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resurgens
Contributor
Contributor

Disks bigger than 2TB - 512B are not supported.

My 2tb rdm disks that worked in 3.5 do not work on 4.0. Is that by design or am I doing something wrong. Please Help..

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AndreTheGiant
Immortal
Immortal

Which version of VMFS are you using?

The RDM proxy file was already created or are you creating a new one?

Andre

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Andrew | http://about.me/amauro | http://vinfrastructure.it/ | @Andrea_Mauro
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resurgens
Contributor
Contributor

3.3 VMFS I believe

I am using the existing proxy file, but i also tried removing and re-adding the drive, but when I try on 4.0 it gives me the size error as well. When I move it back to the 3.5 server everything works fine. Thanks again for your he

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Texiwill
Leadership
Leadership

Hello,

RDMs, and VMFS LUNs all share the same constraints. Check out http://www.vmware.com/pdf/vsphere4/r40/vsp_40_config_max.pdf for the limits which are 2TB - 512B. The 512B is for ESX overhead. So yes, what you are seeing is expected.


Best regards, Edward L. Haletky VMware Communities User Moderator, VMware vExpert 2009, DABCC Analyst[/url]
Now Available on Rough-Cuts: 'VMware vSphere(TM) and Virtual Infrastructure Security: Securing ESX and the Virtual Environment'[/url]
Also available 'VMWare ESX Server in the Enterprise'[/url]
[url=http://www.astroarch.com/wiki/index.php/Blog_Roll]SearchVMware Pro[/url]|Blue Gears[/url]|Top Virtualization Security Links[/url]|Virtualization Security Round Table Podcast[/url]

--
Edward L. Haletky
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VMTN Community Moderator
vSphere Upgrade Saga: https://www.astroarch.com/blogs
GitHub Repo: https://github.com/Texiwill
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resurgens
Contributor
Contributor

So I will have to rebuild those drives before I upgrade? I can't believe that upgrading a sytem decreases the maximum disk size I can have. When I put the server back on the 3.5 I can start the server without any issue. This just doesn't make sense. Anybody else have any suggestions before I replicate off 1tb+ of data from several 2tb lun to make it under the maximum disk size?

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Texiwill
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Leadership

Hello,

This is why VMware put together the LIMITs documents. So that you can plan such things. I see no option for you however. You will have to replicate the 1+ TB of data. The other option is to make multiple 1TB RDMs that you then join together using Dynamic Disk.... That should alleviate teh problem. Still requires replication however.


Best regards, Edward L. Haletky VMware Communities User Moderator, VMware vExpert 2009, DABCC Analyst[/url]
Now Available on Rough-Cuts: 'VMware vSphere(TM) and Virtual Infrastructure Security: Securing ESX and the Virtual Environment'[/url]
Also available 'VMWare ESX Server in the Enterprise'[/url]
[url=http://www.astroarch.com/wiki/index.php/Blog_Roll]SearchVMware Pro[/url]|Blue Gears[/url]|Top Virtualization Security Links[/url]|Virtualization Security Round Table Podcast[/url]

--
Edward L. Haletky
vExpert XIV: 2009-2023,
VMTN Community Moderator
vSphere Upgrade Saga: https://www.astroarch.com/blogs
GitHub Repo: https://github.com/Texiwill
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sls2003
Contributor
Contributor

It is not that 4.0 'decreased' limits. The limit has always been 2TB-512B. The reason it worked in 3.5 is due to a bug. So, in 4.0, it's working properly and as expected based 32-bit addressing.

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jrglines
Contributor
Contributor

"The limit has always been 2TB-512B. The reason it worked in 3.5 is due to a bug."

Are you kidding or what?

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Texiwill
Leadership
Leadership

Hello,

Config Maximums in v3.5 docs is definitely 2TB, it changed when going to vSphere. I am not sure this was a bug or a new way of handling datastores in vSphere. VMware would need to comment for correct information.


Best regards, Edward L. Haletky VMware Communities User Moderator, VMware vExpert 2009
Now Available on Rough-Cuts: 'VMware vSphere(TM) and Virtual Infrastructure Security: Securing ESX and the Virtual Environment'[/url]
Also available 'VMWare ESX Server in the Enterprise'[/url]
[url=http://www.astroarch.com/wiki/index.php/Blog_Roll]SearchVMware Pro[/url]|Blue Gears[/url]|Top Virtualization Security Links[/url]|Virtualization Security Round Table Podcast[/url]

--
Edward L. Haletky
vExpert XIV: 2009-2023,
VMTN Community Moderator
vSphere Upgrade Saga: https://www.astroarch.com/blogs
GitHub Repo: https://github.com/Texiwill
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jrglines
Contributor
Contributor

Thanks for the quick response and info. This will definitely slow down our 3.5 - 4.0 upgrade as we have several 2TB RDM's that are just over the limit by the new 512B overhead. Perhaps there is a more creative solution than recreating the LUNs and transferring. If I were a betting man, I would say that there are many in this same situation.

Best Regards,

JR

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sls2003
Contributor
Contributor

Hi JR,

I was a bit puzzled at your last email...

Basically, the GOS will crash if the last 512B region is accessed/used since, then it will be overwrite a region which is not available for use. Unfortunately, there is no way around it. If there was an alternative solution, the team would have done it.

So, though it may slow down 4.0 adoption, it can't be avoided.

Sandy

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jrglines
Contributor
Contributor

Hi Sandy,

Let me attempt to clarify. We are looking for an alternative solution to those listed so far in this thread to get from point A to point B. How can you live without Fault Tolerance now that it's available? Ok, maybe we are trying to move too fast but hey, when you attend VMworld Europe in February and see all the new features of vSphere, how can you not get anxious. Perhaps a more elegant solution will come from the storage vendors or from the awesome community of incredibly talented professionals that continually add value and create synergy. In other words, we are looking for a smoother transition. In the end it's not a show-stopper.

Cheers,

JR

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sls2003
Contributor
Contributor

For those with additional storage, they can do storage vmotion.

Sandy

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RParker
Immortal
Immortal

Config Maximums in v3.5 docs is definitely 2TB, it changed when going to vSphere. I am not sure this was a bug or a new way of handling datastores in vSphere. VMware would need to comment for correct information.

For those of us that went to VM World last year, didn't they say this would be 8TB with ESX 4.0? I thought this problem was going away..... Now I am discouraged from promoting ESX 4.0 myself, because the things we were trying to do, ESX 4.0 doesn't seem to be much better than 3.x, it doesn't seem to offer much benefit so far...

I see performance enhancement, but same old limits and restrictions. This sure doesn't seem like the NEW horizon picture they painted a few months ago...

More like a bait and switch

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Rumple
Virtuoso
Virtuoso

If I were a betting man I would be willing to place a wager on the fact that someone decided that in order to avoid the ESX 2.5 to ESX 3 migration issues with moving from VMFS 2 to VMFS3 they decided to rollout vsphere with the same VMFS level (and obviously same limitations) and after people are moved onto vsphere then they will release an U1 with vmfs 4 with the new extended limites.

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sakacc
Enthusiast
Enthusiast

Meant to post this earlier (sorry) - but have done a bit of documentation (and video recording of this 2TB boundary conditions here:

http://virtualgeek.typepad.com/virtual_geek/2009/06/vsphere-and-2tb-luns-changes-from-vi3x.html

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TomHowarth
Leadership
Leadership

That is my view too.

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Tom Howarth VCP / vExpert

VMware Communities User Moderator

Blog: www.planetvm.net

Contributing author for the upcoming book "[VMware vSphere and Virtual Infrastructure Security: Securing ESX and the Virtual Environment|http://my.safaribooksonline.com/9780136083214]”. Currently available on roughcuts

Tom Howarth VCP / VCAP / vExpert
VMware Communities User Moderator
Blog: http://www.planetvm.net
Contributing author on VMware vSphere and Virtual Infrastructure Security: Securing ESX and the Virtual Environment
Contributing author on VCP VMware Certified Professional on VSphere 4 Study Guide: Exam VCP-410
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