Question

Creating Datastore partition

Asked by: gregorybe

Hello,

I have been looking for a solution for creating a vmware datastore,
I've found some EE topics
(like this http://www.experts-exchange.com/Software/VMWare/Q_23428667.html?sfQueryTermInfo=1+creat+datastor+esx+vmkfstool) but no luck.

Then I followed this topic:
http://communities.vmware.com/thread/61570

[root@ROOTSERVER3 root]# fdisk -l

Disk /dev/sda: 145.4 GB, 145492017152 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 17688 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

   Device Boot    Start       End    Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sda1   *         1        13    104391   83  Linux
/dev/sda2            14       650   5116702+  83  Linux
/dev/sda3           651     17352 134158815   fb  Unknown
/dev/sda4         17353     17688   2698920    f  Win95 Ext'd (LBA)
/dev/sda5         17676     17688    104391   fc  Unknown
/dev/sda6         17353     17421    554179+  82  Linux swap
/dev/sda7         17422     17675   2040223+  83  Linux

Partition table entries are not in disk order

Disk /dev/sdb: 249.3 GB, 249376538624 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 30318 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

   Device Boot    Start       End    Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sdb1   *         1     30318 243529303+  83  Linux

[root@ROOTSERVER3 root]# esxcfg-vmhbadevs -a
vmhba1:0:0     /dev/sda
vmhba1:1:0     /dev/sdb

[root@ROOTSERVER3 root]# vmkfstools -C vmfs3 -S "sda3" vmhba1:0:0
Creating vmfs3 file system on "vmhba1:0:0" with blockSize 1048576 and volume label "sda3".
Usage: vmkfstools -C vmfs3 /vmfs/devices/disks/vmhbaW:X:Y:Z
Error: Invalid handle

Is this the right command: vmkfstools -C vmfs3 -S vmhba1:0:0:3 ? (I want to be sure first)

Thanks in advance

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Asked On
2008-06-09 at 06:30:44ID23468925
Tags

Vmware

,

ESX

,

3.5

Topic

VMware

Participating Experts
1
Points
300
Comments
5

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Answers

 

by: bhanukir7Posted on 2008-06-09 at 07:00:43ID: 21743210

Hi

The command is

vmkfstools -C vmfs3 -S vmhba1:0:3 as in vmhba1:0:0 the "0" is the physical device


refer to this link for clarification.

http://www.vmware.com/support/esx21/doc/esx21admin_vmvkfstools.html

bhanu

 

by: gregorybePosted on 2008-06-09 at 07:32:03ID: 21743454

It seems that it should be 1:2:0:3:
vmhba1:2:0:3

Here, vmhba1 specifies the second SCSI adapter activated by the command vmkload_mod .../XXX.o vmhba. (See VMkernel Module Loader for details on vmkload_mod.) The second number specifies the target on the adapter, the third number specifies the LUN (logical unit number) and the fourth number specifies the partition. Partition 0 (zero) implies the whole disk; otherwise, the number specifies the indicated partition.
---------------------------------------------------------
[root@ROOTSERVER3 root]# vmkfstools -C vmfs3 -S vmhba1:2:0:3
Invalid destination specification:
vmkfstools: Argument missing

(The S-parameter specifies a partition name I suppose, so I left it open)
I tried the following:

[root@ROOTSERVER3 root]# vmkfstools -C vmfs3 vmhba1:2:0:3
Creating vmfs3 file system on "vmhba1:2:0:3" with blockSize 1048576 and volume label "none".
Usage: vmkfstools -C vmfs3 /vmfs/devices/disks/vmhbaW:X:Y:Z
Error: Invalid handle

Any idea?

 

by: bhanukir7Posted on 2008-06-09 at 09:16:55ID: 21744364

Hi

the S parameter is to set the FSname i.e volume name

in your case you need to mention the device path

"The format for the vmkfstools command when specifying a SCSI device is:
vmkfstools <options> <device_path>
Where:
" <options> are one or more command line options and associated arguments
you use to specify the activity that you want vmkfstools to perform  for
example, converting a VMFS-2 volume on a partition to VMFS-3 format.
" <device_path> specifies a SCSI device (a SCSI disk or a partition on a SCSI
disk) being manipulated or a VMFS volume path.
If <device_or_VMFS_volume> path is a SCSI device, then it is specified as
in the following example:
/vmfs/devices/disks/vmhba1:2:0:0
Here, /vmfs/devices/disks is the mount point of the device file system.
vmhba1 specifies the second SCSI HBA created by the VMkernel, the second
number (in this case, 2) specifies the target on the adapter, the third number (0)
specifies the LUN, and the fourth number (3) specifies the partition. Partition 0
(zero) implies the whole disk; otherwise, the number specifies the indicated
partition."

so you need to use the command

vmkfstools -C vmfs3 -S datastore1 /vmfs/devices/disks/vmhba1:0:0:3

here 0 is what you is listed when you did a listing

[root@ROOTSERVER3 root]# esxcfg-vmhbadevs -a
vmhba1:0:0     /dev/sda
vmhba1:1:0     /dev/sdb

bhanu

 

by: gregorybePosted on 2008-06-09 at 23:58:18ID: 21748984

Thanx a lot!

it works!

 

by: gregorybePosted on 2008-06-10 at 11:07:53ID: 21753509

After using the command stated above, it is now possible to just add the just created data partition in ESX by using "Add storage" (don't forget to Refresh the view, what I forgot the first time)

Thanks for the support

20120131-EE-VQP-002

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