can the images grow, with VMplayer ?

[dutta]

Can the disk image on which a certain guest OS has been installed, and setup by VMware Workstation, then "grow" (be resized, how?) when it is used in VMplayer ?

e.g. my Ubuntu image is 1GB, with about ~100MB in /home (created with VMware WS). But my need exceeds ~100MB, so will it grow automatically (or on some specific action, doable with VMplayer) to say 400MB.

D

[Jasemccarty]

If you don't preallocate disk size, then the vmdk has the capability a growing.

[dutta]

Thanks for the response.

The preallocation is it in the .vmx file ?

Or rather, can I change the preallocation attribute at a later time ?

Message was edited by:

dutta

[RDPetruska · Accepted solution]

The preallocation is it in the .vmx file ?

No, it's the type of the vmdk disk file.

Or rather, can I change the preallocation attribute at a later time ?

Only with the vmware-vdiskmanager utility, included with Workstation and Server.

[funkiwan]

I am considering the 30 day free trial of Workstation. If I use the vmware-vdiskmanager utility to grow a pre-allocated image that I have been using with the free vmplayer and then decide not to purchase Workstation, will I still be able to use the free vmplayer with the grown image after the trial period has passed?

[RDPetruska]

Yes. Uninstalling/updating/whatever the VMware products have no effect on any guests. With the exception that if you are downgrading to an older product, your guest must be of a version which that product supports/recognizes, and your guest must therefore not use any new features.