VMWare : Device or Resource Busy
After removing a VM from an ESX 3.5 update 3 server via the Infrastructure Client, selecting ‘Delete from Disk’ I found that a disused vmdk file was left over on the VMFS datastore. When deleting the vmdk file I was presented wih the following error:
cannot remove `TEMP_Data-G_50GB-flat.vmdk’: Device or resource busy
Using the command ‘fuser TEMP_Data-G_50GB-flat.vmdk‘ to identify users/processes which have locked the file showed no active users on the file.
To resolve, run the following command, and wait approx 5 minutes:
service mgmt-vmware restart
The command will not impact any running VM‘s, it will disconnect any management client sessions (not console access via SSH) and will stop any running VCB’s.
Now browse the datastore and delete the file.