A vSphere HA capability that restarts VMs affected by storage connectivity loss, covering both permanent device loss and all-paths-down conditions.
Also called VMCP.
Read more: Broadcom TechDocs
In the Ultra Transcenders books
Each book explains VM Component Protection in context, with comparison tables and the common traps.
Terms in this definition
- vSphere HA
When a host fails, this cluster capability restarts its VMs elsewhere; through VM Component Protection and VM Monitoring it also reacts to storage and VM failures.
- Capability
Something that a person, organisation or system is able to do.
- Virtual machines
Infrastructure-as-a-service compute giving complete control of the operating system, making it a fit for lift-and-shift moves and for software relying on OS-level pieces like COM.
- General-purpose v1
The older storage account kind (
Storage), which lacks access tiers, Archive and premium file shares and retires on 13 October 2026. Converting to ZRS requires first upgrading to GPv2, a one-way change. - PDL
Permanent device loss: an ESX host loses a device for good, through removal, a changed ID or an unrecoverable fault. HA VM Component Protection can then power off affected VMs and restart them.
Related terms
- APD
All Paths Down: every route from an ESX host to a storage device has dropped, but no PDL signal says the loss is permanent, so it may recover. HA's VM Component Protection can act on this as well as on PDL.