VMware Communities: vdiskmanager GUI

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92 Replies Last post: Jan 5, 2009 9:55 PM by etung

vdiskmanager GUI

Jun 9, 2007 10:55 PM

etung 11,023 posts since
Oct 15, 2006 VMware

For users who don't want to mess with the command line, I wrote a quick-n-dirty GUI wrapper for vmware-vdiskmanager in the spirit of RDPetruska's VMware DiskManager GUI.

This program allows you to create a new virtual disk, expand an existing virtual disk, or defragment an existing virtual disk.

Attachments:

vdiskmanager GUI 0.2007.06.10.zip (50.6 K)
expand.png (40.1 K)

Reply Re: vdiskmanager GUI Jun 10, 2007 8:21 AM

Pat Lee 1,185 posts since
Jan 3, 2007 VMware

Eric,

This is great, thanks for making this happen.

Pat Lee
Senior Product Manager - Mac Products
VMware

Reply Re: vdiskmanager GUI Jun 10, 2007 8:32 AM

in response to: Pat Lee

Obeechi 437 posts since
Jan 25, 2007

Well.. is the goal to use iDefrag, and Diskeeper, and vdiskmanager to defrag.. all together in some set order, where maybe even iDefrag is run at the tail-beginning and the tail-end et ...

Or, is vdiskmanger only meant for vdisk's and not for boot camp partitions...

Reply Re: vdiskmanager GUI Jun 10, 2007 8:40 AM

in response to: Obeechi

Pat Lee 1,185 posts since
Jan 3, 2007 VMware

In looking at what Eric posted, this is graphical interface for our command line tools that ONLY work with virtual disks. Boot Camp disks need not apply.

Thanks again to Eric for making a nice tool for Fusion users!

Pat

Reply Re: vdiskmanager GUI Jun 10, 2007 10:13 AM

in response to: Pat Lee

Obeechi 437 posts since
Jan 25, 2007

Okay... so does this mean I should just use Diskeeper for the Boot Camp partition, and for the vdisk, use just iDefrag and vdiskmanager GUI and not Diskeeper...

I have Vista in both Boot Camp and also in a vdisk.. which is not preallocated...

Reply Re: vdiskmanager GUI Jun 10, 2007 10:24 AM

in response to: Obeechi

adamsimpson 35 posts since
Apr 12, 2007

If we are using a pre allocated vdisk is there any benefit of using vdiskmanager over the regular windows defragger?

Reply Re: vdiskmanager GUI Jun 10, 2007 10:36 AM

in response to: adamsimpson

Pat Lee 1,185 posts since
Jan 3, 2007 VMware

As Eric said in the tip in his tools, I believe that the order to do any defragmentation of virtual disks is:

1) Defrag the files inside the guest using the tools supplied by the guest OS or third party tools
2) Then use the VMware Tools or even easier with Eric's graphical tools
3) Defrag the VMDK files using Mac defragmentation tools if necessary

If you are a pre-allocated virtual disk taking the entire space up front, I believe that you just use the guest tools and then Host OS tools if necessary.

If you are using a raw disk (Boot Camp), you should use the defragmentation utilities from Windows or other guest inside the VM.

Hope that helps.
Pat

Reply Re: vdiskmanager GUI Jun 10, 2007 10:50 AM

in response to: Pat Lee

Obeechi 437 posts since
Jan 25, 2007

Someone else was advocating defragging the Mac before using diskeeper (or defragging the guest)

You're placing Mac defragging as the last step, but with respect to VMDK files.. and I've only seen idefrag give me the option to defrag the entire disk (not sure what the selection with cursor/grabber really does)

So if I combine the two advocations (yes, advocations), it'd become, for a not-pre-allocated vdisk,

1. Defrag the host
2. Defrag the guest
3. Defrag with Eric's Tool
4. Defrag the host

Preallocating removes the need to use Eric's Tool; and using Boot Camp removes the need to use both Erics's Tool and one of the two stages of Defragging the host (though you'll need to defrag the host irregardless)

Reply Re: vdiskmanager GUI Jun 10, 2007 12:18 PM

manfredell 188 posts since
Dec 23, 2006

THANKS A LOT! This should have come (perhaps it will) with Fusion from the start.

Reply Re: vdiskmanager GUI Jun 10, 2007 12:42 PM

DaveP 1,403 posts since
Aug 30, 2003

Brilliant. Thanks!

Reply Re: vdiskmanager GUI Jun 10, 2007 6:35 PM

bgarner 104 posts since
Apr 26, 2005

Thanks etung!
After walking a few people through disk expansion on the phone I was about to fire up applescript studio myself.

Blake-

Reply New version: 0.2007.06.18 Jun 18, 2007 7:41 PM

etung 11,023 posts since
Oct 15, 2006 VMware

Changes:
* Improve logging
* Added Convert action
* Added missing Edit menu, removed extraneous Help menu
* Mock-up of Raw Disk action (does not yet work)

Attachments: