VMFS 3.31 block size problems

[scwilson400]

Hi to all,

I have 2 ESX 3.5 Update 3 servers, 1 ESXi 3.5 Update 3 server, 1 VCB 1.5 Proxy server and a virtual center 2.5.

All ESX servers are on the SAN and have access to shared storage on a RAID via fiber channel. Everything has been working perfectly with the standard 1MB block size (256GB maximum file size) but I now need to create a virtual machine with a 1TB disk so tried creating new storage (2TB slice from the RAID) with a 4MB block size. It creates just fine but trying to install a virtual machine, i.e. Windows 2003 R2 or Windows 2008 Enterprise and it fails. With 2003 R2, I get to the stage where you select the disc, which I do, then choose to create the partition and nothing happens. With 2008, the installer fails saying there is a problem with the disk.

As mentioned, I have had no problems with the 1MB block sizes and have installed Windows and multitude of UNIX-based systems.

Is this a known issue? Everything else seems to be working just fine. Any help here would be appreciated.

Thanks.

[kooltechies]

Hi,

In my opinion this should not be related to the VMFS block size , try installing some other flavor may be a Linux to see if that is succesful.

Thanks,

Samir

P.S : If you think that the answer is helpful please consider rewarding points.

[scwilson400]

I was wondering if anybody was having problems installing virtual machines with large disks, i,e needing a 4mb or 8mb block size to create the appropriate 1TB/2TB disk file.

[leonardo1]

The virtual machine is going power on or just not install?

[scwilson400]

The virtual machine powers on and starts to install but then does not like the disk and reports an error.

[leonardo1]

please post the virtual machine log.

a log this on virtual machine folder

[AntonVZhbankov]

Try to install Windows on standard disk of 20-30 GB and add 1TB disk as second HDD.

It worked fine for me.

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http://blog.vadmin.ru

[scwilson400]

Was this on shared storage (fiber channel) ?

[AntonVZhbankov]

Yes, of course.

I always divide OS boot disk and data disk if there is need to store more than 10-15 GB of data. It simplifies work with data and possible recovery.

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http://blog.vadmin.ru

[scwilson400]

So basically I have 2 datastores on shared disks (fiber). 1 datastore has the standard 1MB block size and I use this datastore to install all operating systems across multiple ESX servers with no problems at all. I have created a second datastore on the same shared disk/RAID unit and made this visible to all ESX servers. On this datastore it has a 4mb block size and is 2TB in size.

I cannot install Windows or Linux operating systems on the datastore with the 4MB block size as it complains of an I/O error and is unable to use the disk. I have tried editing an existing VM (which is on the 1MB block size datastore) and adding an extra disk (1024GB) but using the 4MB block size datastore. It says New Hark Disk (Adding) and adds it. I then boot up the VM machine that I have added it to (Windows 2003 R2) and it sees the disk but cannot initialize it to use it. A logical disk manager message appears saying the operation did not complete and to check the system log.

The system logs shows (Source LDM)

Unspecified error (80004005).

For more information, see Help and Support Center at .

Is what I am attempting to do not possible?

[AntonVZhbankov]

2TB is a limit for a single LUN. I have used 1.8TB datastore with 4MB block and linux VM succesfully used 1.7TB HDD. The only difference is that my datastore was created on a bunch of 144GB LUNs.

Try to set up datastore a little bit smaller than 2TB, 1.8-1.7 TB for ex.

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http://blog.vadmin.ru

[scwilson400]

I have tried creating 1TB disks with 4MB block size. Trying to install Windows 2003 R2 on the 1TB 4MB disks results in an error during the initial install stage;

An unexpected error (1024) occurred at line 5731 in d:\nt\base\boot\setup\setup.c

I will try adding the disk as an extra disk to an existing VM.

[Chilli]

We have similar setup but aren't experiencing these problems - take it that you followed VMware's recommendations for block aligning VMFS partitions? I did hear that if partitions are block aligned, Windows has a problem with this and needs to be built from a non-partition aligned storage location - we use MSA1000s as a staging area prior to production deployment onto HP EVA8000 based vdisks.

Have a look at:

http://www.vmware.com/resources/techresources/608

Hope this helps.

[scwilson400]

I get the same problem trying to initialize this disk. It just cannot do it.

[scwilson400]

VMware's recommendations for block aligning VMFS partitions? I have not seen this.

[AntonVZhbankov]

Create new LUN with 1.8TB size and place new datastore here.

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http://blog.vadmin.ru

[Chilli]

This is the document:

http://www.vmware.com/pdf/esx3_partition_align.pdf

[scwilson400]

I tried 1TB LUNs so are you saying create a 1.8TB LUN with 4mb block size and place the datastore there?

Is there something about the 1.8TB size that would make it work?

[scwilson400]

Thank you for this document. I will read through it.

It looks like I have to use fdisk to administer the disk? So if I add shared SAN storage to the ESX Server, basically use fdisk to adjust the starting block number of that disk?

Will read it a bit more later.

Thanks.

[Chilli]

Yes, this is the method I used.