is provisioned disk space a risk of running out of space on the datastore

[coolgod]

Hi,

We have a  Win SBS VM running in PROD  ESXi 4.1.

Inititially, we configured the disk size at 520 GB.

In the summary, I can see the following :

Please help me understand the above figures and advise.

Thanks.

[abhilashhb]

Can you give a better screen shot?

Just to make sure we are on the same line, You had a disk of 520 GB and you have made it a datastore? Now you are clicking on the datastore's summary and that's the screenshot you have attached with the question?

[coolgod]

The datastore is 836 GB

And we have allocated 520 GB to the VM.

The above screenshot is the Summary for that VM.

[abhilashhb]

Then allocated is actually 570 not 520. Even the screenshot shows that. That way the values are correct.

You have 836 total. 570 allocated and around 270 remaining.

You will have to worry about adding more storage if you create a new VM. For now you are fine. Also make sure you keep track of any snapshots in future as it takes up space too.

[coolgod]

Provisioned space is the actual disk space being used on the datastore?

Is it always like this?

Does this also include all the snapshots within the VM folder?

[abhilashhb]

Best way to look at is the datastore view by going to Host>Configuration>Storage and at the bottom it will show you the total capacity, Used space and free space.

And yes provisioned space is the used space. It is always like that. And yes it includes all the VM files present in VM folder(Snapshot, VMDKs, SWAP files).

The way it looks is

[coolgod]

this is still not clear to me :smileyblush:

I have 2 VMs running on the ESXi host.

Please advise.

i am sending you all the screenshots:

VM1

VM2

HOST

Thanks

[abhilashhb]

Awesome Thanks for the screenshots

I'll explain it to you clearly now.

You have a local disk of capacity of 836.50GB. Which you have formatted with VMFS and added as a datastore to ESXi server.

Then you have created two VM's on it.

VM1 has 127GB disk provisioned to it. But it has used only 56.13GB.

VM2 has 570GB disk provisioned to it. But it has used only 513.54GB.

Provisioned space totally adds up to (570+127) = 697GB.

Used up space totally adds up to (56.13+513.54) = 570GB. (This is lesser than provisioned space because you would have used Thin provisioning)

Now if you see the datastore details, this is what it says.

Out of 836.50 GB only 570GB is used.

Now free space is (836-570) which is 266GB.

Clear?

let me know if you need more details.

[coolgod]

The figures and its accounting is clear man

what does "provisioned storage" really mean?

Does it mean the maximum size the directory of that VM can have?

VM1 has 127GB disk provisioned to it. But it has used only 56.13GB.

This means the directory of this folder can grow upto 127GB. The original vmdk itself won't grow but when files (snapshots / delta) are created to the directory

the max size can be 127 GB. Please correct me here if am wrong.Thanks. 

[abhilashhb · Accepted solution]

Yes exactly. "Provisioned" space means that is the maximum size this VM is provisioned to grow to. But in your case it hasn't used all the provisioned space. But yes, it can grow upto 127GB.

[coolgod]

Thanks man.

The terms were confusing.

Now its clear.