its working as I expected.

[Vel_VMware]

Hi LuCD,

Hope you are doing good.

After long break coming back to same thread. You have provided me the script to get "Multiwriter" has been enabled for VM's. Thats works great too.

I just want to have the same kind of script to get same "Multiwriter" has been enabled for specific list of VM's. Which means I would be having the list of VM's in .csv format and providing this an input and it has to get whether those VM's are enabled with "Multiwriter" or not.

Can you please help me on this..

Thanks in advance

[LucD]

Sure, but I suggest you open a new thread for that.
That makes it easier for others to find it.