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How to: Extend / Expand Virtual Disk on ESX Server using GUI or command line

Today, a virtual disk of one of my virtual servers running on VMware Virtual Infrastructure 2.5 / VMware ESX Server 3.5  run out of diskspace. Why? Because 50GB are not enough to store all Patches, Microsoft Windows Server Update Service (WSUS) downloads and provides in the LAN…

Since many people asked me about how to expand or extend a virtual disk on VMware ESX Server, i decided to post quick how to / tutorial here..

First of all, always remember, doing a backup is always a good idea especially before changing a disk layout 😉

The required steps / the turorial is as follows:

To expand / extend a Virtual Disk on ESX Server using the GUI & Diskpart

Please read to the end before starting with the procedure!

• Shut down the Virtual Machine
• In the VMware Infrastructure Client, right click the Virtual Machine, choose Settings
• Select the Disk you want to extend / expand
• Define New Size
• NOTE: this won’t work if you have any snapshots!
• Now start your Virtual Machine. If you extended / expanded the Boot Parition, i gets bit more complicated since the Volume is in use when the operating system is running. To extend a boot partition, additional steps are required.
  • Take a Windows 7 or Windows 2008 or even a Windows Vista Installation Medium. Boot the Virtual Machine using this media. When the Install Windows Window appears, press Shift-F10. This trick / shortcut opens a CMD. From there proceed with the next step using diskpart to extend the disk / partition
• Now use Diskpart to extend the Volume

Finally check your Disk or Partition in Explorer to see if it is expanded.

The graphical part can also be done using SSH. If you want to do it that way:

• Create an SSH Connection to your VMware ESX Server using Putty or some similiar SSH Client
• Use vmkfstools
  The syntax to extend / expand a Virtual Disk is:
  vmkfstools -X new_sizevmfs_name:disk_name
  i.e. vmkfstools -X 8192m sanVOL12:ServerDrive_D.vmdk

  The syntax reference for vmkfstools is
  vmkfstools -C –createfs vmfs3
  -b –blocksize #[mMkK]
  -S –setfsname fsName
  -Z –extendfs extension-partition
  deviceName

  -P –queryfs -h –humanreadable
  -T –tovmfs3
  -x –upgradetype [zeroedthick|eagerzeroedthick|thin]
  -u –upgradefinish
  vmfsPath

  OPTIONS FOR VIRTUAL DISKS:

  vmkfstools -c –createvirtualdisk #[gGmMkK]
  -d –diskformat [zeroedthick|
  eagerzeroedthick|
  thick|
  thin]
  -a –adapterType [buslogic|lsilogic]
  -w –writezeros
  -j –inflatedisk
  -U –deletevirtualdisk
  -E –renamevirtualdisk srcDisk
  -i –clonevirtualdisk srcDisk
  -d –diskformat [rdm:|rdmp:|
  raw:|thin|2gbsparse|
  monoflat|monosparse]
  -X –extendvirtualdisk #[gGmMkK]
  -M –migratevirtualdisk
  -r –createrdm /vmfs/devices/disks/…
  -q –queryrdm
  -z –createrdmpassthru /vmfs/devices/disks/…
  -v –verbose #
  -g –geometry
  -J –miscop [setuuid | getuuid]
  vmfsPath

  OPTIONS FOR DEVICES:

  vmkfstools -s –scan adapterName
  -L –lock [reserve|release|lunreset|targetreset|busreset] /vmfs/devicees/disks/…

Feel free to comment..