topic VMware ESX 3.5 host can't write to new NFS volume in Network and Storage Protocols

VMware ESX 3.5 host can't write to new NFS volume

aldikan11 — Thu, 05 Jun 2025 07:29:43 GMT

Hi Guys,

Hope someone can help me solve this problem,

I have a VMware 3.5 infrastructure and some ESX hosts using existing NFS volume with no problems,

however, I just had to create a new NFS volume on the same storage FAS 3040, and Export Options setup to allow,

Read-Write, Root and Security.

From ESX hosts I added new volume, and can browse it, however I can't create new folders on that volume, nor create new VMs.

Seems like permissions issue..?

Any ideas?

Thanks,

Alex

Re: VMware ESX 3.5 host can't write to new NFS volume

joshb — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 14:53:22 GMT

did you set anon=0 on the exportfs options for the volume?

There might be a better way to do that, but I had to set this option on

a few vols recently myself.

Josh

Re: VMware ESX 3.5 host can't write to new NFS volume

aldikan11 — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 15:03:12 GMT

Hi Josh,

Thank you,

Did you encounter similar issue?

I will try, this option, just don't recall setting it up on first NFS volume, the one that is working good now.

Thanks

Alex

Re: VMware ESX 3.5 host can't write to new NFS volume

joshb — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 15:20:52 GMT

Yes, my issues were similar originally. I had several export options

set. The ESX 3.5 server could see my volume, but I could not

create/modify any files on there. After adding in this option, I

restarted by ESX server again (just to be safe) and could then

create/modify files on the volume.

As I said, there may also be another way around this. It just happened

to be how I solved it in my lab environment.

Josh

Re: VMware ESX 3.5 host can't write to new NFS volume

aldikan11 — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 15:34:16 GMT

Hi Josh,

You have made my day!

Many thanks, it works now

I wish to see this problem/solution documented, maybe it is, but I could not find it, and NetApp NFS and VMware best practices does not mention anything regarding this issue,

Your workaround with anon=0 works and I am migrating VM to the new NFS volume as I type.

Thanks again!

Alex

Re: VMware ESX 3.5 host can't write to new NFS volume

joshb — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 15:36:22 GMT

I'm glad you are at least moving forward now.

Hopefully someone that knows more than I will let us both know if there

is another setting we both should make or if this is the proper one.

Re: VMware ESX 3.5 host can't write to new NFS volume

amiller_1 — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 05:33:09 GMT

For what it's worth, I never used the anon option and didn't have any trouble (though I was later told by a colleague after starting at my current job it was a best practice). I did set both root and read/write IP #'s -- here's a line from "exportfs" that is currently working (just with IP #'s changed).

/vol/vmware/vmware -sec=sys,rw=1.1.1.1:2.2.2.2:3.3.3.3,root=1.1.1.1:2.2.2.2:3.3.3.3

Interestingly, it's not mentioned in TR-3428....not sure why.

Note: the line above is being exported from ONTap 7.2.2 to a ESX 3.5 U3 host.

Message was edited by: Andrew Miller

Re: VMware ESX 3.5 host can't write to new NFS volume

vexperts — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 17:42:54 GMT

Hi,

check your security style both on volume and qtree level. Should be set to unix.

regards

Erich