Virtual Appliance Troubles- Can't Select Vmdk

[januismer]

I've downloaded this GroundWorks Monitor Open Source - VMWare Appliance () I've extracted it and have it sitting within my VMware ESX Server Infrastructure. I'm creating a new VM and doing a custom install. When I get to the point to select the disk I choose: Use an existing virtual disk. I navigate to the VM Appliance's folder, but the .vmdk doesn't show up to be selected. What gives?

FYI... I can create a VM in VMWare Workstation and select this virtual appliance's disk without any problems. Are files specific withing VMWare products?

Any ideas?

Thanks!

-Tony

[Dave_Mishchenko]

Hi Tony, there are some file differences with the various VMware products. With ESX you should be copying the vmdk to the server with the command vmkfstools -i /source_path/source.vmdk /destination_path/destination.vmdk.

Can you post a list of files that the download comes with? It you just ended up with one vmdk file (and not a pair - eg groundworks.vmdk and groundworks-flat.vmdk) then you'd need to import the vmdk with the above command before ESX can use it.

[Dave_Mishchenko]

Also is the vmdk using an IDE or SCSI drive? If it's IDE, then it'll be best to use VMware Converter - www.vmware.com/converter to import the VM to ESX.

[januismer]

Files in the download are:

GWMOS_51.vmdk

nvram

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4.vmsd

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4.vmx

vmware.log

vmware-0.log

vmware-1.log

vmware-2.log

[januismer]

Good point... I don't know if its a scsi or ide drive.

[oreeh]

Look inside the VMX file and you'll know.

The disk file is a monolithicSparse disk. As Dave already mentioned you have to import it.

[Dave_Mishchenko]

You would need to import GWMOS_51.vmdk with the vmkfstools command. You can try the following:

1) Create a VM with a small hard drive.

2) Edit the VM and delete the hard drive.

3) Copy the vmdk file to your ESX host - say to /vmfs/volumes/storage1 (or another data store if you don't have that one). The import the vmdk with vmkfstools -i /vmfs/volumes/storage1/GWMOS_51.vmdk /vmfs/volumes/storage1/<VM_NAME>/GWMOS_51.vmdk. You'll want to run this command when logged in as root.

4) Edit the VM and add a hard drive using an existing file and browse to the copy you just created.

Can you post the contents of the VMX file? It'll tell us if this is a SCSI or IDE drive.

[januismer]

First off... Thanks for all of the replies!!

I'm working on importing the vmdk file now.

Here are the contents of the vmx file:

#!/usr/bin/vmware

config.version = "8"

virtualHW.version = "4"

scsi0.present = "TRUE"

scsi0.virtualDev = "lsilogic"

memsize = "512"

scsi0:0.present = "TRUE"

scsi0:0.fileName = "GWMOS_51.vmdk"

ide1:0.present = "TRUE"

ide1:0.fileName = "auto detect"

ide1:0.deviceType = "atapi-cdrom"

floppy0.fileName = "/dev/fd0"

Ethernet0.present = "TRUE"

Ethernet0.connectionType = "nat"

displayName = "GWMOS_51_VMS"

guestOS = "rhel4"

priority.grabbed = "normal"

priority.ungrabbed = "normal"

scsi0:0.redo = ""

ide1:0.startConnected = "TRUE"

ethernet0.addressType = "generated"

uuid.location = "56 4d ea 2e 0f cc 75 8f-13 a0 68 94 c2 74 69 bd"

uuid.bios = "56 4d ea 2e 0f cc 75 8f-13 a0 68 94 c2 74 69 bd"

ethernet0.generatedAddress = "00:0c:29:74:69:bd"

ethernet0.generatedAddressOffset = "0"

tools.syncTime = "FALSE"

checkpoint.vmState = ""

ide1:0.autodetect = "TRUE"

floppy0.present = "FALSE"

[oreeh]

It's a (lsilogic) SCSI disk - therefore the import using vmkfstools should work.

[januismer]

Okay... I imported the disk (see below):

# vmkfstools -i /vmfs/volumes/4721f025-edb75589-0054-0018fe728e20/GWMOS/GWMOS_51/GWMOS_51.vmdk /vmfs/volumes/4721f025-edb75589-0054-0018fe728e20/GroundWorks

Destination disk format: VMFS thick

Cloning disk '/vmfs/volumes/4721f025-edb75589-0054-0018fe728e20/GWMOS/GWMOS_51/GWMOS_51.vmdk'...

Clone: 100% done.

It was named GroundWorks and GroundWorks-flat. I renamed them both so that they have the .vmdk extension. File permisions are 600 for both files.

I created a new VM and choose to use an existing disk. When I browse for the vmdk it still isn't showing up.

I dunno...

[oreeh]

When you rename a disk you have to modify the descriptor (in this case GroundWorks.vmdk) as well (the descriptor contains the name of the -flat file).

[Dave_Mishchenko · Accepted solution]

You would want to rename them with the command vmkfstools -E oldname newname as the smaller file contains information about the flat.vmdk including the filename. Or you can just deleted them and reimport them - it would seem that you left off the .vmdk for the destination file.

[januismer]

Thanks to Dave and Oree! I reimported the vmdk file using the extension this time and I'm in business.

Thanks again!

- Tony