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VMware has a feature that is called PDL AutoRemove. This feature automatically removes a device from a host when it enters a PDL state. The reason behind the feature is to avoid taking up a device slot on the ESXi host when it can no longer accept I/O.
PDL AutoRemove occurs only if no open handles are left on the device. The auto-remove takes place when the last handle on the device closes. If the device recovers, or if it is readded after having been inadvertently removed, it will be treated as a new device. In such cases, VMware does not guarantee consistency for VMs on that datastore.
In a vSphere Metro Storage Cluster (vMSC) environment, such as with SRDF/Metro, VMware recommends that AutoRemove be left in the default state, enabled. This state is essential when using SRDF/Metro. If the PDL device is not removed, and a suspend action is taken on metro pairs, the nonbiased side experiences communication loss to the devices. Only a host reboot can resolve the issue.