6.0.1

Table Of Contents
Setting an alternative swapfile location might cause migrations with vMotion to complete more slowly. For
best vMotion performance, store the virtual machine on a local datastore rather than in the same directory as
the virtual machine swapfiles. If the virtual machine is stored on a local datastore, storing the swapfile with
the other virtual machine files will not improve vMotion.
Prerequisites
Required privilege: Host machine.Configuration.Storage partition configuration
Procedure
1 Browse to the host in the vSphere Web Client navigator.
2 Select the Manage tab and click Settings.
3 Under Virtual Machines, click Swap file location.
The selected swapfile location is displayed. If configuration of the swapfile location is not supported on
the selected host, the tab indicates that the feature is not supported.
If the host is part of a cluster, and the cluster settings specify that swapfiles are to be stored in the same
directory as the virtual machine, you cannot edit the swapfile location from the host Manage tab. To
change the swapfile location for such a host, edit the cluster settings.
4 Click Edit.
5 Select where to store the swapfile.
Option Description
Virtual machine directory
Stores the swapfile in the same directory as the virtual machine
configuration file.
Use a specific datastore
Stores the swapfile in the location you specify.
If the swapfile cannot be stored on the datastore that the host specifies, the
swapfile is stored in the same folder as the virtual machine.
6 (Optional) If you select Use a specific datastore, select a datastore from the list.
7 Click OK.
The virtual machine swapfile is stored in the location you selected.
Configure a Virtual Machine Swapfile Location for a Cluster
By default, swapfiles for a virtual machine are located on a datastore in the folder that contains the other
virtual machine files. However, you can instead configure the hosts in your cluster to place virtual machine
swapfiles on an alternative datastore of your choice.
You can configure an alternative swapfile location to place virtual machine swapfiles on either lower-cost or
higher-performance storage, depending on your needs.
Prerequisites
Before you configure a virtual machine swapfile location for a cluster, you must configure the virtual
machine swapfile locations for the hosts in the cluster as described in “Configure Virtual Machine Swapfile
Properties for the Host,” on page 40.
Procedure
1 Browse to the cluster in the vSphere Web Client.
2 Click the Manage tab and click Settings.
3 Select Configuration > General.
Chapter 6 Administering Memory Resources
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