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uy
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Enthusiast

Linux guests vmware toolbox shrink - no patition to shrink!

I am seeing the same issue in Workstation ver 7.0.1 and 7.1 beta (Linux Host & Linux Guest).

Started vmware toolbox as root and removed all snapshots already.

But there is no partition listed inside vmware toolbox's shrink tab at all, to be selected for shrinking.

I used to be able to this in Workstation v 6.5.x but now in workstation 7.x.x I can not.

It is expected that if there were snapshot or linked clone then the shrink tab indicated that shrink is impossible, but it listed a blank tab after snapshots are deleted.

Smiley Sad ?:|

I am puzzeled..

It is not just one VM, but all Linux guests face the same issue. Windows clients are OK.

u.y.

u.y.
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AWo
Immortal
Immortal

Does that apply?

From the manual:

"The Shrink tab of the VMware Tools control panel provides options for reclaiming unused space in a virtual disk. If your virtual machine cannot be shrunk, this tab displays information explaining why you cannot shrink your virtual disks."


AWo

VCP 3 & 4

Author @ vmwire.net

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uy
Enthusiast
Enthusiast

It is always just blank displayed nothing to explain why there is no partition to shrink.

EXT4 EXT3 REISERFS SWAP all not shown. Absolutely blank and I am login as root.

Smiley Sad

u.y.

u.y.
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AWo
Immortal
Immortal

I'm not sure if that is needed, but have you checked if all VMware Tools daemons are running and all modules are loaded?

Post the output of "ps | grep vm" and "lsmod | grep vm"


AWo

VCP 3 & 4

Author @ vmwire.net

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uy
Enthusiast
Enthusiast

One of the linux guest is now found to be able to shrink / and /home partition.

But most of the Linux guests can not.

u.y.
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uy
Enthusiast
Enthusiast

from another linux guest the output is not exactly the same:

user123@ubuntu:~$ ps aux |grep vm

root 1158 0.0 0.0 0 0 ? S 11:17 0:00

root 1373 0.0 0.3 58676 2600 ? S 11:17 0:00 /usr/sbin/vmtoolsd

user123 1925 0.1 3.2 231624 21536 ? S 11:19 0:03 /usr/lib/vmware-tools/bin64/vmware-user-loader --blockFd 3

user123 4315 0.0 0.1 7620 980 pts/0 S+ 12:08 0:00 grep --color=auto vm

user123@ubuntu:~$ lsmod |grep vm

vmblock 12963 1

vmmemctl 8636 0

vmhgfs 56766 0

vmci 31115 1 vsock

vmxnet 18846 0

But this guest also showed the same symptom that there is no partition to shrink in vmware-toolbox

u.y.

u.y.
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AWo
Immortal
Immortal

Do you use LVM or are the disks preallocated (Thick provisioned)?

BTW, that's my outpiut with Workstatiopn 6.5:

awo@vm-awo-110:~> ps -e | grep vm

1340 ? 00:00:00 vmhgfs

2448 ? 00:00:00 vmware-guestd

3608 ? 00:00:07 vmware-user

awo@vm-awo-110:~> lsmod | grep vm

vmsync 10016 0

vmblock 20388 4

vmhgfs 47616 1

vmxnet 21376 0

vmci 36468 1 vsock


AWo

VCP 3 & 4

Author @ vmwire.net

\[:o]===\[o:]

=Would you like to have this posting as a ringtone on your cell phone?=

=Send "Posting" to 911 for only $999999,99!=

vExpert 2009/10/11 [:o]===[o:] [: ]o=o[ :] = Save forests! rent firewood! =
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uy
Enthusiast
Enthusiast

None of those are LVM nor Pre-allocated VMDK disks.

I checked lvm package is not even installed. It is a directly mounted /dev/sda1. VMDK is max 20GB, but file size is now only 5.6GB. So there can not be any preallocation. ?:|

u.y.

u.y.
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uy
Enthusiast
Enthusiast

I discovered the answer myself. :smileygrin: Heart

VMware Tools ver 7.1.0 build-256557 still does not support EXT4 fs!

I added ext3 fs VMDK disk and it became visible in the shrink tab. :smileygrin:

The vmware-toolbox's shrink tab showed blank because the partitions are all EXT4 fs.

I have other Linux guests that are Reiserfs that will also show blank in the shrink tab, I think those older VMs got some even older versions of VMware-Toolbox installed, which don't support Reiserfs.

The short answer that I discovered now is that unless the version of running vmware-toolbox supports the fs of the partition it will not show within the shrink tab. If none of the partitions are of supported fs, then it shows blank.

I am suggesting to VMWARE.COM that in future all partitions detected should be shown, but with unshrinkable partitions greyed out, supported partition can be selected by a CHECKBOX. That way is clearer to the users and avoid this sort of confusions.

Smiley Wink

Thanks!

u.y.

u.y.
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uy
Enthusiast
Enthusiast

I discovered the answer myself. :smileygrin: Heart

VMware Tools ver 7.1.0 build-256557 still does not support EXT4 fs!

I added ext3 fs VMDK disk and it became visible in the shrink tab. :smileygrin:

The vmware-toolbox's shrink tab showed blank because the partitions are all EXT4 fs.

I have other Linux guests that are Reiserfs that will also show blank in the shrink tab, I think those older VMs got some even older versions of VMware-Toolbox installed, which don't support Reiserfs.

The short answer that I discovered now is that unless the version of running vmware-toolbox supports the fs of the partition it will not show within the shrink tab. If none of the partitions are of supported fs, then it shows blank.

I am suggesting to VMWARE.COM that in future all partitions detected should be shown, but with unshrinkable partitions greyed out, supported partition can be selected by a CHECKBOX. That way is clearer to the users and avoid this sort of confusions.

Smiley Wink

Thanks!

u.y.

u.y.
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uy
Enthusiast
Enthusiast

Thanks!

u.y.

u.y.
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osde_info
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Enthusiast

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