VMware High Availability (HA) is a feature of VMware vSphere that automatically restarts virtual machines on other hosts in the event of a host failure. If HA did not trigger, it could be due to a few reasons:
HA is not enabled: Make sure that HA is enabled on the vSphere cluster.
HA Admission Control: If the cluster is not configured with sufficient resources to accommodate the failover of a virtual machine, then HA will not be able to perform a failover.
Network Isolation: If the network isolation response is set to “Leave Powered On,” and the host is isolated from the network, then the virtual machines will not be restarted on other hosts.
Virtual Machine Tools: Make sure that VMware Tools are installed and running on the virtual machines.
Host Isolation: If the host is isolated from the network, then the virtual machines will not be restarted on other hosts.
Licensing: Make sure that the appropriate licenses are in place for the vSphere cluster and that the licenses are up to date.
Hosts: Make sure that the hosts in the cluster are properly configured, and that they have the necessary resources to accommodate the virtual machines in the event of a failure.
It’s worth to check the vCenter event logs and troubleshoot the root cause of the issue.
VMware HA did not trigger, which logs to check to determine the issue?
When troubleshooting an issue with VMware High Availability (HA) not triggering, there are several logs that you can check to determine the cause of the issue:
vCenter Server log: The vCenter Server log (vpxd.log) is located in the vCenter Server installation directory. This log contains information about the overall operation of the vCenter Server and can provide information about why HA did not trigger.
HA log: The HA log (das.log) is located in the vCenter Server installation directory. This log contains information about the operation of HA and can provide information about why HA did not trigger.
Host log: The host log (vmkernel.log) is located on each ESXi host. This log contains information about the operation of the host and can provide information about why HA did not trigger.
Virtual Machine log: The virtual machine log (vmware.log) is located in the virtual machine’s directory. This log contains information about the operation of the virtual machine and can provide information about why HA did not trigger.
Event logs: The vCenter Server Event log and the vCenter Server Alarm log can provide information about why HA did not trigger.
By analyzing the logs, you will be able to determine the root cause of the issue and take the appropriate action to resolve it. It’s a good practice to check the logs in chronological order, starting from vCenter server logs, and working your way down to the host and virtual machine logs, as this will give you a better understanding of the events that led to the issue.
What is ESXi hostd log?
ESXi hostd log is a log file that is generated by the hostd process on an ESXi host. The hostd process is responsible for managing the overall operation of the ESXi host, including managing virtual machines, storage, and network resources. The log file contains information about the operation of the hostd process, including any errors or warnings that may have occurred.
The hostd log is located on each ESXi host and is usually found at the following location: /var/log/hostd.log. The file can be viewed using a text editor or by using vSphere Client.
The hostd log contains important information about the host’s operation, such as:
- Virtual machine and resource allocation
- Management operations, such as power on/off and suspend/resume
- Configuration changes made on the host
- Storage and network operations
- Security issues, such as unauthorized access attempts
- Service and process failures
It’s a good practice to check the hostd logs when troubleshooting issues related to virtual machines, storage, or networking on an ESXi host. It can help to quickly identify the root cause of the issue and take appropriate actions to resolve it.