Vwware ESX 4 Install For editable datastore block size

Do you have VMs/data on the datastore currently? If not, just delete the datastore from vCenter, the re-add the storage with the Block Size you want. If you do have VMs/data on the datastore, migrate VMs/data off the datastore so you can delete/remove it, then re-add with the needed Block Size.

Hope that helps.

Regards,
~coolsport00

I should clarify and say I can do what it takes with the raid to create the proper virtual disks. Right now I am pretty much at ground zero and can do anything i need. Should I just install 2 virtual disks, 1 big enough for vmx and 1 for the rest? but I really don't know how it will help to much if I can install on the same dive as the gui - and I can't have a second datastore...uggg..

I have nothing right now. I need to re-create my virtual disks and set a raid level. But before I wiped it clean, I tried just remove and re-add the datastore...however it wouldn't let me...the datastore just comes with the host in a defualt 1MB block size...probably somthing to do with:
"The service console in ESX 4.0 runs as a virtual machine on local storage. As such, you cannot reformat this volume.    To resolve this issue, perform one of these workarounds: Re-install the ESX host on a different drive (for example, a second RAID set or boot from SAN), and leave the original disk for the VMFS volume. You can then choose your blocksize when creating the second datastore.  Install ESX 3.5, create the volume with desired blocksize, then upgrade to ESX 4.0. Carve out a new LUN or RAID set on the local controller for a new volume. Add physical disks as necessary.

You cannot create a second datastore on the same drive via the ESX GUI. You must use the following command:

Note: You may need to create a partition on the free space first with fdisk.
vmkfstools -C vmfs -b Xm -S local2mBS /vmfs/devices/disks/naa.xxxxxxxxxx:y   where:"
 
From the KB
 

This doesn't directly address your question, but is worth mentioning.

You are probably equating this huge block size with improved performance.  You are wrong.  A 4MB block size, by design, requires a 4MB-sized I/O for writes.  Think of all the log and journal files you have.  If anybody so much as reads a file, any file, then all 8 disk drives are going to have to get involved to update 4 whole bytes of data. (the last access time).  Let alone all the journals.

Now for the RAID, you can't change anything w/o doing a backup, rebuilding entire array, and restoring.  The block size, is related to stripe size, and data is laid out based on the settings.

I can not think of too many real-world examples where a 8x300 in 4MB block size will translate to better overall performance, for any operating system.  Only exception would be a data logging application, but even in that environment, you would need to disable file system journaling and boot off of another RAID set with smaller block size, and even then performance would be minimal at best.

Remember, block size and I/Os per second are mutually exclusive.   From a simplistic view, if you quadruple block size by four, then you divide the number of IOPs by 4.  I doubt you want that.

thanks for the info, it is not about performance, it is just about dealing with what I currently have....I have a server that is larger than 256 GB thus I need a larger size in order to P2V it.
backup doesn't matter the server is blank and has no configuration or virutal disks anymore...I have no vm's or hosts to deal with....only installing ESX with larger block size
I

OHHHH....so, you have ESX installed on the same RAID as the datastore?...and I guess the storage is local storage? I assumed you had maybe shared storage. Yeah, you can't delete the datastore, re-add it then. I'm not sure of your disk setup, but here's my recommendation:
Create a RAID1 for the ESX OS install. If you have small size disks (30GB?), that's all you would need. Then, create a RAID5/10..whichever you want, for your datastore/storage. You can then modify the Block Size when you add the storage to your host.

I think the following URL will solve your problem

http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?language=en_US&cmd=displayKC&externalId=1003565

http://communities.vmware.com/docs/DOC-11920.pdf;jsessionid=A977CAC49277A9D19883211FDCA1541F

Hello,
I am going to give it a shot and will get back to you guys...thanks for all the info

Wait I have 300 GB disk sizes and 8 of them. When I build the raid before I noticed a 64KB stripe size.
If I mirror 2 of the disks then I would be using 600GB's on the ESX Install! That seems a bit wasteful.

Thanks coolsport - I rather protect, I am going to give this a go now and get back to you.
 
Thanks

Great...let me know how it goes...

~coolsport00