Now Will VM2 gets any storage to use from VM1 that has 100GB not used ?
But you could re-size VM1, to 20GB, and then that would recover the 80GB from the datastore which hosts VM1, and then manually add it to VM2!
Do you resize VM1 from within Vmware or from within Windows ?
Do you resize VM1 from within Vmware or from within Windows ?both, I did suggest if you really want to know the method post a new question!
So if VM1 was assigned Thin disk of 100 GB, it will still own whole 100 GB , it does not give one Byte away automatically even if it is using only 20 GB, and other VMs are starving for disk space.
However, Administrator can reduce the size of VM1 disk from Vsphere console then from Windows Disk Management
You keep circling backthat's true
So Thin disk for VM1 even if it is assigned 100 GB and also windows shows it as 100 GB disk size, in reality it is not ?
if the Datastore runs out of space, other VMs will be able to use unused space on VM1 ?
The one thing that has not been mentioned to me is that Datastore can run out of space while VM1 still thinks that it has space. probably true
You keep circling back
that's true
The one thing that has not been mentioned to me is that Datastore can run out of space while VM1 still thinks that it has space. probably true
let me explain to you:
Datastore has 200 GB
VM1 and VM2 both assigned thin disks of 100 GB each
VM2 has used all 100GB
VM1 has used only 20 GB out of its 100GB provisioned
Vmware Administrator can go and extend VM2 thin disk with extra 60 GB , so its size will be 160 GB.
let's say VM2 filled out all 160GB
VM1 now thinks it has 80GB of disk space, let's say it will use another 20GB of space that will make it use 40GB out of 100GB, it thinks it is still has 60GB of space, but it is not.
At this stage VM1 will run out of disk space even though it has used only 40 GB out of initial provisioning of 100GB
Am I correct ?
I guess that's what arnold has also commented
Correct, if you create a Thin Disk of 100GB, initially at Creation by ESXi/vCenter Server, a small stub is allocated on the datastore, which takes up very little space.
You CANNOT go into to Disk Management and EXTEND the physical disk (which it's virtual because it's MAX is always going to be 100GB)
The OS has no concept of what a thin disk is, and will see the entire NTFS partition/volume as 100GB.
So inside the OS, it's always the MAX of 100GB disk, how your format it, and partition is up to you. But if you allocate ALL it will be 100GB.
BUT, as the OS formats the disk, and allocates 1's to the sectors of the disk, the thin disk will expand and inflate, to potentially all 100GB.