Reduce Provisioned Disk Size?

[CMCTech]

Hi Guys.

First post here so be gentle

I have a VM that has a provisioned size a little bit too big for the datastore.

I would like to shave 15Gig off it whilst retaining permissions/ shares etc

(Its a Win2k8 64bit File server)

Currently its set as a Thick but I have already managed to change it back and forth via another datastore and migrate etc.

I'm using vSphere Enterprise 4

I have used 2008s own disk tools to shrink the 15Gig (plus change) as unallocated space. So I just need to be able to reduce the provisioned size.

Currently the shop uses Thick and wont be changing any time soon.

If I could, for example, convert it to a Thin disk and edit something to say provisioned maximum size is 15Gig less. Then change it back to a Thick disk and job done.

Is something like this at all possible without using the Converter or exporting/importing the machine?

[thakala · Accepted solution]

Unfortunately it is not possible to shrink VMDK, other than using thin disks but even then provisioned disk size remains as what it originally was.

Tomi

http://v-reality.info

[CMCTech]

Thanks Tomi (who knew the Stig was also a VMWare expert ).

I was hoping this wasn't going to be the answer. I guess I will have to do it as a DRP exercise.

Thanks again.

[JohnInVA]

Can I make a suggest, which may help you?  Create a new HDD and assign it into the structure, move/copy the files to the new drive (say using Robocopy.exe you can do this retaining permissions) and then remove and reassign the drive letters (say it's D was your large drive and the new drive is E and is the smaller version; remove the drive letter from D and change the drive letter of E drive and reboot).

[DavidDiaz]

I know this thread is old, but I just wanted to share my experience.

I have to admit that most of the proposed solutions are either very complicated or for the technical savvy, or prove to be unsuccessful.

Want my advice on what worked for me?

First, create a new hard disk for the vm with the size that you want the vm reduced to (for example, if the vm actual disk is 100GB and you reduced the partition to say 50GB, I would make the new hard disk equal to 50GB).

From within the vm, clone the primary hard disk to the newly created (I use EASEUS, comes very handy for this).

When the partition has been cloned, stop the vm.

Edit the vm settings and remove the original hard disk. NOW, make the new one use the same config as the original one (for example, same target id if scsi type).

Boot the system. Voila! Your new hard disk provisioned space is now 50GB! Now you can get rid of the vmdk file that holds the original hard disk and save the precious space of your storage!

[Ronnieml]

Although this is an old post, we still have some old Server OS and this worked for me.

[dacer]

Hi, first time I write here, so hello all

I have a vmware solution, I'm not vmware system admin, I only my own organization admin, so I can not use API, only vCloud Director

Two of my VM need to resize disk.

(1) windows server 2008 R2 has a 50GB disk and I have to grow to 100GB. It's OS drive, so system MUST BOOT with this drive.

(2) windows 7, and has 2 disk, second one (not OS) I have to reduce, from 300GB to 150GB.

Cloud Admins said me that it's imposible to reduce disk, so (2) if it's imposible with vCloud.

I think to use another disk, for expample for (1), add a 100GB disk as secondary (bus 0, unit 1), copy data (robocopy, easeus or what?) and MBR (how?) to this new one, and then poweroff, change unit id, 0->1 1->0, and power on again. After I confirm new 100Gb drive it's ok, I will delete all 50GB

Should this work?

If work for (1), (2) seem esay as It has not MBR.

Thanks

[JamesTein]

Can I make a suggest, which may help you?  Create a new HDD and assign it into the structure, move/copy the files to the new drive (say using Robocopy.exe you can do this retaining permissions)

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