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Cannot hot-add a hard disk to a powered on virtual machine Adding an existing virtual machine disk (VMDK) to a virtual machine that is already powered on fails. You see the error:Failed to add disk scsi0:1.Failed to power on scsi0:1.Reason: REASONCannot open the disk '/vmfs/volumes/datastore_dir/vm_dir/vm.vmdk' or one of the snapshot disks it depends onWhere REASON can be any one of these: Could not open/create change tracking file I/O error accessing change tracking file Failed to lock the file The file already exists Insufficient permission to access file Input/output error Cannot allocate memory
This issue may occur due to one of these reasons: Could not open/create change tracking file I/O error accessing change tracking file Failed to lock the file The file already exists Insufficient permission to access file Input/output error Cannot allocate memory
This table list the issues, cause of the issues, and the its corresponding resolution: ErrorCauseResolutionCould not open/create change tracking fileThis issue occur when reference to a filename-ctk.vmdk file, created when Change Block Tracking (CBT) was enabled for the virtual machine,is not cleared in the virtual machine's configuration file when CBT is no longer enabled.To resolve this issue, see Powering on a virtual machine fails after a storage outage with the error: could not open/create change tracking file (2009244).I/O error accessing change tracking fileThis issue occurs if an ESXi host has a problem in reading/writing to the change tracking file for a virtual machine that has CBT enabled. The reason for the I/O errors could be an issue with the storage device or the data store on which the file is located. To troubleshoot any issues related to storage devices and data stores, see Troubleshooting storage issues when using VMware products (2013160). If the problem persists, file a support request. For more information how to file a support request, see How to file a Support Request in Customer Connect (2006985).Failed to lock the fileTo prevent concurrent changes to critical virtual machine files and file systems, ESXi/ESX hosts establish locks on these files. In certain circumstances, these locks may not be released when the virtual machine is powered off, thereby causing this error, when the virtual machine is powered on later in the cluster.To resolve this issue, see Investigating virtual machine file locks on ESXi (10051).The file already existsThis issue occurs if the virtual machine was already configured with the virtual disk that is being hot-added to the virtual machine.To resolve this issue, ensure that the virtual disk which is being added to the virtual machine is not already in use by the same virtual machine. Insufficient permission to access fileThis issue is usually observed in virtual machines located on NFS datastores. This issue may occur due to permissions issues on the NFS datastore.To resolve this issue, ensure that the host has the correct read/write permissions to access the NFS export.If your storage array has the No Root Squash option, ensure that the option is enabled or contact your Storage Administrator.(Input/output error)This issue occurs if ESXi host has a problem accessing the underlying storage devices or data stores. Troubleshoot and resolve any issues with the underlying storage devices: Troubleshooting LUN connectivity issues on ESXi/ESX hosts (1003955) Troubleshooting fibre channel storage connectivity (1003680) Troubleshooting iSCSI LUN connectivity issues on ESX/ESXi hosts (1003681) Troubleshooting ESXi/ESX connectivity to iSCSI arrays using software initiators (1003952) Troubleshooting connectivity issues to an NFS datastore on ESX and ESXi hosts (1003967) (Cannot allocate memory)This issue occurs if any of the software component in the ESXi storage stack, such as VMFS module, ran out of heap memory capacity.Another instance where this can occur is if there are lot of stale snapshot files in the data store on which the virtual machine is located. If the issue is due to VMFS heap exhaustion. For more information, see ESXi/ESX host reports VMFS heap warnings when hosting virtual machines that collectively use 4 TB or 20 TB of virtual disk storage (1004424) . If the issue is due to stale snapshot files, see Committing snapshots when there are no snapshot entries in the Snapshot Manager (1002310). If the issue is due to other reasons, file a support request. For more information, see, How to file a Support Request in Customer Connect (2006985). Notes: If you see a different reason for the failure, open a support request with VMware Support. For more information, see How to file a Support Request in Customer Connect (2006985).
These articles provide information that may be related to this issue: VMware Community Stating VM Problem VMware Community Cannot open disk or one of the snapshot disk is dependent on. Function not implemented VMware Community Lun input/output error VMware Community Consolidating VM with a large number of redo logs and snapshots fail VMware Community Failed to start the virtual machine. 5 (Input/output error) http://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/failed-reattach-disks-desktop-were-temporarily-attached-cachepoint-appliance To be alerted when this document is updated, click the Subscribe to Article link in the Actions box Committing snapshots when there are no snapshot entries in the Snapshot ManagerTroubleshooting fibre channel storage connectivityTroubleshooting iSCSI LUN connectivity issues on ESX/ESXi hostsTroubleshooting ESXi/ESX connectivity to iSCSI arrays using software initiatorsTroubleshooting LUN connectivity issues on ESXi/ESX hostsTroubleshooting connectivity issues to an NFS datastore on ESX and ESXi hostsESXi/ESX host reports VMFS heap warnings when hosting virtual machines that collectively use 4 TB or 20 TB of virtual disk storageInvestigating virtual machine file locks on ESXiUnable to create snapshot: Operation failed because file already exists or Cannot complete the operation because the file or folder [DatastoreName] VMname/VMname.vmx already existsPowering on a virtual machine fails with the error: Cannot open the diskHow to file a Support Request in Customer Connect“could not open/create change tracking files” error when powering on VMTroubleshooting storage issues when using VMware products