VMware Cloud Community
spiffeluringen
Contributor
Contributor

Multiple or single vmdk files

On a single host with 1 VM that has 2 "disks" on 2 different datastores, does esxi create a vmdkfile on each datastore or only one on one of the datastores?

 

Reply
0 Kudos
7 Replies
nachogonzalez
Commander
Commander

By default same datastore.
You can change the datastore position.

Reply
0 Kudos
a_p_
Leadership
Leadership

Not sure whether I understand the question correctly, but each virtual disk consists of two files, a header/descriptor .vmdk file, and a flat (data) .vmdk file. This is independent on whether the virtual disks are created in the same or different datastores.

André

Reply
0 Kudos
spiffeluringen
Contributor
Contributor

So basicly only one file regardless of disks.

Thanks

 

Reply
0 Kudos
a_p_
Leadership
Leadership

No, 1 virtual disk = 2 files.

André

Reply
0 Kudos
spiffeluringen
Contributor
Contributor

Yes, but what I meant was is it always just one flat and one descriptor or could it be like 4 flat and one descriptor if you got many datastores?

Reply
0 Kudos
vbondzio
VMware Employee
VMware Employee

A disk can only be on one datastore (ignoring DR solutions). Snapshots of that disk could end up on a different datastore depending on configuration but that wasn't the question I assume.

TL;DR
one disk == two files == one datastore

Reply
0 Kudos
a_p_
Leadership
Leadership

>>> Yes, but what I meant was is it always just one flat and one descriptor or could it be like 4 flat and one descriptor if you got many datastores?

No, it's always 1 descriptor + 1 data (flat) file. Btw. that same is true for snapshots, i.e. 1 descriptor, and 1 data (delta or sesparse) file.

André

Reply
0 Kudos