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Table Of Contents
When you create a large swap file (for example, larger than 100GB), the amount of time it takes for the
virtual machine to power on can increase significantly. To avoid this, set a high reservation for large virtual
machines.
You can also place swap files on less costly storage using host-local swap files.
Configure Virtual Machine Swapfile Properties for the Host
Configure a swapfile location for the host to determine the default location for virtual machine swapfiles in
the vSphere Client.
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 configure your host to place virtual machine swapfiles on an
alternative datastore.
You can use this option to place virtual machine swapfiles on lower-cost or higher-performance storage.
You can also override this host-level setting for individual virtual machines.
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 Client.
2 Click Configure.
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 under
Configure. 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.
vSphere Resource Management
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