How to Increase your VMware Hard Disk

Novell Cool Solutions: Tip
By Joe Harmon

Digg This - Slashdot This Posted: 3 May 2005

Preface:

I had an existing VMware image of Novell Linux Desktop (NLD) 9 installed in VMware 5.0. Since I only use it for testing, I made the hard disk around 4 GB in size. I needed to perform a dual boot test, which would require me to install SUSE Linux Professional 9.3. The problem is that 4 GB is not enough space for both operating systems. So the obvious question that I had to ask myself was, "How do I increase the size of the VMware hard disk?"

Solution:

Cloning the virtual machine (optional)

• If you want to keep the existing virtual machine configuration then you can make a copy of it by using the new cloning feature that comes with VMware 5. The instruction for this can be found here:

Increasing your VMware hard disk

• I opened a terminal and changed to the directory where the new clone machine had been created and I executed the following command:

  vmware-vdiskmanager -x sizeGB file.vmdk

• Example

  
  

• Now you should see that the disk size has changed within VMware.

  
  

Reader Comments

• Super. Clear, easy and it's working perfect on Windows. Anyway, you must be in cmd in the folder where you installed VMWare and write the full path to the disk file. Ex: C:\Program Files\VMware\VMware Server> vmware-vdiskmanager -x 15GB "D:\VMWare Images\Win2003VM\NLD9-cl1.vmdk"
• Works like magic! Just what I was looking for. Works on Windows Vista Business too. You can even add vmware to PATH environment variable and then go to the directory where your vmdk file is located and run.
• Brilliant... works on the Windows version too!
• Don't forget to mention that this doesn't edit partition size. What I wanted was first on Google. :)
• Perfect Solution
• Exactly what I was looking for!
• Exactly the answer I was looking for.
• for windows systems you have to extend the new space with diskpart from a "helper-VM": 1. connect extended V-disk to helper-VM 2. in cmd-wnd: diskpart [Enter] 3. extend size=n disk=m (n: size in MB to be added; m: index of dedicated disk; use list disk) 4. disconnedt from helper-VM ...done
• great! easy and professional!
• Direct answer to the question!
• Exact answer
• Completely broke my VM because there "partial chains" that were not updated. :-(

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