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VMware ESXi converting thin to thick provision

chonkchonk Member
in Help

Hi guys,
I did installed ESXi to my new dedicated server. Everything installed and optimized, and get ready. But then i realized a problem which is i/o disk speed is 50mb/sec.

When I double checked everything, I realized that harddrive on ESXi created with "thin provision". So I beleive this affects disk performance very badly.

Is there any easy way to convert it to thick provision? It's free version of ESXi so it doesn't have right click and migrate option as tutorials on web says.

Some says about vmfstools, but i don't get it and i don't know if it's works or not.

Have you ever face with a problem like this?

Comments

  • KuJoeKuJoe Member, Host Rep

    VMware Converter will work, not sure if you can do a V2V to the same host or not though.

  • ClouviderClouvider Member, Patron Provider

    Perhaps add another Virtual HDD with thick provision and then use DD to replicate on the OS level?

    Once replicated you could then drop the thin provisioned disks.

  • chonkchonk Member

    @Clouvider said:
    Perhaps add another Virtual HDD with thick provision and then use DD to replicate on the OS level?

    Once replicated you could then drop the thin provisioned disks.

    How can i use DD? I mean what is it? Sorry.

  • drendren Member
    edited April 2016

    e.g.
    dd if=/dev/hda of=/dev/hdb
    man dd

    you can even use cp or cat or any file/hdd copying tool like clonezilla

    Thanked by 1chonk
  • ClouviderClouvider Member, Patron Provider

    cp won't necessarily work since you'll loose bootloader etc

  • isaaclisaacl Member

    Right click -> Inflate

    Thanked by 1chonk
  • KuJoeKuJoe Member, Host Rep

    @isaacl said:
    Right click -> Inflate

    Which ESXi version are you using? I've never seen an option on any of the versions I've used (5.0, 5.5, and 6.0).

  • isaaclisaacl Member

    Sorry, forgot to explain - you need to use the datastore browser to find the VM's vmdk file, and then right click on that, then click inflate.
    This kb should have more info: https://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?language=en_US&cmd=displayKC&externalId=2014832

  • AkitoAkito Member

    If you happen to have vcenter as well you could clone or migrate to a different datastore and select a different type of disk provisioning as well.

  • FuslFusl Member

    isaacl said: Sorry, forgot to explain - you need to use the datastore browser to find the VM's vmdk file, and then right click on that, then click inflate.

    Absolutely cool, never seen before. Thanks.

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