ESXi

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  • 1.  Adding a cloned disk becomes thick provisioned

    Posted Sep 30, 2017 07:22 AM

    Hi,

    I am running ESXi in my home lab. I am using the CLI to clone a server. When I add the disk to a new machine that I cloned from a thin disk, it comes in as thick. It was thin provisioned when the disk was made, The CLI says it is going to be thin. What have I missed? I am taking the clone from a snapshot. Below is the command I used and the result.

    [root@localhost:~] vmkfstools -i /vmfs/volumes/Internal_SSD/”Windows 2012 r2 Template”/”Windows 2012 r2 Template_0-000001.vmdk” /vmfs/volumes/USB-Datastore/”Windows 2012 r2 Template”/”Windows 2012 r2 Template.vmdk” -d thin
    Destination disk format: VMFS thin-provisioned
    Cloning disk ‘/vmfs/volumes/Internal_SSD/Windows 2012 r2 Template/Windows 2012 r2 Template_0-000001.vmdk’…
    Clone: 100% done.

    This is my version of ESXi

    Version:

    1.8.0

    Build number:

    4516221

    ESXi version:

    6.5.0

    ESXi build number:

    4887370



  • 2.  RE: Adding a cloned disk becomes thick provisioned

    Posted Sep 30, 2017 02:45 PM

    Hi,

    Read my post about linked-clone machines in ESXi: https://www.teimouri.net/linked-clone-virtual-machine-without-vmware-horizon-view/



  • 3.  RE: Adding a cloned disk becomes thick provisioned

    Posted Oct 01, 2017 01:35 PM

    Hi,

    I appreciate the feedback, but I don't understand where the linked clones comes in? This is a full clone of a thin disk. Did I miss something?

    Best wishes

    Michael



  • 4.  RE: Adding a cloned disk becomes thick provisioned

    Posted Oct 02, 2017 06:40 AM

    Hi,

    Can you to try add the bus logic at the end of vmkfstools and see if it works?

    Cloning and converting virtual machine disks with vmkfstools (1028042) | VMware KB



  • 5.  RE: Adding a cloned disk becomes thick provisioned

    Posted Oct 02, 2017 09:40 AM

    Thanks for the feedback. I am trying that, but get an Extra argument at the end of the command line error. I am using the following

    vmkfstools -i /vmfs/volumes/Internal_SSD/"Windows 2012 r2 Template"/"Windows 2012 r2 Template_0-000001.vmdk" /vmfs/volumes/USB-Datastore/"Windows 2012 r2 Template"/"Windows 2012 r2 Template.vmdk" -d thin -a buslogic



  • 6.  RE: Adding a cloned disk becomes thick provisioned

    Posted Oct 02, 2017 02:39 PM

    Hi,

    Just another update. I have cloned a disk from the SSD to the SSD. Still the same result.

    I noticed that the disk is thin provisioned after the clone according the datastore, see attached screenshot. If I check the size on the datastore it is the full 40GB on the datastore. The Hardware Configuration says it is thin, see attached screenshot.

    Best wishes

    Michael



  • 7.  RE: Adding a cloned disk becomes thick provisioned

    Posted Oct 15, 2017 10:21 AM

    Hi Mic,

    Have you changed any configuration in vmdk file?