Cannot add a virtual harddisk to a linux vm in VM-setting vSphere 5.0

[novell1]

Hi,

a customer has installed a vm (Owncloud) on a vsphere 5.0 Build 623860 Cluster. The VM is a Debian 6 GNU 64bit Linux OS. This VM has 2 existing harddisks 20GB and 100Gb. I want to add a third disk with 2 or more Tb.

With 2 TB I get an error, I Thing because the 2Tb vsphere barrier. Ok I want to create a new harddisk with 1500Gb and I get a error "A general error occurred:Cannot allocate Memory".

I did choose more RAM Memory, also Change the Linux os Version, but everthing did not help! If I add the disk to a Windows Server w2k12 it is working fine (2Tb).

What else can I do to a add a 2Tb (or less) disk to this Linux VM?

Thanks!

regards

Novell1

[a_p_]

Has the cluster been upgraded from a previous version? In this case please check whether the Debian VM's "home" folder is stored on either a VMFS3 formatted datastore with an 8MB block size, or on a VMFS5 datastore.

André

[novell1]

Hi André

the datastore is vmfs5 formated, With a Windows Server I do not have a Problem.

regards

werner

[a_p_]

Interesting. Does the issue occurs while connected to vCener Server, the ESXi host itself, or in both cases both?

André

[novell1]

Hi André

this Linux vm is on vcenter5, on a host. A other vm (Windows Server 2008 or 2012r2) has no problem to add a disk on the same lun (vdisk)

regards

werner

[a_p_]

Sorry if I wasn't quite clear. What I am trying to find out is whether the same issue occurs when you use the vSphere Client and connect to vCenter Server, and when you use the vSphere Client to login to the ESXi host - on which the VM is running - directly.

André

[vNEX]

Hi,

just to be sure please check VMFS heap size by this command: esxcfg-advcfg -g /VMFS3/MaxHeapSizeMB

... have you upgrade to VMFS5 from VMFS3 datastore?

For additional info see KB article below:

VMware KB:     ESXi/ESX host reports VMFS heap warnings when hosting virtual machines that collectiv...

In addition post some info about affected datastore:

# vmkfstools -P  /vmfs/volumes/<datastore path>

[novell1]

Hi vNEX

it is a newly created vsphere 5.0 VMFS5-Datastore on a HP EVA Storage. I think with vmfs5 i cannot Change something?

regards

Novell1

[Rubeck]

Maybe this is heap size related.... ESXi 5.0 U1  has some rather low values regarding this... (Default Heap amount = 80MB which allows a maximum of 8TB of open VMDK storage per host)

Please see: http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1004424

Does the Windows VM where you are able to do this, reside on the same ESXi host as the Debian one? If not, this could be the reason why you are able to add it..

Just an idea..

/Rubeck

[vNEX]

- try to shutdown the VM and then add new disk..

- if this doesnt help remove VM from Inventory and add it again

If all fails right after the error please post VM vmware.log and host vmkernel.log

[novell1]

Hi vNEX, Andre,

I did a look on the vmkernel.log.

2014-08-15T12:27:15.538Z cpu6:5740)WARNING: Heap:
2525: Heap vmfs3 already at its maximum size. Cannot expand.

It seeams that the Default of vmfs3HeapSize has reached 80Mb. Interesting is, that the Test-Windows Server w2k8r2 or the Windows2012 has no problem to create the second disk on this datastore vDisk_054!

This means to shutdown all VM's and reboot the vSphere 5.0 Host with the new modified vmfs3HeapSize with 256Mb.

Have a nice Weekend!

regards

werner

[vNEX]

Great news...!

I thought that you have already check the heap as I asked for...anyway good to see its resolved!

Have a nice weakened too

Cheers

Petr

PS: Please don't forget to award some points ...