To extend a clustered VMDK, follow the steps below:
- Obtain the path to the clustered VMDK to be extended (for example, /vmfs/volumes/shareddatastore/SQL01.vmdk)
- Shut down all VMs, having access to the clustered VMDK to be extended.
- Login to an ESXi host (SSH) with an access to the datastore where the clustered VMDK is stored.
- Expand a clustered VMDK with the following command:
vmkfstools -X|--extendvirtualdisk newSize[bBsSkKmMgGtT]
Specify the newSize parameter adding an appropriate unit suffix. The unit type is not case-sensitive. vmkfstools interprets either k or K to mean kilobytes. If you do not specify the unit type, vmkfstools defaults to kilobytes. The newSize parameter defines the entire new size, not just the increment you add to the disk.
Example: vmkfstools --extendvirtualdisk 2048G /vmfs/volumes/shareddatastore/SQL1.vmdk -d eagerzeroedthick
Note: As zeros are being written this will take a while.
- Refresh the configuration file of VMs with the access to the extended clustered disks. VMware recommends using the vMotion operation or solutions listed in the Impact section of this KB article
- Verify that the new disk size is correctly reflected on all VMs using "Edit Settings" section in the UI. If there are any discrepancies, remove the VMDK from that VM and readd it (“Add an existing disk”), making sure to use the same SCSI controller and ID.
- Boot the first VM and grow the Guest filesystem. Use the Guest OS respective guidelines
- Boot remaining VMs and confirm the functionality of the cluster.