Installation guide

CHAPTER 6 Administering ESX Server
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With a public VMFS version 2 (VMFS-2) volume, multiple ESX Server computers
can access the VMware ESX Server file system concurrently. VMware ESX Server
file systems with a public mode have automatic locking to ensure file system
consistency.
• Shared mode is used for a VMFS volume that is used for failover-based clustering
among virtual machines on the same or different ESX Servers.
Note: If you plan to change the accessibility mode for a VMFS volume, you
must deactivate the swap file if it exists. To deactivate the swap file, see
Configuring a Swap File on page 241.
Changing the Maximum Size of a File Allowed by VMFS
If you plan to create virtual machines with virtual disks larger than the default
maximum size of 144GB, change the value in the Max File Size field.
Spanning a VMFS volume.
You can only span VMFS-2 volumes. Spanning a volume allows the volume to
comprise multiple VMFS disk partitions. Each disk or partition to which this volume is
spanned is called an extent. In effect, this creates a single volume that is larger than
would be possible from one partition. Also, in the spanned volume or extent, you
cannot change the maximum size of files.
Once you span a volume, you cannot remove the volume if it is spanned or if it spans
other volumes. To span to another volume, check the box next to that volume label.
Caution: Any data on the extent is lost when the VMFS volume spans to it, so it is a
good idea to span to newly created partitions.
Converting a Partition to VMFS-2
To convert the partition to VMFS-2, click the Convert to VMFS-2 link. In order to
convert the file system, you must deactivate the swap file if it exists. To deactivate the
swap file, see Configuring a Swap File on page 241.
Caution: Metadata on VMFS-2 volumes utilize more space than metadata on VMFS-1
volumes. To successfully convert a file partition, you may need to move files to allow
for more disk space.
Removing a Disk Partition
To remove the partition, click Remove. You are asked to confirm that you want to
remove the partition. To delete certain partitions, you must click Edit, then Remove.
If the volume is spanned to other volumes, you cannot remove it.