NFS datastore mount for Disc Images (ISO) issues

[warkem]

Hi,

I am having issue seeing my iso files in my NFS datastore. I have successfully created the nfs datastore but I can't see my iso files.

When I mount the store from a console I can see all the iso images however when I use the VI client and browse the datastore to use an iso file they cannot be seen. All I can see in the datastore is vpxa files in the nfs datastore??

If someone could help that would be great.

Cheers,

Joe

[GBromage]

Hi Joe!

Have you tried granting wider permissions on the ISO files?

Try it with -rwxrwxrwx (chmod 777 filename.iso) and work backwards from there.

Hope that helps,

Greg

[warkem]

Thanks for the response but the NFS share is using Microsoft services for NFS and the files have full permissions set for anonymous, the NFS share has All Machines set for Read+Write and log in as root checked.

Any other ideas?

Cheers,

Joe

[masaki]

You can't see any iso file or you can see some (depending on size)?

[masaki]

TRy this thread:

http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=658097&#658097

[warkem]

Yeah i'd rather not use smb from the console, why can't I see the ISOs in NFS. No I cannot see any of the ISOs in VirtualCentre but when I mount the NFS share on a Red Hat ES4 server I can see and use the ISO files?

I am stumped!

[masaki]

don't mount the iso as NFS in the Red Hat vms.

Do it by VI client as DVD device after you apply what written in the thread above.

[warkem]

sorry you have misunderstood me, here's what I have done so far;

1) I have created an NFS share using Microsoft Services for NFS on a Server 2003 R2 box. I have allowed Anonymous access and root access to the share. And anonymous has full rights to all the ISO files.

2) In Virtual Center on the host I have added the NFS share as a Datastore

3) I have created a new VM and tried to mount the ISO image in the NFS datastore as the cd rom for the VM

#however when I browse the datastore there are no files listed in the datastore

so...

What I have done to troubleshoot is;

a) On a physical Redhat Server ES4 I have mount the NFS share to test that it was working correctly and can successfully browse the share and see all the iso images.

b) restarted the nfs services on the esx host console

c) used the showmount command to see that the host can successfully see the Images folder on the nfs server.

\[root@ESXHOST root]# showmount -e nfsserver.mydomain.com.au

Export list for nfsserver.mydomain.com.au:

/Images (everyone)

Any other ideas?

[masaki]

Can you see any other kind of files in NFS datastore?

It depends on iso file size?

Try to put there a little iso (less than 500 MB)

Another idea.

Did you apply this in vi3_server_config.pdf?....

NFS Volumes and Virtual Machine Delegate Users

If you are planning to create, configure, or administer virtual machines on an NFS-based datastore, you need to assign NFS access privileges to a special user, known as the delegate user.

By default, the delegate user for the ESX Server host is root. However, having root as the delegate user may not work for all NFS volumes. In some cases, to protect NFS volumes from unauthorized access, NFS administrators may export the volumes with the root squash option turned on. When root squash is on, the NFS server treats access by root as access by any unprivileged user and might refuse the ESX Server host access to virtual machine files stored on the NFS volume.

You can change the delegate user to a different identity through experimental ESX Server functionality.

[warkem]

Tried a 200mb ISO file, still no go.

There are 6 files that I can see in the nfs datastore though I cannot see them when I browse the share via linux or windows.

it seems to be pointing back at the own log files on the esx host see screenshots

what is see in VC

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1156/653895398_a8a1405025_o.jpg

in NFS for Windows

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1240/653659213_1755baf955_o.jpg

in linux

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1089/653659191_f0a151df38_o.jpg

[masaki]

What about the path in the first image?

/var/log/...???

Is the right datastore ?

[johnswb]

I'm having the same problem. I do not see any files in my NFS share. Also, if I do the following on the server with the NFS share I see nothing. click-start, click-run, type
servername\nfsshare, click-ok... A window opens but no files are viewable.

[masaki]

Read this interesting thread:

ISO's only on VMFS?

http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=354176&#354176

[masaki]

an interesting message in the thread says:

"I just found out that I can mount ISO from a non-vmfs mount on the COS. I realized this after I had had a converted VM that still had the path for the iso mount. I could mount it from /iso/cdname.iso. /iso is a COS mount point for a SMB file share on NAS.

You cannot browse but can cut & paste or manually type in a path and it will work. Kind of like the old MUI was. I'm not sure if this is by design or a "bug". I hope it stays and becomes browseable. "

So it seems to me that you can use them from a NFS but can't browse them.

[warkem]

Thanks!!!

The NFS datastore is not browseable but you can enter the full path to the iso images in the nfs datastore and the vm see it no problems.

its a shame its not browseable but I am up and running nonetheless.

Thanks for all your help.

Cheers,

Joe

[masaki]

You're welcome.

Consider assigning points for helpful answers too. If you find any.

See you on VMTN

[SReuter]

I ran into the same issue today. The ESX itseld sees correctly the mounted NFS Store (in the service console), but the VIClient datastore browser only shows vpxa log files.

In my case the solution was quite interesting and might also help in other cases with the same symptoms:

The PTR-Record was missing in DNS for the NFS-Server (Windows 2003 R2) and thus the datastore browser could not show the contents.