Need help converting from Thick to Thin, using migrate isn't working

[milesmeridith]

I'm trying to change some of my VM's from thick to thin. I found a link that using VSphere client I can just click migrate, chose move datastore and then change the setting. I do that and everything looks good, it completes and then I check the settings and it is still set to Thick. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[sparrowangelste · Accepted solution]

are you moving it to a different VMFS volume?

you probably arent.

http://sparrowangelstechnology.blogspot.com/2012/08/storage-vmotion-completes-in-zero.html

[aravinds3107]

Select the change datastore option and select a differernt datastore and try

Check http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?language=en_US&cmd=displayKC&externalId=201483...

[milesmeridith]

I am trying to keep it on the same datastore. My current setup is only two hosts. When I go to migrate it doesn't give me an option to move it to the other datastore anyways. I'm going to try your ssh option. Would changing it from thick to thin cause old snapshots to become unusable?

[sparrowangelste]

milesmeridith wrote:

I am trying to keep it on the same datastore. My current setup is only two hosts. When I go to migrate it doesn't give me an option to move it to the other datastore anyways. I'm going to try your ssh option. Would changing it from thick to thin cause old snapshots to become unusable?

going from thick to thin shouldnt affect snapshots.however if you are going to change it manually I would remove all snapshots as a precation.

you shouldnt be replying on snaps on the vm anyway but rather a backup like veeam.

Try veeam free backup if you want to try it out. http://www.veeam.com/virtual-machine-backup-solution-free.html

there is also getthovcb  http://communities.vmware.com/docs/DOC-8760

[jdptechnc]

If downtime is acceptable, you could just power off the VM, and do "change host and datastore", which will allow you to change to thin.

VMware Converter would also accomplish the same, but again, that would be downtime.