Cannot delete datastore

[stremblay]

Hi Everyone,

I have installed ESXi 4.0 on a server with a Dell Cerc SATA RAID card. The array is a 1 TB drive array setup as RAID 5. I would like to increase the block size of the datastore to 4 MB so I can make a 600 gig virtual disk. Everytime I try to delete the default datastore that is created when I install ESXi, the vClient stops responding and the server crashes. I have to physically reboot the server then most of the time, the configuration is knocked out when I do it. I'm thinking this may be why the client freezes. If I reset the configuration and go back in with the client, I still see the datastore. I've also gone in "under the hood" with unsupported and tried to reformat the VMFS partition myself but it doesn't work. It looks like it is going to do something but it will just sit there for hours. I've actually left it over night thinking it was just taking a while and nothing happened. Am I doing something wrong? I've reinstalled ESXi multiple times with no success...

Thanks in advance for any help anyone can give me.

Steve

[AndreTheGiant · Accepted solution]

You cannot delete the first datastore.

Cause vmdk for the "console" are on it.

At this time nobody know how to move this vmdk, so my suggestion is to create a small VMFS partition (or best a small VD with your controller).

Then, using vSphere client, you can add the free space (or the new virtual disk) with the desidered block size.

Andre

**if you found this or any other answer useful please consider allocating points for helpful or correct answers

[stremblay]

That makes perfect sense. Thank you very much. I have done just what you suggested!

Thanks again,

Steve

[AndreTheGiant]

You're welcome.

PS: the thread related to move the "console" vmdk is this:

Stay tuned to see if somebody write or try a solution

Andre

**if you found this or any other answer useful please consider allocating points for helpful or correct answers