Why can't I define a datastore larger than 554 GB?

[AaronTheYoung]

I WISH I could get a datastore that is greater than 554 GB!  I have a Dell 2950 with 4.5 TB defined on a RAID 5 disk array setup -- and everytime I attempt to define a datastore it only gives me 554 GB.  I realize I might have to break up my RAID 5 array into 2 TB disks partitions, but I can't even get past the 554 GB.  That's all it let's me define.  I can't increase the space at all and I/O control is not enabled for my hardware.

Has anyone else run into this?

[vmroyale · Accepted solution]

Hello.

2TB- 512 bytes is the maximum size, as outlined in kb 3371739.  Resize your volumes to be less than this size, and you should be set.

Good Luck!

[AndreTheGiant]

vSphere cannot see disk larger than 2 TB -512 B.

So in your RAID configuration create more virtual disk (this is the name in the PERC controller), each smaller than this limit.

[bulletprooffool]

Aaron,

According to the configuration Maximums :http://www.vmware.com/pdf/vsphere4/r41/vsp_41_config_max.pdf 2TB is you limit, provided that you have an 8MB block size.

The problem here is trhat 554GB is a very strange number for your storage to return at. Usually, I would have guessed that you have 2BM block size and that would be  the source of your problem, but that would have limited you to 512GB(about)

Please could you confirm your block sizes. (Have you rounded kb to GB to get to 554 GB, or is that the actual GB reading that you are getting?)

It of course is solvable by breaking your Storage into smaller chunks, but it would be worth your effort trying to ascertain the actual source of the issue, before you do so (if for no other reason than to post back with the source of the problem)

Good luck and please post back once you figure it out.