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VMKFSTOOLS Examples - Working With Virtual Disks

VMKFSTOOLS is a vSphere CLI tool for managing VMFS volumes and virtual disks. It allows creating, modifying, cloning, inflating, extending, renaming, and deleting virtual disks. The document demonstrates using VMKFSTOOLS to create thick and thin virtual disks, extend an existing disk, clone a disk changing its format, and delete a disk. VMKFSTOOLS provides advantages over other tools by handling both the disk descriptor and file.

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2K views7 pages

VMKFSTOOLS Examples - Working With Virtual Disks

VMKFSTOOLS is a vSphere CLI tool for managing VMFS volumes and virtual disks. It allows creating, modifying, cloning, inflating, extending, renaming, and deleting virtual disks. The document demonstrates using VMKFSTOOLS to create thick and thin virtual disks, extend an existing disk, clone a disk changing its format, and delete a disk. VMKFSTOOLS provides advantages over other tools by handling both the disk descriptor and file.

Uploaded by

zanyah
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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5/31/2017 VMKFSTOOLSExamplesWorkingWithVirtualDisks

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VMKFSTOOLSExamplesWorkingWithVirtual
Disks
byadmin

VMFSTOOLSissomethingIperhapsdontuseasregularlyasIdlikeandasaresultfindmyselfhavingto
refertothedocumentationprettymuchanytimeIdoanythingwithit.WiththatinmindIthoughtIddocument
someexamplesofwhatvmkfstoolscandohere,soIllhavesomethingtoreferbackto.

Simplyput,vmkfstoolsisavSphereclitoolformanagingVMFSvolumes.Itwillallowyoutoperform
operationsagainstboththefilesystemandthevirtualdiskfiles.HereIllbeconcentratingonlookingatwhat
wecandowithvirtualdisks.

VMKFSTOOLSVirtualDiskOptions
Runningvmkfstoolsattheclipromptwilldisplaytheoptionsavailabletous:

http://buildvirtual.net/vmkfstoolsexamplesworkingwithvirtualdisks/ 1/7
5/31/2017 VMKFSTOOLSExamplesWorkingWithVirtualDisks

CreateaVirtualDiskwithvmkfstools
Tocreateavirtualdiskwecanrunvmkfstoolsc2048mtestdisk1.vmdk

Asaresult,weendupwith2filesthevirtualdiskdescriptorfile,andthevirtualdiskitself:

BydefaultthiswillcreateathickdiskusingaBusLogicvirtualadapter.Tocreateathinprovisionedvirtualdisk
weneedtousethediskformatoption,vmkfstoolsc5Gdiskformatthintestdisk2.vmdk.

Runninglslacanbemisleadingasitreportsthenewdiskssizeasbeingitsmaximumpossiblesize,inthiscase
5GB:

Butwecanconfirmthefilesactualsizeondisk,andthereforeconfirmthatitisthinprovisionedbyrunningdu
ah.

http://buildvirtual.net/vmkfstoolsexamplesworkingwithvirtualdisks/ 2/7
5/31/2017 VMKFSTOOLSExamplesWorkingWithVirtualDisks

Thisshowsthefilesizetobezero,whichiswhatwewereexpectingfroman,asyetunused,thinprovisioned
disk.

Toconvert,orinflate,thevirtualdiskfilesothatitischangedtotheeagerzeroedthickformatwecanusethe
inflatediskoption.Thisactionpreservesanyexistingdataonthevirtualdisk.Dependingonthesizeofthedisk,
thismaytakesometime.

Oncecomplete,runningduahnowshowsthefiletobeusingthe5GBthatwasoriginallyconfiguredasits
maximumsize:

ExtendingaVirtualDiskwithvmkfstools
Ifthe5GBwespecifiedisntenough,wecanincreasethesizeofthevirtualdiskbyrunningvmkfstoolsX6GB
test.vmdk.Wecanconfirmthechangebyagainrunningduah.

CloneaVirtualDiskwithvmkfstools

Wecanalsousevmdkfstoolstocloneavirtualdisk.Thisisusefulifwejustneedacopy,orinthiscaseifwe
wishtoconvertthediskbacktobeingthinprovisioned.Wecandothisbyrunningvmkfstoolsitest2.vmdk
test2clone.vmdkdthin

Thethinprovisionedcloneofthediskrevertsto5GBasthisisthesizewehadpreviouslysettobeingeager
zeroed:

DeleteaVirtualDiskusingvmkfstools

http://buildvirtual.net/vmkfstoolsexamplesworkingwithvirtualdisks/ 3/7
5/31/2017 VMKFSTOOLSExamplesWorkingWithVirtualDisks

Nowwehavethethinprovisionedclone,wemaywanttodeletetheoriginalvirtualdisk.Thisisdoneby
runningvmkfstoolsUtest2.vmdk.

Whendeletingvirtualdisksfromthecliitisrecommendedtousevmkfstoolsratherthanthelinuxrmcommand
purelybecausevmkfstoolsdeletesboththevirtualdiskfileanditsdescriptor,withoutyouhavingtolistboth
filesinyourrmcommand.

RenamingaVirtualDiskusingvmkfstools
Finally,andtocompletethispost,Iwillrenametheclonedvmdkfilesothatitreflectstheoriginalname.Weuse
vmkfstoolsEtodothis:

Again,likewithdeletingvmdkfiles,whenrenamingitisbettertousevmkfstoolsratherthanthemvcommand,
asthisrenamesbothoftherelevant.vmdkfiles.

Theresquiteabitmoretothistoolthanwhatscoveredhere,includingworkingwithRDMsandtheVMFS
filesystemitself,whichIllbeputtinginafuturepost.

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RelatedPosts:
1.ReclaimUsedSpacewithVMKFSTOOLSPunchzero
2.UnderstandingtheInteractionsBetweenVirtualStorageProvisioningandPhysicalStorage
Provisioning
3.ProvisionandManageStorageResourcesAccordingtoVirtualMachineRequirements
4.vmwarecmdExamplesWorkingwithvMAandVirtualMachines

Taggedas:esx,esxi,vmkfstools

{1commentreaditbeloworaddone}

georgeharrisJanuary5,2016at5:43am

Verynicearticle.ManythankstoGabrielle.Lfordirectingmehere.

aquestionIhavebeenabletosuccessfullycreatetheVMFS5virtualdiskanditshowsupinthe
datastore(6TBdisc=5.46TBavailable).Howeverthevspheredesktopclientwillnotaddanythingover
4TBtotheVM.

whatisthevmkfstoolscommandtodothissuccessfully?Examplebelow:

vmkfstoolsc6144G/vmfs/volumes/my6TBdrive/gmedia/gmedia.vmdk

http://buildvirtual.net/vmkfstoolsexamplesworkingwithvirtualdisks/ 4/7
5/31/2017 VMKFSTOOLSExamplesWorkingWithVirtualDisks

thisyieldstheerrorFailedtocreatevirtualdisk:Thereisnotenoughspaceonthefilesystemforthe
selectedoperation(13)

shouldIchooseadifferentsizewithan~10%overheadfactor?Ifso,whatcapacitydoIapplythe
overheadfactorto?

a)10%offullcapacity6144GB=5529GB

or

b)10%ofavailablecapacity5.46TBor4.91TB

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