Hi,
I created a virtual machine using split virtual disk into multiple files. I need to increase the size of this machine. As I do, since with the expand option is not possible. Is it possible to do that?
Thank you in advance.
José Carlos
André.
After I created a snapshot and deleted it, I had not tried expanding it by clicking the expand button. I thought the 16 files would be deleted. I just glanced at the folder and saw they were still there.
Now I clicked the expand button and it worked.
Thank you so much for everything.
José Carlos
Increasing virtual disks is possible for all virtual disk formats.
However, the VM must not have active snapshots. The GUI blocks this function in case there are snapshots.
André
André
The machine has no snapshot and when I click the expand button the program shows the following message:
The called function cannot be performed on partial chains. Open the parent virtual disk.
Does this mean that it is not possible to increase the size of the virtual?
Thank you.
José Carlos
The called function cannot be performed on partial chains. Open the parent virtual disk.
This message usually shows up for VMs with snapshots. The Snapshot Manager may not show the snapshot, but you can easily check whether the VM has active snapshots, by looking at the virtual disk names. If it's s.th. like <vmname>-00000x.vmdk, then the VM has an active snapshot.
To get rid of the snapshots - if they don't show up in the Snapshot Manager - is to create a new snapshot, and then use "Delete All" from the Snapshot Manager. Please remember that In case of thin provisioned virtual disks, deleting snapshot will require additional (temporary) disk space on the datasatore!
André
Hello André.
Actually in the virtual machine folder has several files with the name of my VM, changing only the final numbering. It has files numbered 1 through 16. I created a snapshot as you suggested, went to the snapshot manager, and it does not appear to delete everything. Just the snapshot I created.
These files have different sizes. There is one that does not have the numbering, but it only has 2k in size.
So my VM is made up of all 16 files?
See in the image all the files.
Thank you very much.
José Carlos
That's strange. The files are ok, it's a spare format, spit into multiple files, thus -s001 through -s016.
So even after creating, and deleting the snapshot, you still cannot increase the virtual disk's size? Can you confirm that the VM has not been in a suspended state while trying it?
Please attach the VM's vmware.log file to a reply post. Maybe it contains a hint about what's causing this issue.
Plan B would be to increase the virtual disk's size, using the vmware-vdiskmanager command line utility.
In any case - unless already done - I'd suggest that you backup the VM's files/folder.
André
André.
After I created a snapshot and deleted it, I had not tried expanding it by clicking the expand button. I thought the 16 files would be deleted. I just glanced at the folder and saw they were still there.
Now I clicked the expand button and it worked.
Thank you so much for everything.
José Carlos
Hi,
Just as a FYI.
So my VM is made up of all 16 files?
Yes, your disk is using disk slices where each of those 16 files is a slice and all of them together make up your virtual disk.
This IS the recommended format and gives most flexibility and the least risk of data loss in the case of problems.
--
Wil
