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support28
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Contributor
‎02-09-2012 09:18 AM
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Unable to start VM after using vmkfstools to resize - HELP!

I THOUGHT I knew what I was doing but, apparently not...

I was trying to increase the size of a VM drive beyond 36gb and now I can't start the server. Here's the directory listing pre-modification:

-rw-------    1 root     root           16781312 Sep 20 19:46 PJAEast-DL01-000001-delta.vmdk

-rw-------    1 root     root                325 Aug 28 01:52 PJAEast-DL01-000001.vmdk

-rw-------    1 root     root               4096 Feb  9 14:55 PJAEast-DL01-000002-delta.vmdk

-rw-------    1 root     root                277 Feb  9 14:55 PJAEast-DL01-000002.vmdk

-rw-------    1 root     root              28201 Aug 28 01:52 PJAEast-DL01-Snapshot1.vmsn

-rw-------    1 root     root              28267 Feb  9 14:55 PJAEast-DL01-Snapshot2.vmsn

-rw-------    1 root     root          131604480 Aug 26 08:04 PJAEast-DL01-flat.vmdk

-rw-------    1 root     root               8684 Aug 25 21:03 PJAEast-DL01.nvram

-rw-------    1 root     root                589 Aug 25 15:18 PJAEast-DL01.vmdk

-rw-r--r--    1 root     root               1042 Aug 28 01:52 PJAEast-DL01.vmsd

-rwxr-xr-x    1 root     root               2779 Feb  9 15:10 PJAEast-DL01.vmx

-rw-r--r--    1 root     root                267 Feb  9 15:10 PJAEast-DL01.vmxf

-rw-------    1 root     root         9898631168 Feb  9 14:54 PJAEast-DL01_1-000001-delta.vmdk

-rw-------    1 root     root                331 Aug 28 01:52 PJAEast-DL01_1-000001.vmdk

-rw-------    1 root     root              73728 Feb  9 14:55 PJAEast-DL01_1-000002-delta.vmdk

-rw-------    1 root     root                283 Feb  9 14:55 PJAEast-DL01_1-000002.vmdk

-rw-------    1 root     root        36322836480 Aug 28 01:41 PJAEast-DL01_1-flat.vmdk

-rw-------    1 root     root                597 Aug 25 15:18 PJAEast-DL01_1.vmdk

-rw-r--r--    1 root     root              78710 Aug 25 16:06 vmware-1.log

-rw-r--r--    1 root     root              68108 Aug 25 20:43 vmware-2.log

-rw-r--r--    1 root     root             122302 Aug 28 01:41 vmware-3.log

-rw-r--r--    1 root     root              90557 Sep 20 19:54 vmware-4.log

-rw-r--r--    1 root     root              69453 Feb  9 14:54 vmware.log

I then ran the command:

vmkfstools -X 256g PJAEast-DL01_1.vmdk

And now the VM won't start, returning an error: "The parent virtual disk has been modified since the child was created."

The directory listing is now (bold indicates changed info post-vmkfstools):

-rw-------    1 root     root           16781312 Sep 20 19:46 PJAEast-DL01-000001-delta.vmdk

-rw-------    1 root     root                325 Aug 28 01:52 PJAEast-DL01-000001.vmdk

-rw-------    1 root     root               4096 Feb  9 16:12 PJAEast-DL01-000003-delta.vmdk

-rw-------    1 root     root                277 Feb  9 16:12 PJAEast-DL01-000003.vmdk

-rw-------    1 root     root              28201 Aug 28 01:52 PJAEast-DL01-Snapshot1.vmsn

-rw-------    1 root     root              28267 Feb  9 14:55 PJAEast-DL01-Snapshot2.vmsn

-rw-------    1 root     root          131604480 Aug 26 08:04 PJAEast-DL01-flat.vmdk

-rw-------    1 root     root               8684 Feb  9 16:12 PJAEast-DL01.nvram

-rw-------    1 root     root                589 Aug 25 15:18 PJAEast-DL01.vmdk

-rw-r--r--    1 root     root               1015 Aug 28 01:52 PJAEast-DL01.vmsd

-rwx------    1 root     root               2779 Feb  9 16:12 PJAEast-DL01.vmx

-rw-------    1 root     root                267 Feb  9 16:12 PJAEast-DL01.vmxf

-rw-------    1 root     root         9898631168 Feb  9 14:54 PJAEast-DL01_1-000001-delta.vmdk

-rw-------    1 root     root                331 Aug 28 01:52 PJAEast-DL01_1-000001.vmdk

-rw-------    1 root     root              73728 Feb  9 16:12 PJAEast-DL01_1-000003-delta.vmdk

-rw-------    1 root     root                283 Feb  9 16:12 PJAEast-DL01_1-000003.vmdk

-rw-------    1 root     root       274877906944 Aug 28 01:41 PJAEast-DL01_1-flat.vmdk

-rw-------    1 root     root                599 Feb  9 16:11 PJAEast-DL01_1.vmdk

-rw-r--r--    1 root     root              68108 Aug 25 20:43 vmware-2.log

-rw-r--r--    1 root     root             122302 Aug 28 01:41 vmware-3.log

-rw-r--r--    1 root     root              90557 Sep 20 19:54 vmware-4.log

-rw-r--r--    1 root     root              69453 Feb  9 14:54 vmware-5.log

-rw-r--r--    1 root     root              39510 Feb  9 16:12 vmware-6.log

-rw-r--r--    1 root     root              39411 Feb  9 16:12 vmware-7.log

-rw-r--r--    1 root     root              39410 Feb  9 16:14 vmware.log

I don't dare do anything else 'til I can get some input. Can anybody recommend a way to fix this?

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a_p_
Leadership
Leadership
‎02-09-2012 10:12 AM
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I THOUGHT I knew what I was doing but, apparently not...

I agree Smiley Wink

Two issue with the new disk.

  1. The error message you get is due to the base disk having another size than the snapshot disks.
  2. With a size of 256GB you will not be able to create snapshots of the disk (on ESXi prior to 5.0 with a 1 MB block size)

What you can try to do is to edit the PJAEast-DL01_1.vmdk file:

  • RW 536870912 VMFS "PJAEast-DL01_1-flat.vmdk" --> RW 70943040 VMFS "PJAEast-DL01_1-flat.vmdk"
  • ddb.geometry.cylinders = "33418" -> ddb.geometry.cylinders = "4416"

After that I would recommend to clone the virtual disk to a new one, replace the virtual disk in the VM's settings and resize this one to a maximum of 254GB (see "Calculating the overhead required by snapshot files" at http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1012384)

  • vmkfstools -i PJAEast-DL01_1-000003.vmdk PJAEast-DL01_1a.vmdk

André

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support28
Contributor
Contributor
‎02-09-2012 09:33 AM
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By the way, here are the VMDK files of the modified drive:

PJAEast-DL01_1.vmdk

# Disk DescriptorFile
version=1
encoding="UTF-8"
CID=9a618ab0
parentCID=ffffffff
isNativeSnapshot="no"
createType="vmfs"
# Extent description
RW 536870912 VMFS "PJAEast-DL01_1-flat.vmdk"
# The Disk Data Base
#DDB
ddb.toolsVersion = "0"
ddb.virtualHWVersion = "7"
ddb.longContentID = "986123d39f8f4459e1eb814f9a618ab0"
ddb.uuid = "60 00 C2 9d 3b d7 8d f5-9a ab e6 20 f2 f3 2a e5"
ddb.geometry.cylinders = "33418"
ddb.geometry.heads = "255"
ddb.geometry.sectors = "63"
ddb.adapterType = "lsilogic"
ddb.geometry.biosCylinders = "4416"
ddb.geometry.biosSectors = "63"
ddb.geometry.biosHeads = "255"

PJAEast-DL01_1-000003.vmdk

# Disk DescriptorFile

version=1

encoding="UTF-8"

CID=f66a213a

parentCID=f66a213a

isNativeSnapshot="no"

createType="vmfsSparse"

parentFileNameHint="PJAEast-DL01_1-000001.vmdk"

# Extent description

RW 70943040 VMFSSPARSE "PJAEast-DL01_1-000003-delta.vmdk"

# The Disk Data Base

#DDB

PJAEast-DL01_1-000001.vmdk      

# Disk DescriptorFile

version=1

encoding="UTF-8"

CID=f66a213a

parentCID=9a618ab0

isNativeSnapshot="no"

createType="vmfsSparse"

parentFileNameHint="PJAEast-DL01_1.vmdk"

# Extent description

RW 70943040 VMFSSPARSE "PJAEast-DL01_1-000001-delta.vmdk"

# The Disk Data Base

#DDB

ddb.longContentID = "86b414a82809a3bd92da2505f66a213a"

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a_p_
Leadership
Leadership
‎02-09-2012 10:12 AM
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I THOUGHT I knew what I was doing but, apparently not...

I agree Smiley Wink

Two issue with the new disk.

  1. The error message you get is due to the base disk having another size than the snapshot disks.
  2. With a size of 256GB you will not be able to create snapshots of the disk (on ESXi prior to 5.0 with a 1 MB block size)

What you can try to do is to edit the PJAEast-DL01_1.vmdk file:

  • RW 536870912 VMFS "PJAEast-DL01_1-flat.vmdk" --> RW 70943040 VMFS "PJAEast-DL01_1-flat.vmdk"
  • ddb.geometry.cylinders = "33418" -> ddb.geometry.cylinders = "4416"

After that I would recommend to clone the virtual disk to a new one, replace the virtual disk in the VM's settings and resize this one to a maximum of 254GB (see "Calculating the overhead required by snapshot files" at http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1012384)

  • vmkfstools -i PJAEast-DL01_1-000003.vmdk PJAEast-DL01_1a.vmdk

André

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support28
Contributor
Contributor
‎02-09-2012 10:27 AM
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André:

Thank you so much - you saved me. I knew that those were the two values that would need to be edited (from previous posts in these forums) but I'm wondering if you could tell me how you determined what those values were supposed to be; be good to understand for future reference.

Thank you again.

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a_p_
Leadership
Leadership
‎02-09-2012 10:38 AM
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You are welcome.

...be good to understand for future reference

I hope you won't need it again in the future :smileylaugh:

The size (# of blocks) value is the virtual disk size divided by 512 (block size).

36322836480 / 512 = 70943040

(actually the one shown in the snapshots)

The disk geometry values can be calculated using e.g. http://forums.phdvirtual.com/wrapgen/

André

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