[VCL-905] VMware code should ignore files under .snapshot directories

• Type: Improvement
• Status: Resolved
• Priority: Major
• Resolution: Fixed
• Fix Version/s: 2.5
• Component/s: vcld (backend)
• Assignee: Andrew Kurth
• Reporter: Andrew Kurth
• Created: 14/Sep/15 17:00
• Updated: 13/Oct/15 19:50
• Resolved: 13/Oct/15 19:50

Description

Some Netapp and other storage units may automatically create copies of the contents of a volume on a schedule. For Netapp units, snapshot copies are stored under a .snapshot directory on the volume. This directory may be accessible from the VM host. It is possible to configure the volume so that this directory is not displayed on hosts, however, this is not the default.

Problems occur if the .snapshot directory is accessible on the VM host because the VCL code may attempt to alter the files contained in it. As an example, if the code attempts to delete a VM for which a copy of its working directory was saved in a Netapp snapshot:

|Linux.pm:delete_file|1651| ---- WARNING ----
|Linux.pm:delete_file|1651| 2015-09-13 13:59:55|Linux.pm:delete_file|1651|error occurred attempting to delete file or directory on vcl3o1-5: '/vmfs/volumes/fas8040/.snapshot/daily.2015-09-12_0010/vm5_22-v4':
|Linux.pm:delete_file|1651| command: 'rm -rfv /vmfs/volumes/fas8040/\.snapshot/daily\.2015\-09\-12_0010/vclv99\-44_3705\-v4'
|Linux.pm:delete_file|1651| exit status: 1
|Linux.pm:delete_file|1651| output:
|Linux.pm:delete_file|1651| rm: can't remove '/vmfs/volumes/fas8040/.snapshot/daily.2015-09-12_0010/vm5_22-v4/vm5_22-v4.vmx': Read-only file system
|Linux.pm:delete_file|1651| rm: can't remove '/vmfs/volumes/fas8040/.snapshot/daily.2015-09-12_0010/vm5_22-v4/vm5_22-v4.vmsd': Read-only file system
|Linux.pm:delete_file|1651| rm: can't remove '/vmfs/volumes/fas8040/.snapshot/daily.2015-09-12_0010/vm5_22-v4/vm5_22-v4-Snapshot1.vmsn': Read-only file system
|Linux.pm:delete_file|1651| rm: can't remove '/vmfs/volumes/fas8040/.snapshot/daily.2015-09-12_0010/vm5_22-v4/win7-Maple18Win7-3705-v4-000001-delta.vmdk': Read-only file system
|Linux.pm:delete_file|1651| rm: can't remove '/vmfs/volumes/fas8040/.snapshot/daily.2015-09-12_0010/vm5_22-v4/win7-Maple18Win7-3705-v4-000001.vmdk': Read-only file system
|Linux.pm:delete_file|1651| rm: can't remove '/vmfs/volumes/fas8040/.snapshot/daily.2015-09-12_0010/vm5_22-v4/vmx-vm5_22-v4-1301112663-1.vswp': Read-only file system
|Linux.pm:delete_file|1651| rm: can't remove '/vmfs/volumes/fas8040/.snapshot/daily.2015-09-12_0010/vm5_22-v4/.lck-9410270400000000': Read-only file system
|Linux.pm:delete_file|1651| rm: can't remove '/vmfs/volumes/fas8040/.snapshot/daily.2015-09-12_0010/vm5_22-v4/vm5_22-v4.vmx.lck': Read-only file system
|Linux.pm:delete_file|1651| rm: can't remove '/vmfs/volumes/fas8040/.snapshot/daily.2015-09-12_0010/vm5_22-v4/.lck-9810270400000000': Read-only file system
|Linux.pm:delete_file|1651| rm: can't remove '/vmfs/volumes/fas8040/.snapshot/daily.2015-09-12_0010/vm5_22-v4/vm5_22-v4-4d8d6757.vswp': Read-only file system
|Linux.pm:delete_file|1651| rm: can't remove '/vmfs/volumes/fas8040/.snapshot/daily.2015-09-12_0010/vm5_22-v4/vmware.log': Read-only file system
|Linux.pm:delete_file|1651| rm: can't remove '/vmfs/volumes/fas8040/.snapshot/daily.2015-09-12_0010/vm5_22-v4/.lck-9910270400000000': Read-only file system
|Linux.pm:delete_file|1651| rm: can't remove '/vmfs/volumes/fas8040/.snapshot/daily.2015-09-12_0010/vm5_22-v4/.lck-9310270400000000': Read-only file system
|Linux.pm:delete_file|1651| rm: can't remove '/vmfs/volumes/fas8040/.snapshot/daily.2015-09-12_0010/vm5_22-v4/nvram': Read-only file system
|Linux.pm:delete_file|1651| rm: can't remove '/vmfs/volumes/fas8040/.snapshot/daily.2015-09-12_0010/vm5_22-v4': Read-only file system
|Linux.pm:delete_file|1651| ( 0) Linux.pm, delete_file (line: 1651)
|Linux.pm:delete_file|1651| (-1) VMware.pm, delete_vm (line: 5506)
|Linux.pm:delete_file|1651| (-2) VMware.pm, remove_existing_vms (line: 1426)
|Linux.pm:delete_file|1651| (-3) VMware.pm, load (line: 513)
|Linux.pm:delete_file|1651| (-4) new.pm, reload_image (line: 634)
|Linux.pm:delete_file|1651| (-5) new.pm, process (line: 277)

The backend VMware code should be updated to ignore files under .snapshot.