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12/3/2015

VMwareKB:ChangingamonolithicdisktoasplitdiskinVMwareWorkstation

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ChangingamonolithicdisktoasplitdiskinVMwareWorkstation(2006898)
Purpose
Thisarticleprovidesthestepstochangeamonolithicdisk(avirtualmachinediskcontainedinasinglefile)intotoasplitdisk(avirtualmachinedisksplitinto2GBfiles)inVMwareWorkstation.

Resolution
Tochangefromamonolithicdisktoasplitdisk,youmustcopythevirtualdiskdatafromthemonolithicdisktoanewsplitdisk.Aftercopyingthedata,youmustthenassociatethevirtualmachinewiththenewsplit
disk.Youmaythendeletetheoldmonolithicdisk.
Prerequisites:
Ensurethatyouknowwhereyourvirtualdiskisstored.Todeterminethislocation,gotoVM>Settings,clicktheHardwaretab,andselectyourharddisk.Thediskfileislistedatthetop,ontherightside.If
nopathisprovided,thenthevirtualdiskisinthesamedirectoryastheconfigurationfile.ThislocationisshownwhenyoumouseoverthevirtualmachineintheLibrary,andonthevirtualmachine'stabwhen
itisselected.
Ensurethatthevirtualdiskbeingchangeddoesnothaveanysnapshotsassociatedwithit.Deleteorcommitanysnapshotsbeforeproceeding.Formoreinformation,seeWorkingwithsnapshots(1009402)
(/selfservice/search.do?cmd=displayKC&docType=kc&docTypeID=DT_KB_1_1&externalId=1009402).
Ensurethatyouhaveenoughfreediskspacetosavethenew,splitdisk.Thenew,splitdisktakesapproximatelythesameamountofspaceastheold,monolithicdisk.
Example:Iftheoriginaldiskis20GBinsize,thenthenewdiskrequiresanadditional20GBoffreespace.
Thenewdiskdoesnothavetobestoredonthesamedriveastheolddisk.
Tocopyamonolithicdiskintoasplitdisk:
1. Poweroffthevirtualmachine.
2. OpenacommandpromptwithAdministrativeprivileges.Formoreinformation,seeOpeningacommandorshellprompt(1003892)(/selfservice/search.do?cmd=displayKC&docType=kc&docTypeID=DT_KB_1_1&externalId=1003892).
Note:
InWindowsVistaandlater,youmayhavetoholdCtrl+ShiftandselectRunasadministrator.
InLinux,entersuafteropeningtheprompt,thenenteryourpasswordwhenprompted.
3. ChangetotheVMwareWorkstationprogramdirectory.Bydefault,thisdirectoryis:
WindowsXP:\ProgramFiles\VMware\VMwareWorkstation
WindowsVista/7/8,32bit:ProgramFiles\VMware\VMwareWorkstation
WindowsVista/7/8/Server2012,64bit:ProgramFiles(x86)\VMware\VMwareWorkstation
Linux:/usr/bin/
4. Runthiscommandtoconvertthemonolithicvirtualdisktoasplitvirtualdisk:
vmwarevdiskmanager.exer<filepathoforiginaldisk>t1<filepathofnewdisk>
where
rintroducestheoriginal/sourcedisk,whichyoumustsupplyinfull,includingthename
tintroducesthenew/targetdisk,whichyoumustsupplyinfull,includinganewname
1referstothevirtualdisktype
Note:Thereareseveralavailabledisktypes:
0:Agrowablevirtualdiskcontainedinasinglefile(called"monolithicsparse").
1:Agrowablevirtualdisksplitinto2GBfiles(called"splitsparse").
2:Apreallocatedvirtualdiskcontainedinasinglefile(called"monolithicflat").
3:Apreallocatedvirtualdisksplitinto2GBfiles(called"splitflat").
Formoreinformation,seetheVirtualDiskManagerUser'sGuide(https://www.vmware.com/support/developer/vddk/vddk12_diskmanager.pdf).
Example:Thiscommandcreatesavirtualdiskcalledubuntu2,inthesamedirectoryastheoriginalvirtualdisk.
vmwarevdiskmanagerr"C:\VirtualMachines\ubuntu.vmdk"t1"C:\VirtualMachines\ubuntu2.vmdk"
Note:Iftheoriginaldisk(inourexample,ubuntu.vmdk)ismorethan2GBinsize,thiscommandactuallycreatesmultiple.vmdkfiles,allofwhosenamesbeginwiththenewvirtualdisk'sname(inour
example,ubuntu2).Thecommandcreatesmultiplefilesbecauseitcreatesavirtualdiskthatissplitintofilesthatareeachnomorethan2GBinsize.Formoreinformation,seetheVirtualMachineFiles
sectionofUsingVMwareWorkstation(http://pubs.vmware.com/ws8/wwhelp/wwhimpl/js/html/wwhelp.htm#href=using_ws/GUIDA968EF50BA25450A9D1FF8A9DEE640E7.html).
Aftercreatingthenewvirtualdisk,youmustconfigurethevirtualmachinetouseit.Formoreinformation,seetheAddanExistingVirtualHardDisktoaVirtualMachinesectionofUsingVMwareWorkstation
(http://pubs.vmware.com/ws8/wwhelp/wwhimpl/js/html/wwhelp.htm#href=using_ws/GUID430C2B2462874B2C8F77224938CE2C9B.html).

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12/3/2015

VMwareKB:ChangingamonolithicdisktoasplitdiskinVMwareWorkstation

AdditionalInformation
ThisarticlecoversasubsetoftheinformationfromtheVirtualDiskManagerUser'sGuide(https://www.vmware.com/support/developer/vddk/vddk12_diskmanager.pdf).

SeeAlso
Openingacommandorshellprompt(1003892)(http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1003892)
Workingwithsnapshots(1009402)(http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1009402)
VMwareWorkstation(2097301)(http://kb.vmware.com/kb/2097301)

UpdateHistory
02/12/2014UpdatedforWorkstation11.x

RequestaProductFeature
TorequestanewproductfeatureortoprovidefeedbackonaVMwareproduct,pleasevisittheRequestaProductFeature(http://www.vmware.com/contact/contactus.html?department=prod_request)page.
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KB:2006898
Updated:Aug25,2015
Categories:
BestPractices
Howto
Languages:
English
Product(s):
VMwareWorkstation
ProductVersion(s):
VMwareWorkstation10.x(Linux)
VMwareWorkstation10.x(Windows)
VMwareWorkstation11.x(forLinux)
VMwareWorkstation11.x(forWindows)
VMwareWorkstation7.x(Linux)
VMwareWorkstation7.x(Windows)
VMwareWorkstation8.x(Linux)
VMwareWorkstation8.x(Windows)
VMwareWorkstation9.x(Linux)
VMwareWorkstation9.x(Windows)
VMwareWorkstationPro12.x(Linux)
VMwareWorkstationPro12.x(Windows)

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