VMware Datastore Management

From time to time, your VMware environment may run out of available datastore space. If a datastore fills up beyond 85% utilization, it can lead to VMs hanging and lock up of entire environments if not addressed. Managing the datastore before it gets to this utilization level is an important part of managing your cloud environment. When your free space is low, you have a few options.

Option 1: power down and remove VMs from your environment

If you have idle or unused VMs in your environment you can remove them to clear up space on the datastore.

Option 2: request additional datastore space

You can open a MacStadium Support ticket requesting additional space be added to your environment.

Typically storage is added in 1TB increments, but you can request other sizes as needed. Your Account Manager can discuss pricing and options with you after you open the ticket.

Once you have settled on the size to expand to, MacStadium Support will expand the datastore and notify you once it is complete. This is typically a non-disruptive task.

Option 3: review the datastore for any abandoned files

If you are not able to remove VMs and do not wish to expand the datastore, one of your last options is to review your datastore for any leftover files.

When you remove a VM from an environment, you have the option to Remove from Inventory and Delete From Disk. Selecting the Remove from Inventory option actually leaves the VM data files on the datastore while Delete from Disk removes them entirely.

It's possible to select Remove from Inventory and not realize these files are still on your datastore. You can review this by logging into your VMware Web Client and going to the Datastore object.

From there you can select the "Files" tab and begin navigating the datastore for any leftover files. PROCEED WITH CAUTION: Your live VMs will be listed as well as any abandoned file VMs. Deleting files that are in use could lead to corruption of your VMs. Be sure you know what you are looking at before deleting anything.