VM shows “Disk consolidation needed” but consolidation fails repeatedly.

• Scenario / Problem Statement: VM snapshot consolidation fails with error logs.

• Diagnosis:

  1. Check datastore free space.

  2. Run vim-cmd vmsvc/snapshot.get <VMID> to confirm snapshots.

  3. Review vmware.log for lock or I/O errors.

  4. Disable third-party backup agents and retry.

• Likely Cause: Snapshot lock held by backup job, insufficient datastore space, or corrupt delta file.

• Resolution: Free datastore space, stop conflicting backup tasks, retry consolidation. If corruption exists, use VMware KB recovery procedures.