How to install an additional hard disk that will accessible to all without creating a datastore?

[chiptransisto]

I want to add a hard disk to the computer on which I have ESXi. I want the hard drive to be available to all of the guest machines as well as available to other computers on the network.

When I added a hard drive, the only way that I could get it to be available to the other guest operating systems is to create a datastore on the disk. So my question is:

How can I add a hard disk on the ESXi host that is available to all?

[weinstein5]

With ESXi there is no way to do that - esxi only provides access to vmfs datastores - what are you trying to share? If it ISO images the easiest way is to go ahead and create a datastore build VM and use it as an NFS share -

[grantoutou]

i'm in the same configuration, use directly my HDD, is it really no way , no solution to use my HDD without creating a datastore???

Thx a lot

[bulletprooffool]

It would need to be a raw device mapping - though this not make it easily accesible .. just readable.

to share it, just connect the Raw device Map to a VM and share it as a Windows Share?

Alternatively,

you could like at something like openfiler or freenas (free Virtual applainces that will effectively emulate physical Nas)

[grantoutou]

well I can't select the Raw Device Mapping on my VM, i can only choose "Create a news Virtual disk" or "use an existing virtual disk"....