Is there a simple way to rename a VM and its files without migration in vSphere 7?

[vitaprimo]

I found this question around here somewhere, but it was 10 years old.

I want to rename a series of VMs but the guide I found in the documentation is basically mv the disks with extra steps—twenty of them, it doesn't cover what to do with additional_1 VMDKs, and it still needs manual edit of the configuration files to match those files you might or might not have renamed correctly.

The other option is vMotion, but it's inefficient, increases wear/congestion but even if; this hasn't worked correctly since the last updates of vSphere(and matching vCenter) 6.7 because migrating a VM inflates its disks no matter what. It ignores storage policies, ignores default-to-thin-provision-NFS datastores.

Then there's VM-something-converter, that corrupts disks if inflating them didn't do enough damage.

In vSphere 7, which is really just ESXi 7 since I got rid of vCenter this morning (...and of vROps and others like a year ago) is there an easy/simple way to rename a VM and its files?

Thanks for your help! 🤞

[Quickdraw]

We've always storage vmotioned the vm for a rename. Been doing it for years. I havn't seen the issue you describe "inflates its disks no matter what. It ignores storage policies, ignores default-to-thin-provision-NFS datastores". with 6.7. If you have some documentation on that, I'd live to see it so we don't get into a potential problem. 

Thanks

[robc_yk]

We have always renamed the VM in vCenter and then performed a storage vMotion. Never noticed any issues. Our vMotion network runs over the backplane of the enclosures and the storage is over fiber so it does not have much of an effect. Storage policies keep everything aligned.

[MaxB]

We always vMotioned the vms between datastore for fully rename.

haven´t seen any issue with inflated disks as you described in the last 10 years.

Keep track of the vMotion option "change storage format" - "keep existing format"