vmdf size problem when editing disk in the VM parameters

[Pierrick77]

Hi Guys,

I juste have installed a fresh ESXi 6.5 on a microserver.

I have 4 local disks declared as local rdm passthru with vmkfstools. (vmkfstools -z "HDD" "vmdk file")

I have created a VM with a 6G space from the datastore (HDD1) and added these 4 disks (HDD2 to HDD5) by selecting the vmdk files generated with vmkfstools.

The VM is working fine but when editing the VM parameters, I cannot change the parameters of the VM without having a message (translated): "Please specify a disk space greater than the original capacity"

Indeed, it seems that the size field is outlined in red but is greyed out. I cannot enter any characters and so I cannot save the change by clicking the save button...

This appears for all my 4 HDDs...

I can see that when I first attach the disk, the reported size was 932MB and when editing after creation, I can see 931,51238.....

Here is te content of my vmdf file:

# Disk DescriptorFile
version=1
encoding="UTF-8"
CID=fffffffe
parentCID=ffffffff
isNativeSnapshot="no"
createType="vmfsPassthroughRawDeviceMap"
# Extent description
RW 1953523055 VMFSRDM "localRDMpassthru1-rdmp.vmdk"
# The Disk Data Base
#DDB
ddb.adapterType = "lsilogic"
ddb.geometry.cylinders = "121601"
ddb.geometry.heads = "255"
ddb.geometry.sectors = "63"
ddb.longContentID = "2b9f356be3292beb547d3bb7fffffffe"
ddb.uuid = "60 00 C2 9e 97 79 e3 72-bb b6 c7 20 f8 b7 18 ec"
ddb.virtualHWVersion = "13"

Any ideas?

Thanks for your help!

[daphnissov]

Before trying anything else, update to the latest version of the ESXi host client available on the Flings site here.

[Pierrick77]

Already upgraded before the issue...

Version du client : 1.24.0

Numéro de build du client : 7119706

Version d'ESXi : 6.5.0

Numéro de build d'ESXi : 6765664

[Pierrick77]

Nobody to help me to fix this issue?

[Finikiez]

Your descriptor file says that

# Extent description 

RW 1953523055 VMFSRDM "localRDMpassthru1-rdmp.vmdk" 

So you have virtual disk as RDM device.

I recommend to create disks using UI or you can recreate vmdk descriptor manually using correct parameters. See VMware Knowledge Base

[Pierrick77]

I tried to recreate the vmdk fle descriptor based on KB but with no success.

Maybe there is a particularity because I'm using VMFSRDM...

And from UI, I don't find any menu to create an RDM passthrough...

Why at first creating,  the found size of my vmdk file is 932Mb and then after editing it, the UI indicates 931,51238203048.....

[Finikiez]

can you show ls -la output from VM's directory and post vmdk descriptor file.

[Pierrick77]

[root@localhost:/vmfs/volumes/5497309a-cae1e970-ac03-9cb65409291b/OMV] ls -la

total 6294544

drwxr-xr-x    1 root     root          1540 Dec 29 13:58 .

drwxr-xr-t    1 root     root          2940 Dec 21 22:19 ..

-rw-------    1 root     root     6442450944 Dec 29 08:50 OMV-flat.vmdk

-rw-------    1 root     root          8684 Dec 29 08:50 OMV.nvram

-rw-------    1 root     root           523 Dec 27 21:38 OMV.vmdk

-rw-r--r--    1 root     root             0 Dec 21 18:16 OMV.vmsd

-rwxr-xr-x    1 root     root          3518 Dec 29 13:39 OMV.vmx

-rw-------    1 root     root           154 Dec 27 16:10 OMV.vmxf

-rw-------    1 root     root     1000203804160 Dec 29 10:07 localRDMpassthru1-rdmp.vmdk

-rw-------    1 root     root           509 Dec 29 10:07 localRDMpassthru1.vmdk

-rw-r--r--    1 root     root        274279 Dec 29 08:50 vmware.log

[root@localhost:/vmfs/volumes/5497309a-cae1e970-ac03-9cb65409291b/OMV] cat localRDMpassthru1.vmdk

# Disk DescriptorFile

version=1

encoding="UTF-8"

CID=fffffffe

parentCID=ffffffff

isNativeSnapshot="no"

createType="vmfsPassthroughRawDeviceMap"

# Extent description

RW 1953523055 VMFSRDM "localRDMpassthru1-rdmp.vmdk"

# The Disk Data Base

#DDB

ddb.adapterType = "lsilogic"

ddb.geometry.cylinders = "121601"

ddb.geometry.heads = "255"

ddb.geometry.sectors = "63"

ddb.longContentID = "1a6198abe91ef064d0dfa0a6fffffffe"

ddb.uuid = "60 00 C2 9c 6a 88 c2 57-97 19 2a de cf fd bf 90"

ddb.virtualHWVersion = "13"

[Pierrick77]

I think I have found something...

All my disks are the same models but one of them seems weird:

-rw-------    1 root     root     1000204886016 Dec 29 22:13 localRDM1-rdm.vmdk

-rw-------    1 root     root     1000203804160 Dec 29 22:32 localRDM2-rdm.vmdk

-rw-------    1 root     root     1000204886016 Dec 29 22:17 localRDM3-rdm.vmdk

-rw-------    1 root     root     1000204886016 Dec 29 22:17 localRDM4-rdm.vmdk

And it's when I add the localRDM2 on the VM that I get the error message after. All sounds good when just have 1,3 and 4....