Help ! Datastore space issue??

[Spartacus32]

Esxi5.1 Essentials is host on dell t420 with raid 10 1tb space  setup just one vm with windows 2008r2 as backup dc dns print and file server

I am doing a migration and in the last stage of bring over the shares and the printers. I downloaded and tried to install the sp1 for 2008r2 and when I did my datastore went from 925gb free to 4.21 gb free?

I created a folder on the datastore just like when I created one for the install of 2008r2 ( I deleted from disk the 2008r2 folder) and then created and labled the new folder sp1   and then checked the box to power the iso up on reboot and when I did the sp1 update crashed and the error of no space for VM came up I went from 925gb to 4gb??? Error message when I try to delete the sp1 iso is

Error Caused by file (See attached picture)

Also this is thin provisioned

How do i fix this???:smileyconfused:

[Josh26]

Hi,

Just to understand this:

It's a 1TB LUN you mentioned.

How much space was allocated to that VM? If you allocated 2TB through thin provisioning, you will of course will that disk.

[Spartacus32]

Josh 25 Ive attached the specs for the datastore thanks for you help

[Josh26]

Hi Spartacus,

I'm very relucant to open Word documents posted online for security reasons - if you just want to show a screenshot it would be much safer as an image file such as PNG or JPEG.

You've shown us how the datastore was configured - the issue is clearly one of where that space has gone.

Can you show us:

The snapshot manager?

The hard disk configuration for that VM?

[Spartacus32]

Sure Josh26,

Thanks again for you help

[Josh26]

You didn't show your snapshot manager - I'm interested in whether you've burnt space on snapshots. Can you show us what the snapshot manager shows?

However, it appears you have a 925GB LUN, with a 985GB VM on it. You were bound to fill this disk at some point. Assuming you don't have capacity to throw at this server, you'll need to shrink the VM. A reasonable method of doing so involves moving to a staging server, and resizing in the process.

See How to shrink a VMDK using VMware Converter - TechRepublic

[Josh26]

Hi,

If the option to rebuild this server is easily enough done, I would take that route.

With a 925GB LUN, you could easily create an 800GB VM that provides for your needs and reserves > 10% of the LUN - I would do that.

I'm still interested in whether a snapshop is the issue here though, I've seen plenty of day one snapshots. Right click on the VM and open the snapshot manager - show us what you see.

[Spartacus32]

Josh26 THis is 31/2 days old in build process and unless the snapshot manager is installed by default I didnt install it this is literally all Ive done is what I described above...So you feel its best to try to shrink it or would it be just as easy to redo this whole thing?

If I redo it what would you recommend on how to do it so I can have the vm with ad dns, file server and printserver on it and have my share that will take up 350gb actual space and may grow to 650 that a c drive with 80 a d drive with 650gb or 800gb i did above and a e drive with 80 gb for something else this is how the old server I am migrating from was setup..

What do you think and thanks again for you help

[Josh26]

Spartacus, snapshot manager IS installed by default and it's not unusual to see a person creating a snapshot on day one (as I've said above) - so once again, please check your snapshot manager.

If you try to create your C: and E: to 80GB each, and 😧 to 800, you will use 960GB of capacity. Your screenshot shows you have 925GB of capacity, surely at this point - "would you recommend I overallocate again" is not really the question?

[Spartacus32]

Josh26

I went into windows and shrunk the 800gb partition from 200gb then exited out of this and powered off the vm and did a rescan of all datastores and my problem was gone along with my spaced partition.

Now it this issue fixed? can I recreate a partition and start adding shares and printers for printer server?

[Spartacus32]

Josh26 here is my snapshot I dont think anything is running