VMWare Server \ Direct Attached Storage Disk Array

lunchbox67

I just set up a VMware Server and seem to have an issue. I have a few Virtualized servers up and running so far.
I have used VMware Vcenter Converter.

Here is the issue. One of the servers that I want to convert has a Direct Attached Storage Disk Array attached to it. The conversion seems to go fine but when the conversion is done the attached drive does not show up on the virtual server.

Overdash

What is the hardware/model? What does this server do?

Have you considered alternatives such as setting up your server/DASD Array up a SAN using Openfiler to make a network share/ISCSI target that your converted VM server can reach?

I am shooting in the dark without more information, thanks.

jibbajabba

Are you sure the convertion works fine ? The reason I am asking is that we run into similar issues. Basically the VMWare converter does not support GPT disks and won't show up in the converter. So I would look very closely when creating the task to make sure it can see the drive. Using a direct attached storage I can only assume its a big drive - hence being GPT. I for example missed it because the server had 4 disks of which only one was GPT so I saw "disks" in the converter, not noticing that one is missing.

Login in to the server and run diskpart

C:\Users\Mike>diskpart

Microsoft DiskPart version 6.1.7601
Copyright (C) 1999-2008 Microsoft Corporation.
On computer: MIKE-LAPTOP

DISKPART> list disk

  Disk ###  Status         Size     Free     Dyn  Gpt
  --------  -------------  -------  -------  ---  ---
  Disk 0    Online          232 GB  1024 KB        *

Here you can see a "*" under GPT and I am sure that the vmware converter will NOT see this disk ...

I had to do an urgent P2V so I ended up putting a spare idsk into the server, imaged the drive onto it, performed the P2V including the spare drive and restored from inside the VM.

Edit: funny, just noticed that diskpart thinks there are only 1MB free lol - its only 10% in use ..

Overdash

I'm pretty sure that you are going to have to point your newly converted VM to the datastore.

I looked at the VMWare Knowledge base and found a particular article that offers three solutions:

• Back up the data residing in the GPT drives, create new MBR based drives, and then restore the data to the MBR drive after the conversion.
• Back up the data residing in the GPT drives and then restore the data to a new virtual disk in the virtual environment
• Add the GPT partitioned disks as RDMs to the virtual machines after conversion.

Good idea with adding another drive