ESXi 5.5 Free - confused about >2 TB vmdk support - help!

[virtually_cluel]

Hi all,

Hope you are all well. I wonder if someone could clear this up for me - I saw that 5.5 included support for vmdk's > 2TB, which was great news as I wanted to use 4TB of local storage in one virtual disk.

I am using a basic server, using only local storage, and the free version of the hypervisor. I was running 5.1, but upgraded it tonight with 5.5. I then came across a post from cormac hogan, saying that to take advantage of the bigger disks, you need the web client - ie you need a paid version to get vcenter - he said you can't even create a large disk with the vshpere client.

Damn I thought, but I decided to try and create a larger disk anyway to see what would happen. To my surprise, I was able to create a 3.6TB virtual disk on local storage no problem. I tried thin, lazy thick and eager zeroed thick and all worked. Am I missing something?  Or is it that the limit for free has been increased, but just not up to the maximum that 5.5 now supports?

I just don't want to deploy my server if this is a bug and the large disk is going to disappear or something!

many thanks,

Craig

[virtually_cluel]

Just to update - from VMWARE themselves -

"You must use the vSphere Web Client to create or extend a VMDK beyond 2 TB. For more information, see the Troubleshooting section of this article."

and

"When you attempt to create a large VMDK using the vSphere Client, you see the error:

The disk capacity entered was not a properly formed number or was out of range. It has been replaced with the nearest acceptable value"

But I have done it ? (3.6TB)  What's going on?

[OscarDavey]

Block size limitations of a VMFS datastore  , please check this for more info

VMware KB: Block size limitations of a VMFS datastore

Hope this will help

Best regards

Yours, Oscar

[virtually_cluel]

Hi, thanks, but I don't see the relevance of the link (Sorry if I'm missing something!)

My datastore is using all the available space on a 4TB drive, and the query I have is that I can create >2TB vmdk on this datastore, under esxi 5.5, using the vsphere client - I believe it is referred to as the c# client - but vmware states that this can only be done using the web client, which I do not have.

I am wondering if this is working because it is on local storage and maybe vmware are only restricting creation of >2TB drives on non local storage?

Otherwise what explanation is there for this? I am nervous about using such a large vmdk in case this is an error / bug / fluke.

Thanks

Craig

[Gabrie1]

Tried creating the datastore from the command line? VMware KB: Manually creating a VMFS volume using vmkfstools -C

[admin]

"You must use the vSphere Web Client to create or extend a VMDK beyond 2 TB.

The doc never says you wont be able to do it with vSphere Client / C# client. But when you create 2TB+ disks with web client and something goes wrong VMware provides support for that, but they don't qualify vsphere for creating such large disks.

But I have done it ? (3.6TB)  What's going on?

As long as the size provided  is a well formed one, you might not find any issues. I believe with block size of 1/2/4/8 MB 3.6 TB "well formed" figure.

But I wont suggest you to continue to use disk unless if its created using web client.

~dGeorgey