How to mount a vmfs3 disk in a new ESX 3 without erease data..

[emaxbonox]

Is it possible to mount a vmfs3 disk in a new ESX 3.0.1 installation without erease the existing folders machines?

I tried to mount a vmfs3 disk which conteins data in a new installation ESX 3.0.1. From the configuration menu, "Storage Adapters" I can see this scsi disk (vmhba 1:1:0). If I go in "Storage (scsi, san and nfs) i can mounted but it format the disk so i loose all my data. Can I mount the disk whithout format the file system?

Thanks a lot.

Emanuele

[MattMeyer]

I'm not making any warranty claims here, but you should be able to mount an existing VMFS from a former installation without formatting. I did it during an upgrade, and it worked fine.

[acr]

Your ESX 3.0.1 should just simply see the VMFS3 partition without wanting to format it..?

I had a similar problem where my VI3 kept wanting to format an existing VMFS 3 partition, but it was a Snap, which we were having problems with..

[emaxbonox]

When I try to do "add storage" it always advise me that all the data will be ereased.

Up to now I could bypass this problem copying these data through our network, but I need how to mount the existing disk without formatting it.

Infact I woudl need to mount the same disk in another esx server.

Thanks in advance for you help.

Emanuele

[VirtualKenneth]

You shouldn't use the Add Storage command.

Go to the "Storage Adapter" menu and do a rescan of the LUN's.

When zoning is correct and the LUN is also published to the ESX server than a rescan on LUN's is the only thing needed.

ESX will see the new LUN and sees that it is formatted as VMFS

[AndrewJarvis]

Make sure LUN number is the same as on the old ESX host....

[nadger]

Under advanced settings on the host try changing LVM.EnableResignature to 1 and see if that will let you add the disk without formating

[jkopp]

I'm in the same boat. Using Equallogic SAN. Would like to clone volumes on EQL and remount them as different Luns on ESX. Clone works. iSCSI sees it as a unique lun, but the only way I can see to add the storage automatically formats it on me. The LVM suggestion didn't work for me. Any help is appreciated.

[jkopp]

Thanks nadger!

I stand corrected. The LVM switch needs to be set before you do the rescan/discovery through your storage adapter. Once the discovery was done, it was already added to my storage list...justed needed to rename the volume. Worked like a charm!

[Bob3194]

Hello,

Unfortunately, it not works for me.

1. there was an ESX server connected to MSA500 (not SAN)

2. accidentally the server was disconnected from the MSA, and after that server was reinstalled.

3. Now I try to connect it to that storage again, I could see all Arrays, but none of them are distinguished as vmfs3 volume. Only as blank disks.

I enable LVM resignature, even restart the esx and rescan the storage devices and vmfs volumes, but nothing happens - I couldn't see the volume with VMs (it shows "the hard disk is blank").

[bertdb]

it might be a good idea to check from the Service Console whether there is a partition table on that LUN. Use esxcfg-vmhbadevs -m to find out the /dev/sdX name for the disk, and then use fdisk -l /dev/sdX to display the partition table.

There should be 1 partition of type "fb".

[wadep]

Hi

Not sure if its the same problem, try this KB, it fixed it for us,

http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?cmd=displayKC&docType=kc&externalId=6482648&sl...

And also in:

SAN config guide:

http://www.vmware.com/pdf/vi3_esx_san_cfg.pdf

page 113 is the resignaturing section.