VSphere Web Client has always been intended to be the replacement for the Desktop client, and many of our users have tried to embrace this during the vSphere 5.5 and vSphere 6.0 periods, spending their time working within the Web Client even with the Desktop client available.

I have a esxi 6.0 server setup in my lab with 2 physical drives in it.

Datastore1 = 500GB & Datastore2 = 1TB

I am trying to create a new VM with a 2 virtual disks.The 1st vdisk is 20GB and will exist with the vm machine files on Datastore1The 2nd vdisk is 500GB and will be on Datastore2.

If I use the 'old' vSphere thick client with the above detailed configuration it creates the VM exactly as it should. However when trying to create it using the vSphere web client the 2nd vdisk is created on Datastore1 even though Datastore2 is selected as the destination. Likewise if I select to create vdisk1 on Datastore2 and attempt to put vdisk2 on Datastore1 it creates both on Datastore2.

It would seem that it only allowing me to create vdisk's on the same datastore as where the VM machine files are being stored along with the primary vdisk.

I've heard that the 6.0 vSphere web client has some bugs in it, but I can't find anyone else reporting this odd behavior which I find surprising if it were a bug.

Has anyone seen this before or knows if there is a setting I've missed somewhere to allow virtual disks to be created on a different datastore from where the VM machine files & primary vdisk is?

1 Answer

This is definitely a bug because the API allows specifying separate locations for each virtual disks and the virtual machine files.

If you connect directly to an ESXi (located at /ui'>https://<server-hostname-or-ip>/ui) than you are using the ESXi Embedded Host Client. It is distributed as officially supported product and also as a Fling, which is VMware's apps developed by internal engineering teams but not officially supported. The good news is that you could report bugs on the VMware's flings portal at https://labs.vmware.com/flings/esxi-embedded-host-client#bugs

By the way I think this is a known issue reported by others. If you go to https://labs.vmware.com/flings/esxi-embedded-host-client#comments and search for I cannot add disk from a different datastore from where a VMis installed you'll find issue similar to yours.

Considering the issue is fixed you could upgrade your client to the latest Fling. It is distributed as a VIB which you could install on your ESXi.

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VMware's download site is very frustrating. I am unable to find where the download link to the vSphere client is.

Did they rename this tool? How can I get it?

4 Answers

I found someone's blog who had the same problem. He points to hardcoded links to VMware's clients:(And another blog)

vSphere v6.0

• VMware vSphere Client v6.0: VMware-viclient-all-6.0.0-2502222.exe

vSphere v5.5

• VMware vSphere Client v5.5.0: VMware-viclient-all-5.5.0-1281650.exe
• Download vSphere Client 5.5 Update 1: VMware-viclient-all-5.5.0-1618071.exe
• Download vSphere Client 5.5 Update 1b: VMware-viclient-all-5.5.0-1880841.exe
• Download vSphere Client 5.5 Update 2: VMware-viclient-all-5.5.0-1993072.exe

vSphere v5.1

• VMware vSphere Client v5.1: VMware-viclient-all-5.1.0-786111.exe
  
• VMware vSphere Client 5.1.0a: VMware-viclient-all-5.1.0-860230.exe (seems to be not available 7-17-2014)
  
• VMware vSphere Client 5.1.0b: VMware-viclient-all-5.1.0-941893.exe
  
• VMware vSphere Client 5.1 Update 1: VMware-viclient-all-5.1.0-1064113.exe
  
• VMware vSphere Client 5.1 Update 1: VMware-viclient-all-5.1.0-1235233.exe
  

vSphere v5.0

• VMware vSphere Client v5.0: VMware-viclient-all-5.0.0-455964.exe
  
• VMware vSphere Client v5.0 Update 1: VMware-viclient-all-5.0.0-623373.exe
  
• VMware vSphere Client v5.0 Update 1b: VMware-viclient-all-5.0.0-804277.exe
  
• VMware vSphere Client v5.0 Update 2: VMware-viclient-all-5.0.0-913577.exe
  

vSphere v4.1

• VMware vSphere Client v4.1: VMware-viclient-all-4.1.0-258902.exe
  
• VMware vSphere Client v4.1 Update 1: VMware-viclient-all-4.1.0-345043.exe
  
• VMware vSphere Client v4.1 Update 2: VMware-viclient-all-4.1.0-491557.exe
  
• VMware vSphere Client v4.1 Update 3: VMware-viclient-all-4.1.0-799345.exe
  
• VMware vSphere Client v4.1 Update 3a: VMware-viclient-all-4.1.0-925676.exe
  

Download links of all versions of VMware vSphere Clients was officially provided by VMware since 2014-12-15.

If you have installed VMware ESXi server, you can manage the ESXi server using vSphere client. vSphere client works only on Windows host. If you don’t have vSphere client installed, download it from your local VMware Server home page. i.e go to http://{your-vmware-server-ip} to download vSphere client.

In addition to the desktop client there is also a vSphere web client available (at least since 5.5).

Beware that in the future (past version 6.0) the desktop client might be discontinued and the vSphere web client might become the default to interact with the servers. At least according to this blog post from Dennis Lu who's the product manager for the vSphere web client.

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