ESXi 5: plug the HARD physics to VM disk and leave the data intact

Similar Questions

• Connect physical hard disks to the virtual machine (and leave the data intact)

  Hello

  I'm looking to virtualize a SOHO headless server, that I use mainly for secure file storage.

  Currently, the system runs Linux installed on a small disc and has two drives 1.5 TB, used exclusively for data, in a cluster of ZFS mirroring. (I use the ZFS-fuse Linux-based application).

  I want virtualization for two reasons. One is to make administration easier and safer - avoid having to connect a keyboard and the physical monitor to the box from time to time. The other is that the machine is a bit more powerful to handle the load, and I'm hoping to make it work on other, more challenging tasks.

  Now, there is a catch. These discs are as highly important. I mean the data on them. What I need is to convert the current Linux system to a virtual machine, or re - install Linux on a virtual machine (don't like that), then connect the physical disks to the virtual machine as if they were actually connected.

  I certainly don't want to vmware touches those disks somehow.

  I've read the documentation, but I'm a noob when it comes to server virtualization and system engineering and don't quite understand if this is possible or not. These discs are not a SAN, they are physically connected to the server, I want to install vSphere on. (Of course, I'll log out when I run the setup of vSphere. But I need plug them again later, and they need to be sure that vmware will leave them alone and pass them to the virtual machine transparent.)

  Sigmoid wrote:

  Oh yes, the cluster mirrored ZFS. It is essentially a software RAID type thingie.

  http://en.Wikipedia.org/wiki/ZFS

  A material, or the point of view of virtualization, it appears two hard drives with a single huge partition on each that is not transparent to anyone, except the implementation of ZFS.

  OK, means that you can break the RAID, connect the drives to different host and configure RAID once again, right?

  Let's do it this way

  1. We will need a disc player more for VM, cause on flash, we install ESXi
  2. I will share ZFS :-), all you need to do with that before you install ESXi
  3. make the BACKUP!
  4. Disconnect the data host drives
  5. install ESXi 4.1 U1 free version on flash
  6. Download the site VMware vSphere client
  7. Connect the VM disk to ESXi
  8. customer help create the virtual machine and install the OS on it
  9. stop the virtual machine and esxi
  10. connect DATA drives to the ESXi host
  11. begin to ESXi
  12. See how to add RDM on youtube, after client use, change first hardware VM--> add a new hard disk--> choose Raw Device Mapping--> (physical or virtual) mode--> store it with folder VM - FACT
  13. Start the virtual machine, now your VM should see both drives, with good data course :-)

  I have just made this procedure (add ROW with data in Linux VM) on ubuntu VM, works well

  See you soon
  Artur
  

  Please, do not forget the points of call of the "useful" or "correct" answers

• What is the advantage of separating the ESXI OS of the data?

  Hello

  I want to buy a server for my production.

  do I have to configure the server with 2 disks mirrored for the BONES of ESXI and 3 disks in RAID 5 for data or can I just have all the drives in Raid 5 (the ESXI and data)?

  Thank you!

  Dothan.

  No doubt put all disks in a single set to improve the performance of RAID. Once loaded, ESXi runs in memory and writes that the logs and configuration data. The disk space required for ESXi - including a 4 GB partition scratch - is ~ 5 GB. In ESXi 5.x versions, it was a good idea to place ESXi on a separate drive in order to reinstall the system, but with v5.x ESXi reformat the complete installation disk more.

  Even if you want to keep separate data from the OS, you can always create a RAID unit with all disks and - using the RAID controller - create the logical volumes on this RAID (for example 10GB for ESXi) set.

  André

• Photos can work using just an external HARD disk and leave my only intern?

  Hello

  I am using v1.5 Photos. On my Macbook HARD internal disk fills up very quickly. Fortunately, I have a nice external 1 TB drive and I would like to:

  (1) move all my photos on the external drive and direct Photos program so search the folder on the external HARD drive to find all photos.

  (2) when I import pictures from my camera in the future, that the Mac them automatically in the folder of photos on the external HARD disk and not keep fill the space limited on my Mac small disk internal.

  Is this possible? I remember that I was able to do it with iTunes years when I used a Powermac with 4 x internal HDD of various sizes. iTunes has been able to see the music on each disk files and present them to me as a single list of iTunes.

  I'm not interested in using iCloud at all, I have everything on HARD drive and memory sticks and I am satisfied that, as it provides all the storage I need and I only use a computer for my work.

  Thanks a lot for your help.

  Yes, it is possible to keep the pictures library on an external drive. Make sure that the unit is running at the launch of photos from your Mac.

  See this discussion for detailed instructions of another user.

  How can I move Photos on external hard drive?

• install esxi 4.1 and the data store on the same server

  Hello

  I want to install esxi 4.1 and the data store on the same server.

  My problem is that I can't make partitions to really separate them and I would reinstall esxi without wiping the data store.

  Y at - it another way to put a record out of the raid only to install esxi.

  I also do not install on a USB key.

  Thank you

  AZEL says:

  Hello

  I want to install esxi 4.1 and the data store on the same server.

  My problem is that I can't make partitions to really separate them and I would reinstall esxi without wiping the data store.

  Y at - it another way to put a record out of the raid only to install esxi.

  I also do not install on a USB key.

  Thank you

  AZEL,

  Can you give us more details about your current environment?  What is the size and the data store space used? Do you have any storage of additional network attached to the host (for backup purposes)?

  My assumptions of your post do you have 1 stand-alone host with ESXi 4.1 aready installed and you also have a local data store on the same host, but you want to re - install ESXi 4.1 while keeping the contents fo the data store.  Is this correct?

• Problems with the data store when installting ESXi USB

  I had problems getting free ESXi reliable running.  I am able to install a flash drive fine and initially everything works and I am able to create virtual machines.  Upon the first connection to vSphere, told me that there is no data store, so I create one on my controller LSI 400 GB RAID1 8308elp without problem.  However, once I reboot the server ESXi I lose the data store.  When I check my warehouses under Configuration it is listed.  At this point, if I try to create the data store, yet once I get "Error during the configuration of the host".  I read about using fdisk from the console when people have had this problem but there is no access console in the free version.  Is that what I can do to work around this problem?

  Right in the HCL... SAS/SATA-RAID of the lists for older versions, SCSI for the current version... Search within i/o devices for "LSI 8308elp '...

  VMware VCP4

  Review the allocation of points for "useful" or "right" answers.

• vSphere - external USB drive to the data store local copy

  Hello world

  Yesterday, I created this post: http://communities.VMware.com/message/2135813
  With your help, we managed to find the only way to install ESXi to ISO image to USB external hard drive is to be attached to the machine near her and run the Setup from there, cannot be done directly.

  Today, we need your help in the next step, as it seems.

  We have a Dell r.620 physical machine with VMware ESXi 5.0 installed U1. We have an external hard drive with the operating system installation ISO images, software backup and a little more.

  The question is - how to copy the data from the external USB connected directly to the ESXi host to the data store local disk on the host.

  Yes, we know that we can do in the way that connect us to the machine on the same location and copy it into the data from there store. But we would do it directly. And we don't very well see by ourselves or using Google Uncle again.

  Poor ability to research, or is not possible?

  Thank you very much for your help!

  The court to do is to use the Datastorebrowser or WinSCP

  ESXi itself can only read the Fat16 drives - so what looks like the short path is the long way ;-)

• Detach a lun using the data store name?

  All (or Luc lol)

  I am wanting to use the disc to detach function, but instead of passing naa.id, I wish I could pass the name of a data store already disassembled data store to get the id of the naa. I would also like to pass a list of hosts, rather than to all guests who tied it.  I watched Alan functions but its going to each host rather than being able to move from a specific host.

  I took a slap at him earlier, but I'm a little confused on how to do it.

  http://www.lucd.info/2011/11/25/LUN-juggling-in-vSphere-5/

  Any help?

  With a small change to the functions of Alan, you can use a parameter of VMHost.

  In there, you specify one or more ESXi servers where the data store must be dismounted and detached.

• During remediation instant failure disappear from the Manager, is the data store

  Hi guys

  I was contracted to sort a vSphere 4.1 environment and there are a few VM some with up to 4 snapshots on them and more than a year. I've been rehabilitating some of them already with the "remove all" according to vSphere documentation, and all went very well.

  I just tried to reclaim a more, it only has a single VM disk and a snapshot of what is only a few months old. The remediation process has gone wrong, and I got the following error: ' < unspecified file name > file is larger than the maximum size supported by the data store ' < unspecified datastore > root 25/05/2012 16:20:07 25/05/2012 16:20:07 25/05/2012 16:20:09.

  The data store has a block size of 1 MB and should be able to support up to 256 MB file size and disk of the virtual machine is only 84 GB, real size of snapshots is 77 GB with space set 84 GB service identical to the original size of the virtual machine.

  The server is a box of SQL2008R2, so it is quite important that he does not fail. In addition, the company used to have vCenter installed, but at some point in time ceased it to use it and are now only connect directly to the ESXi hosts themselfes.

  Does anyone have an idea how to fix this? The server seems to be working well, but if you look at the snapshot the Snapshot Manager disappeared, but the files still exist in the data store. I'll make sure that we at this time do not turn off the server.

  I also just found when comparing the .vmx files this virtual machine and another virtual machine that still has old clichés in this regard, the following differences.

  hostCPUID.0 = "0000000b756e65476c65746e49656e69".
  hostCPUID.1 = "000206c220200800029ee3ffbfebfbff".
  hostCPUID.80000001 = "0000000000000000000000012c 100800.
  guestCPUID.0 = "0000000b756e65476c65746e49656e69".
  guestCPUID.1 = "000206c200010800829822030febfbff".
  guestCPUID.80000001 = "00000000000000000000000128100800".
  userCPUID.0 = "0000000b756e65476c65746e49656e69".
  userCPUID.1 = "000206c220200800029822030febfbff".
  userCPUID.80000001 = "00000000000000000000000128100800".

  That information above, does not exist in the file .vmx for virtual machine that does not have the reclamation of the snapshot.

  Kind regards

  Niels

  OK, let's put it all together:

  ... There's a few VM some with up to 4 snapshots on them and more than a year

  ... The data store has a block size of 1 MB and should be able to support up to 256 GB file size

  ... "The file is larger than the maximum size supported by the data store

  --> virtual disks _1 and _2 _3 on different data warehouses (MON)

  Think again of what could be the cause of this error message, the only reason why I can think of is that the other virtual disks have been added after taken the snapshot, and at least one of the virtual disks has a size greater than 254 GB. (see "calculates the time required by the snapshot files system" at http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1012384)

  When you delete a snapshot with the virtual machine, ESXi creates a ' consolidate snapshot of assistance. " If this snapshot of assistance cannot be created, you will receive this error message. If this is the case you should at least be able to remove the snapshot with the virtual machine off.

  The next question is how to resolve this situation, in order to create snapshots in the future. Well, the best way - where your hardware is supported - would be upgrade to ESXi 5 and VMFS-5, that supports the file sizes of ~ 2 TB size of blocks of 1 MB unified. In the case where an upgrade is not an option you will need to either create smaller virtual disks and migrate/copy data or create new warehouses of data with a block size and migrate virtual disks.

  An alternative to the above mentioned, which adds however complexity to the configuration - potentially redirect snapshots of a store of data with the appropriate block size. See http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1002929

  André

• whenever I plug the drive HARD portable-USB to PC, win helps media songs stops

  whenever I plug the portable HDD or USB or by phone to the PC, songs stops.

  and sometimes when I unplug my laptop HARD drive, USB, phone from my pc Win 7

  My OS Win 7 64 bit Ultimate SP1 completely up to date

  Thanks in advance

  Hey Pratik,

  Thanks for posting your query in the Microsoft Community Forums.

  According to the description of the problem, it seems that media player pauses and stops when you connect and reconnect USB portable HARD disk or by phone on Windows 7 computer.

  If there is audio or video files on hard disk or USB and phone, Media Player will attempt to add to the library and so it can suspend or stop.

  I suggest you run the Troubleshooter in Windows Media Player Settings and check if it helps.

  This utility checks the configuration settings and network for Windows Media Player to ensure that you can play the content you downloaded and saved on your computer, or content streaming over a network or the Internet.

  If the problem persists, or you have questions about Windows Media Player, do not hesitate to let us know. We will be happy to help you.

• How will I know ESXi installed on the local hard drive or usb or SAN?

  Hi all

  Here, I have IBM Storage node flex and midsize, this storewize is divided in two. I want to know where my esxi os installed? all orders to find?

  Hello

  So you can run esxcfg-info-e and you will get your startup BACK type, it will be either visor-thin (means ESXi installable, means in general you are installed on the local disk or SAN), visor-usb (ESXi embedded, usually means you are installed on USB or SD or visor-pxe to PXE deployment.)

  If you want to go further, you can run ls-lisa/dev/discs and you should be able to identify your device initialization as one with a load of partitions, as the vm1.0000xxxx entries in the result below:

  ~ # ls-lisa/dev/discs

  Total 8784623329

  4 0 drwxr-xr-x 1 root root 512 31 Mar 14:25.

  1 0 drwxr-xr-x 1 root root 512 31 Mar 14:25...

  165 3921920 - rw - 1 root root 4016046080 31 Mar 14:25 mpx.vmhba32:C0:T0:L0

  155 4064 - rw - 1 root root 4161536 31 Mar 14:25 mpx.vmhba32:C0:T0:L0:1

  157 255984 - rw - 1 root root 262127616 31 Mar 14:25 mpx.vmhba32:C0:T0:L0:5

  159 255984 - rw - 1 root root 262127616 31 Mar 14:25 mpx.vmhba32:C0:T0:L0:6

  161 112624 - rw - 1 root root 115326976 31 Mar 14:25 mpx.vmhba32:C0:T0:L0:7

  163 292848 - rw - 1 root root 299876352 31 Mar 14:25 mpx.vmhba32:C0:T0:L0:8

  145 4389890880 - rw - 1 root root 4495248261120 31 Mar 14:25 naa.600c0ff00012e5abe64a345301000000

  143 4389889024 - rw - 1 root root 4495246360576 31 Mar 14:25 naa.600c0ff00012e5abe64a345301000000:1

  166 0 lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 20 Mar 31 14:25 vml.0000000000766d68626133323a303a30-> mpx.vmhba32:C0:T0:L0

  156 0 lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 22 Mar 31 14:25 vml.0000000000766d68626133323a303a30:1-> mpx.vmhba32:C0:T0:L0:1

  158 0 lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 22 Mar 31 14:25 vml.0000000000766d68626133323a303a30:5-> mpx.vmhba32:C0:T0:L0:5

  160 0 lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 22 Mar 31 14:25 vml.0000000000766d68626133323a303a30:6-> mpx.vmhba32:C0:T0:L0:6

  162 0 lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 22 Mar 31 14:25 vml.0000000000766d68626133323a303a30:7-> mpx.vmhba32:C0:T0:L0:7

  164 0 lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 22 Mar 31 14:25 vml.0000000000766d68626133323a303a30:8-> mpx.vmhba32:C0:T0:L0:8

  If in case of doubt, you can use partedUtil to check, enter the ID and plug into partedUtil, as follows: partedUtil getptbl /dev/disks/vml.0000000000766d68626133323a303a30

  If it is your boot device, you should see your systemPartition and all your Partitions ESXi...

  ~ # partedUtil getptbl /dev/disks/vml.0000000000766d68626133323a303a30

  TPG

  488 255 63 7843840

  1 64 8191 C12A7328F81F11D2BA4B00A0C93EC93B systemPartition 128

  5 8224 520191 EBD0A0A2B9E5443387C068B6B72699C7 linuxNative 0

  6 520224 1032191 EBD0A0A2B9E5443387C068B6B72699C7 linuxNative 0

  7 1032224 1257471 9D27538040AD11DBBF97000C2911D1B8 vmkDiagnostic 0

  8 1257504 1843199 EBD0A0A2B9E5443387C068B6B72699C7 linuxNative 0

  To further clarify, go back to your ls-lisa/dev/discs out and now you know that you have the right device, enter the path to your drive ID, in this case, mpx.vmhba32:C0:T0:L0, then run esxcli nmp storage devices list | grep mpx.vmhba32:C0:T0:L0

  and you will get your device nickname, so:

  
  

  ~ # esxcli list of nmp storage device | grep mpx.vmhba32:C0:T0:L0

  MPX.vmhba32:C0:t0:l0

  Device display name: USB Direct - access Local (mpx.vmhba32:C0:T0:L0)

  Hope this helps, this should be good for ESXi 5.x and above all, I believe, something you might need to sub partedUtil for fdisk.

  Good luck!

  vM

  -----------------------------------------------------------------

  VCAP-DCD / VCAP-DCA / VCP-Cloud / VCP - DT

  vMustard.com

• Move the existing 5.5 ESXi installation of the HARD disk on USB.

  I need help on what would be the best approach to move my existing ESXi 5.5 install the HARD disk to the new USB.

  Then you tell your environment uses the local disk to your VM data store (s)? In addition, you want to move your partition ESXi to USB and recover the local disk space? I think if it was me, the the more safe thing to do would be to shut down the system, pull on the local drive on just enough to disable / he dethrone, insert the USB key and run ESXi installation. Then (after checking the boot order) reinstall the local disk and boot the system. Once the USB key version boots, make your configurations (DNS, NTP, license etc.) and add the data store (s) existing local drive. You can then add existing virtual machines via "navigation" of the data store (s).

• Add the new hard drive into the data store in ESXi 4.1

  Hi all

  I got ESX 4.1 installed on the Dell server, and I have 3 virtual machines on a data store.

  I added a new 500 GB scsi hard drive to the server,

  and I need to add it to the datasore or create a new...

  How can I see this new hard drive? and add it to the data store?

  Waiting for your help.

  concerning

  Abrams

  Oracle system engineer

  Abrams,

  That's all I can help you.  These instructions are based on the Perc 5 / i controller, which I think you have on our system.  You have not specified the server so I just assumed that this is so.

  1. unscrew the hot spare that you just made.  Follow this link from Dell.
  http://support.Dell.com/support/eDOCS/storage/RAID/PERC5/en/UG/HTML/chapterh.htm#wp1061343

  2 follow the link for the installation of virtual disks - http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/storage/RAID/PERC5/en/UG/HTML/chapterh.htm#wp1069357

  This link has three steps to void, skip the step on "spare parts of designate hot."
  a. create the virtual disks and select virtual disk options.   -Online steps to create another disk group and add the new disk to the disk group.
  (b) designate the drives hot spares (optional). =>, YOU CAN SKIP THIS STEP
  c. initialize virtual disks. -online must do.  just do not initialize the incorrect disk.

  After the step #2 c, you should be able to access the drive in ESXi or command-line (list of nmp esxcli devices).

  And no, you cannot add this manaully until do you step #2 above which is to define the disk group, creating virtual disks and initialize the virtual disk.

  Good luck.

• Satellite 1900-303: does anyone know the plug of HARD drive

  Hard drive crashed... anyone know the spec of the HD in a Sat 1900 303... His hard drive a 30 GB but just need more in detail to give the data recovery company. Woman in a panic because she is a classic home user and never save anything...

  Hello

  Maybe I'm wrong, but you don't need all the data. Each professional company can deal with each HARD drive that is given to the recovery of the data. If I'm wrong please let me know.

  HARD drive broke down, or perhaps your wife has deleted all the important data by mistake?

• Need help to replace a physically C drive on several computer disks. I can't LOOSE the data on the secondary drive.

  I got 2 hard drives, a small disc with XP Pro and a big drive for storage and memory intensive programs. The disc is dead - physically (he's grinding wheels), not because of software problems. I managed to boot from the XP disk and copied as much as possible on an external drive to install on a new hard drive. Externally will not take the backup file. After that I restarted depui the XP disc, my secondary drive is no longer recognized. I copy the contents of the C drive on an external drive. Here are my questions:
  1. can I ghost the info on a new hard drive and skip the installation? Reason I have CS3 on drive F, but it components installed on the C drive (where CS2 was before I upgraded). I do not have my Adobe CS3 here records because it allowed multi, and my records are currently out of State with the other licensee.
  2. If I install the new disk, starting from the old drive with XP disc, can I ghost? (I have a tour customized for several readers) When I started the drive C before - he tried to install on my F drive. I have not installed (I can't lose the files on drive F), and now the computer does not recognize the drive. I bought a Seagate drive and they have great software for installation - so I'd like to ghost it. The XP disk reduced to nothing the new drive hard as he did the F drive?
  and finally, question 3. When the new drive, I get up and running, can I sign out the F drive, plug it back and Windows will see it? CS3 & Quark will still work if I have to do a fresh install?

  1. can I ghost the info on a new hard drive and skip the installation? Reason I have CS3 on drive F, but it components installed on the C drive (where CS2 was before I upgraded). I do not have my Adobe CS3 here records because it allowed multi, and my records are currently out of State with the other licensee.

  2. If I install the new disk, starting from the old drive with XP disc, can I ghost? (I have a tour customized for several readers) When I started the drive C before - he tried to install on my F drive. I have not installed (I can't lose the files on drive F), and now the computer does not recognize the drive. I bought a Seagate drive and they have great software for installation - so I'd like to ghost it. The XP disk reduced to nothing the new drive hard as he did the F drive?
  and finally, question

  3. when the new drive, I get up and running, can I sign out the F drive, plug it back and Windows will see it? CS3 & Quark will still work if I have to do a fresh install?

  Hi jdohugh,

  Thanks for posting. If I read your post correctly your hard drive with your operating system on it died, so you lost your operating system and do not have to reinstall but you try to get down the important data before the reinstall.

  1 Q: can I ghost the info on a new hard drive and skip the installation? Reason I have CS3 on drive F, but it components installed on the C drive (where CS2 was before I upgraded). I do not have my Adobe CS3 here records because it allowed multi, and my records are currently out of State with the other licensee.

  A. Si your drive with your operating system does not work, I do not think you can ghost it and reinstall as the image would not work. With Adobe CS3 disks, you will need to contact Adobe and get them to perform the installation of additional supports. Simply copy the files likely will not work to reisntall the application.

  2. Q. If I install the new disk, starting from the old drive with XP disc, can I ghost? (I have a tour customized for several readers) When I started the drive C before - he tried to install on my F drive. I have not installed (I can't lose the files on drive F), and now the computer does not recognize the drive. I bought a Seagate drive and they have great software for installation - so I'd like to ghost it. The XP disk reduced to nothing the new drive hard as he did the F drive?

  A: as I said in question 1 if your operating system drive does not an image would most likely fail or be corrupt. If read correctly the other part of the question you the system tried to start installation on your f:\ that matches your drive program and now you cannot access the files on it? With the last part of this question, you will need to contact Seagate to see what makes their software, I'm not sure what you're trying to accomplish by using.

  3. Q. When the new drive, I get up and running, can I sign out the F drive, plug it back and Windows will see it? CS3 & Quark will still work if I have to do a fresh install?
       
  A. Si you reconnect an extra drive to XP, the operating system should see it regardless of what it was connected to previously. With regard to your programs, if it is a new operating system you load then Yes, you will need to reinstall these applications on the operating system, and they should work with no problems provided that the drive is working correctly.

  I hope this helps. Let me know if you have any additional questions.
  Shawn - Support Engineer - MCP, MCDST
  Microsoft Answers Support Engineer
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