create bootable VMDK hdd

[Jupanu]

hello

Is there any posibility to create a bootable vmdk file ?

Regards

[WoodyZ]

Jupanu wrote:  Is there any posibility to create a bootable vmdk file ?

When a virtual hard disk is first created, while not technically an empty container, it is essentially an empty container meaning that it neither partitioned, formatted or flagged as bootable and at that moment not capable of being booted.  It remains in that state until it is either manually partitioned, formatted and flagged as bootable or done so automatically while an OS is being installed.

So it depends on what you consider as bootable however considering the actual state of a virtual hard disk at the time of its initial creation the answer is no.  Meaning as an example if you use vmware-vdiak manager and create a virtual hard disk with it then the object created is not bootable and cannot be made bootable during it initial creation as it is not partitioned, formatted or flagged as bootable at that moment.  It requires additional steps beyond the mechanism that creates the actual virtual hard disk files.

Now if one then partitions, formats and flags as bootable the once empty .vmdk file then one might now consider it bootable however one might also not consider it bootable until and OS is installed.

IMO the virtual hard disk is not bootable when first created however becomes bootable once its partitioned, formatted and flagged as bootable which requires steps beyond the actual creation of the virtual hard disk however once done the virtual hard disk while at that point technically is bootable nonetheless it will not boot as no OS has been installed.

[Jupanu]

Hello

Please consider this scenario in a vmware workstation 8

I have a boot server instaled and i need a clinet for PXE boot , when i boot a empty VM no bootable hdd was found

Any sugestions ?

Regards

[WoodyZ]

Whether the virtual hard disk is created via the VMware Workstation GUI New Virtual Machine Wizard or added to an existing VM via its Settings or created by CLI, what I said in my first reply in this thread still stands!

If whatever your doing with PXE also requires a bootable virtual hard disk present in the VM then I'd suggest you partition, format and flag as bootable the virtual hard disk before you attempt PXE.  This can be done with things like GParted Live using a downloaded ISO Image and boot from it.

If a pre partitioned, formatted and flagged as bootable virtual hard disk is not required then you do not have something properly configured with PXE and this really has nothing to do with VMware per se... it a PXE User issue.  (That is assuming you have the right type of virtual hard disk, e.g. IDE vs SCSI or type of SCSI, vice versa, etc. for whatever it is your attempting to do via PXE)