gs1uk
asked on
Thick to Think Disk VMWare ESXi 4.1
Hi Experts,
1. How do I convert a Thick to Think Disk in VMWare ESXi
This Command is for ESX "vmkfstools –i <srcDisk> -d thin <dstDisk>" im looking for ESXi. I know i can use gparted but there should be a way with VMware to do the conversion.
2. If you have an 100GB Thin Provisioned Disk with 20GB of data on it, the actual usage on the Physical Storage Device would be 20GB. If you then add an extra 40GB file to the disk it expands out to 60GB. If that 40GB file is then removed the disk will not shrink back to 20GB it will stay at 60GB.
How do we shrink the disk down to the origjnaL 20GB after the 40 GB file has been removed?
Thanks
1. How do I convert a Thick to Think Disk in VMWare ESXi
This Command is for ESX "vmkfstools –i <srcDisk> -d thin <dstDisk>" im looking for ESXi. I know i can use gparted but there should be a way with VMware to do the conversion.
2. If you have an 100GB Thin Provisioned Disk with 20GB of data on it, the actual usage on the Physical Storage Device would be 20GB. If you then add an extra 40GB file to the disk it expands out to 60GB. If that 40GB file is then removed the disk will not shrink back to 20GB it will stay at 60GB.
How do we shrink the disk down to the origjnaL 20GB after the 40 GB file has been removed?
Thanks
IanTh
you can specify the size in the vm settings if its a scsi drive as an ide drive cannot be resized
Hi
You can change Thick to Think with vConverter, and also can reduze the disk size using the vConverter.
Jail
You can change Thick to Think with vConverter, and also can reduze the disk size using the vConverter.
Jail
you can do it in vclient itself why use converor its in the vm setting the only reason to use vm comvertor is if its ide not scsi as ide size can not be changed you need to wipe the vm from the inventory if its ide and start again from a backup
ASKER CERTIFIED SOLUTION
membership
This solution is only available to members.
To access this solution, you must be a member of Experts Exchange.
Hi
@IanTh you need to use vConverter, or other 3rd party, because you cannot shrink a disk in the vClient VM settings. This is for IDE or SCSI disks.
So if you need to do both things, just use vConverter and shrink the VM disk without any issues.
And also many users cannot understand or work with the vmkfstools, so the easy way is to use vConverter.
Jail
@IanTh you need to use vConverter, or other 3rd party, because you cannot shrink a disk in the vClient VM settings. This is for IDE or SCSI disks.
So if you need to do both things, just use vConverter and shrink the VM disk without any issues.
And also many users cannot understand or work with the vmkfstools, so the easy way is to use vConverter.
Jail
ok I always use scsi so I can do it in vclient for that very reason
Hi
Sorry IanTh you cannot.
You shrink a disk in the VM with VM tools, but after you need to use vmkfstools.
You can reduce the disk on Windows 2008 or Windows 7, but you always need to use a 3rd party Partition Tool(and if is a system disk you need to do in a different way).
But you cannot do this automatic in the vClient editing VM settings. You need always use Diskpart, 3rd party Tools, or vmkfstools.
You can change and reduce a disk, but this new space will never be allocated in the Windows System Operation.
Jail
Sorry IanTh you cannot.
You shrink a disk in the VM with VM tools, but after you need to use vmkfstools.
You can reduce the disk on Windows 2008 or Windows 7, but you always need to use a 3rd party Partition Tool(and if is a system disk you need to do in a different way).
But you cannot do this automatic in the vClient editing VM settings. You need always use Diskpart, 3rd party Tools, or vmkfstools.
You can change and reduce a disk, but this new space will never be allocated in the Windows System Operation.
Jail
No not windows I am using esx inside of esx and linux and theyt can be resized in the vm settings in viclient as I have done it loads I know windows can have a problem
Hi
Sorry but still I cannot understand how you can do that. Windows or Linux is the same.
Jail
Sorry but still I cannot understand how you can do that. Windows or Linux is the same.
Jail
well it worked
Hi
Ok if you say so... you can expand a disk in the VM settings(but still needs to be expanded on the System Operation), you cannot reduce.
Jail
Ok if you say so... you can expand a disk in the VM settings(but still needs to be expanded on the System Operation), you cannot reduce.
Jail
you see I build an esx server inside of esx and forgot to specify the hdd so I went off and built it and then trioed to setup a vm inside the virtual esx and I found no space when I set the hdd for the vm so I went to the esx vm settings and it had 8gb I think as I had used any linux 64 bit when setting up the virtual esx and that set it at 8gb which is not enough for a virtual esx server
thats why thin provissioning doesn't shrink it only grows
ASKER
So, As we have discussed there is no way or script to Automiaticly Shrink a Thin Disk. My servers are mostly Win 2003 and couple of Win2008.
Regards to my question above:
" If you have an 100GB Thin Provisioned Disk with 20GB of data on it, the actual usage on the Physical Storage Device would be 20GB. If you then add an extra 40GB file to the disk it expands out to 60GB. If that 40GB file is then removed the disk will not shrink back to 20GB it will stay at 60GB."
---> after the 40Gb is removed and the disk is still 60GB how can I monitor that the disk is using 60GB of thin space and is there any tool in market showing "You have a thin disk 100GB but technically using 60GB but acctully has data of 40GB." So in this way I can know that the disk needs to be shrinked and carry on..
Hope this makes sense.
Thanks
Regards to my question above:
" If you have an 100GB Thin Provisioned Disk with 20GB of data on it, the actual usage on the Physical Storage Device would be 20GB. If you then add an extra 40GB file to the disk it expands out to 60GB. If that 40GB file is then removed the disk will not shrink back to 20GB it will stay at 60GB."
---> after the 40Gb is removed and the disk is still 60GB how can I monitor that the disk is using 60GB of thin space and is there any tool in market showing "You have a thin disk 100GB but technically using 60GB but acctully has data of 40GB." So in this way I can know that the disk needs to be shrinked and carry on..
Hope this makes sense.
Thanks
as was discussed earlier you cannot shrink a windows disk as windows cannot handle it you have to use a 3rd party disk resizing application after setting the new size in vmware
see
http://www.vistax64.com/powershell/52460-free-disk-space-network-share.html
see
http://www.vistax64.com/powershell/52460-free-disk-space-network-share.html