Best way to re-create a new LUN

[gkpyeung]

Hi,

Our current VM ESXi server is 5.0.0, 768111 and the File system is VMFS 5.54.

The Device did shown the max capacity is 3.64TB, however, when the time I built the VM server, it is V4.x so the useable LUN is only 1.64TB and the rest of 2TB is hidden...

I have saved all the VMs on the ESXi server to a local external harddisk and would like to seek the BEST / Faster, HOW TO way to do a rebuild. 

Any advise is deeply appreciated .. !!

Thanks in advance

[iw123]

If you have moved your VMs off that datastore then you can just delete the datastore, then create a new one as vmfs5 .

[krishnaprasad]

Isn't it possible to do an upgrade from VMFS3 to 5?

Refer http://pubs.vmware.com/vsphere-50/index.jsp?topic=%2Fcom.vmware.vsphere.storage.doc_50%2FGUID-061BE1...

[mohdbaqari]

If I were you, I will do what iw123 said. This will be the best option.

[gkpyeung]

Hi, iw123,

I tried to re-create the LUN as well as a new datastore but it seems only allow me create a 2TB only... any hints... please

[admin]

VMFS-5 supports creating volumes >2Tb but the file size on the volume is still limited to <=2Tb, what you've circled is the maximum file size...so it's correct.

If you want to have more than 2Tb mapped to a single virtual disk in your VM you need to use a physical compatibilty RDM, the only way to do it with a virtual compatibilty RDM or a VMDK on a VMFS volume is to add two disks to your VM and then use software spanning inside your guest OS (not really recomended).

[gkpyeung]

[gkpyeung]

mittell

?? So could i create another data store to utilize the rest of the remaining 1.64TB which left off from the total RAID5 space 3.65TB... :smileyshocked:

if not... it is not too much help from my original data store which using the rear part of the RAID5 (1.64TB), now can only use 2TB... ?? :smileycry:

Thanks

[admin]

You can create a datastore that is 3.64Tb but you can't put a VMDK on it that's larger than 2Tb, if you can't delete the volume you could add an extent but looks like you have some DOS partitions on there which may be messing that up for you.

You just want all 3.64Tb in the VM right? If so I'd just create a second 1.64Tb VMFS volume and put another VMDK on there, and then span the two disks inside the guest OS - that way you can still use VM snapshots.

If you don't care about snapshots then delete both volumes so the LUN is completely free then edit the VM and add the volume as a physical RDM disk, that way you can have all 3.64Tb attached as one drive.

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