Using Maintenance Mode with Hosts

Standalone hosts and hosts within a cluster support maintenance mode. This mode restricts the virtual machine operations on the host to allow the user to conveniently shut down running virtual machines in preparation for host shutdown.

A host cannot enter maintenance mode if it has running virtual machines. You can either migrate these virtual machines to another host, or shut them down. When no more running virtual machines are on the host, its icon changes and its Summary indicates that it is in maintenance mode.

While in maintenance mode, the host does not allow you to deploy or power on a virtual machine.

For DRS clusters, the automation mode determines cluster behavior when you enter maintenance mode.

■	A fully automated DRS cluster automatically migrates running virtual machines to different hosts as soon as maintenance mode is enabled. If no appropriate host is available, information appears on the Tasks & Events tab.
■	A partially automated or manual DRS cluster displays recommendations for migration of running virtual machines, with the Host Maintenance recommendation type appearing in the recommendation list.

Subtopics

■	Put a Host into Maintenance Mode in the vSphere Web Client You put a host into maintenance mode when you need to perform maintenance or service on it.
■	Remove a Host from Maintenance Mode in the vSphere Web Client When you finish host maintenance and the host is ready to resume operation, you can remove a host from maintenance mode.