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Knowledge Base

"device or resource busy" error when deleting a datastore (1015791)

Last Updated: 3/21/2024Categories: TroubleshootingTotal Views: 35265Language:
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Learn how VMware Skyline Advisor and Skyline Health Diagnostics work together to provide proactive intelligence and self-service log analysis.

Use Skyline Advisor to avoid issues before they occur across VCF, vSphere, vSAN, NSX, vROps & Horizon. Skyline Findings are based on top KBs, VMSAs/CVEs and design best practices.

Use Skyline Health Diagnostics to root cause vSphere & vSAN logs when an issue occurs. Skyline Health Diagnostic Findings are based on top KBs and VMSA/CVEs. You can use the Skyline Health Diagnostics tool in online or offline mode.

If you require additional help from technical support, please use Skyline Advisor to initiate a Log Assist to reduce time to upload logs. TSEs can also initiate logs to reduce effort.

Symptoms

When you browse a datastore, it does not have any files or folders.

There are no files or directories present under /vmfs/volumes/DATASTORE_NAME.

Deleting a datastore fails.

Deleting the partition table of this datastore does not resolve the issue.

While deleting or unmounting a datastore, you see these errors similar to:

Device or Resource Busy

Or

The resource 'Datastore Name: Datastore VMFS uuid:' is in use.

Or

The resource 'iscsi1' is in use. (where iscsi1 is the name of the datastore).

Cause

The issue occurs if the datastore being deleted is being actively used/referenced by the VMware ESXi host. This could be caused by either:

The Datastore is referencing an ISO image (or in case of older VMs Floppy image).

The Datastore still has active VM/VM Template references.

Resolution

The Datastore is referencing an ISO image (or in case of older VMs Floppy image)

This issue occurs if the datastore is hosting an ISO that is mapped to a virtual machine on a VMware ESXi host on which this datastore is mounted. Even if you delete the ISO file from the datastore, the ISO link to the virtual machine is not broken. If you try to delete this datastore, you see the error 'Device or Resource Busy'.

To determine if this is the cause:

Browse to the vCenter Server datastore Inventory.

Select the datastore from the left pane, then click the Virtual Machines tab in the right pane.

If you have a virtual machine to which the ISO from this datastore is linked, the virtual machine name is listed.

To unmap the ISO:

Right-click the virtual machine and choose Edit Settings.

On the Hardware tab, click the CD/DVD Drive.

In the right pane, de-select the Datastore ISO file.

Note: Client Device is the default option.

Click OK.

For more information, see Virtual Machine displays two datastores in Summary tab despite all its files being located on one datastore (2105343).

The Datastore still has active VM/VM Template references

Browse to the Datastore Inventory on the vCenter Server.

Navigate to the VMs option.

Select the VM Templates in Folders option.

Right click on the VM template and select the Remove from Inventory option.

Once the above steps are completed successfully, there should be no more active references to the datastore and you should be able to delete the datastore (or the datastore entry would automatically be taken off the inventory).

Related Information

Before removing a datastore, ensure that you:

Unregister all the virtual machine or templates on that datastore.

Unmap any ISOs or floppy disks that are stored on the datastore.

Remove the datastore from the highest point on the Inventory (In the vCenter Server Datastores view)

Verify that the hosts do not display the datastore. If they do display the datastore, click Refresh in the host's Storage section.

To identify open files on the datastore that are supposed to be deleted, but appear as open, run this command:

vmkvsitools lsof

For additional information on removing datastores from the inventory, see:

How to detach a LUN device from ESXi hosts (2004605).

Remounting a disconnected NFS datastore from the ESXi command line

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End Of General Availability of the Free vSphere Hypervisor (ESXi 7.x and 8.x) (2107518)

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