ENVIRONMENT:
VMware ESXI 5.0 Enterprise License
Source Datastore - NetApp Appliance
Destination Datastore - New NetApp Appliance
Windows 2003 Server OS
VMware Disks Layout
Hard Disk 1 - Thick Lazy Zeroed
Hard Disk 2 - Thick Lazy Zeroed
Hard Disk 3 - Thick Lazy Zeroed
Hard Disk 4 - Thick Lazy Zeroed
Hard Disk 5 - Thick Lazy Zeroed
Hard Disk 6 - Thin Provisioned
Hard Disk 7 - Thin Provisioned
Hard Disk 8 - Thick Lazy Zeroed
Virtual Machine Version 4
Network Adapter : Flexible
Disk Layout
--------------------------
Disk 0 - C:\ - NTFS BASIC 39.99 GB
Disk 1 - D:\ - NTFS DYNAMIC SPANNED 2047.98 GB, 40% free
Disk 2 - D:\ -
Disk 3 - D:\ -
Disk 4 - D:\ -
Disk 5 - 2 TB unallocated (can be killed)
Disk 6 - 1024.0 GB D:\ Dynamic Spanned, 1024.0 GB unallocated
Disk 7 - E:\ 200 GB, can be killed
PROBLEM:
Trying to move this VM to new NetApp datastore.
As this was a Windows 2003 server running Windows DFSR (file share), I created a new VM with Windows 2008 R2 Server, and copied the file shares over to the new server. The file shares are no longer needed on this server. The majority of the 1.5 TB of data that this server is using was related to the file shares and is no longer needed. This server is running some other roles however, that would take some time to move over, and for the sake of speed, and my need to relocate the old NetApp, I need to get this VM moved to the new datastore.
I'd like to switch this from thick provisioned to thin provisioned 2TB drive. My aim was also to try and use Acronis Disk Director Advanced server to clone the D:\ volume from a Spanned going across multiple disks (I believe the reason this was done was it was on a prior 1K cluster size datastore which had a limitation of having 256 GB as maximum file size) to a single 2TB Basic NTFS volume. My ultimate goal however is just to get this server moved to a new datastore, and then decommission the server later.
ATTEMPTS SO FAR:
I have tried powering down the VM, and then running vMotion, with the move datastore option only, and switching it from Thick to Thin Provisioned. The process starts to crack away and then fails with a timeout.
I have tried using the vMotion option and moving the datastore while the server was running, granted I didn't think this would work since cold move didn't work, but figured I'd try anyway, and the process starts and then fails with a timeout.
I then tried to use vmkfstools to move the VM and I do not recall the exact error, but it failed.
I then tried VMware Converter, and had some trouble converting it that way too.
Really the only thing that is on the D:\ volume which is giving me the problem, is the D:\inetpub folder that has the website. I've exported and imported the bulk of the SharePoint site, and the SharePoint stuff works, but there are several static web site applications that appear to have issues when simply moved, and as mentioned it will take some time to fix the site to run the new server as problems such as relative paths were not used on the site.
My current attempt that I am working on...
I am going to remove the bulk of the data from D:\, kill the E:\ disk as it's no longer needed and completely backed up.
I am running the following commands to delete the majority of the 1.5 TB of data on the D:\ as Windows Explorer Shift+Delete is taking forever, and eventually comes back with an error, failed to erase data.
Running the following commands ..
del /f/s/q foldername > nul
rmdir /s/q foldername
I will then use sysinternals and run sdelete -z D:\ as version 1.6 of sdelete option z is used to zero out the disk. Once the disk is zeroed out, I will try to convert it to Thin Provision. I was thinking of attempting to use vMotion to do the Thin Provision conversion, or maybe vmkstools. If I am on the right track, which would you recommend?
I am also going to try and increase the timeout value, as I read on a VMware knowledge base that there is an option that defaults to 100 ms for doing vMotion and if it doesn't convert within that time fails.
Please provide best possible way to get this VM moved to new datastore, as first priority, and second to configure it in optimal structure D:\ being on a single basic NTFS disk in 2 TB thin provisioned volume.
Thanks in advance