Tag Archive for datastore

Using the partedUtil command line utility on ESXi and ESX

June 30, 2014 Storage No comments

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What is the partedUtil Utility?

You can use the partedUtil command line utility to directly manipulate partition tables for local and remote SAN disks on ESX and ESXi. The partedUtil command line only is supported for disk partitioning from ESXi 5.0. The command line utility fdisk does not work with ESXi 5.0.

Note: VMFS Datastores can be created and deleted using the vSphere Client connected to ESX/ESXi or to vCenter Server. It is not necessary to manually create partitions using the command line utility

Caution: There is no facility to undo a partition table change other than creating a new partition table. Ensure that you have a backup before marking any change. Ensure that there is no active I/O to a partition prior to modifying it.

We came across this tool when we had issues deleting a datastore. It was recommended we try deleting the partition on the datastore which allowed us to completely remove it from vCenter in the end.

What actions can partedUtil do?

  • Retrieve a list of Disk devices
  • ls /vmfs/devices/disks/

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  • Printing an existing partition table
  • partedUtil getptbl “/vmfs/devices/disks/DeviceName”

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  • Delete a partition table
  • partedUtil delete “/vmfs/devices/disks/DeviceName” PartitionNumber

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  • Resize a partition
  • partedUtil resize “/vmfs/devices/disks/DeviceName” PartitionNumber NewStartSector NewEndSector

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  • Create a new partition table
  • partedUtil setptbl “/vmfs/devices/disks/DeviceName” DiskLabel [“partNum startSector endSector type/guid attribute”]*

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Links

http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?language=en_US&cmd=displayKC&externalId=1036609

http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?language=en_US&cmd=displayKC&externalId=2008021

 

Configure Datastore alarms

January 15, 2013 Objective 1 Storage No comments

Configure Datastore alarms

There are five pre-configured datastore alarms that ship with vSphere 5

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To create a Datastore alarm

  • Right click on the vCenter icon in the vClient and select Alarm > Add Alarm
  • Click the Drop Down on Alarm Type and Select Datastores
  • You have 2 choices to monitor – Select your preference
  • Monitor for specific conditions or state, for example, CPU usgae, power state
  • Monitor for specific events occurring on this object, for example, VM powered on
  • Tick Enable this alarm

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  • Click Triggers
  • Click Add
  • Under Trigger Type, you can see several triggers associated with this alarm
  • Choose Datastore Disk Usage

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  • Click the Drop Down on Condition and select Is above or Is below
  • Click the Drop Down on Warning and select 75% or change as required
  • Click the Drop Down on Condition length and set as required. Sometimes it will not let you set this if it is not relevant
  • Click the Drop Down on Warning and select 90% or change as required
  • At the bottom of the screen there are 2 options. Choose the one you require
  • Trigger if any of the conditions are satisfied
  • Trigger if all of the conditions are satisfied
  • Click the Reporting tab
  • Under Range there is an option Repeat triggered alarm when the condition exceeds this range

A 0 value triggers and clears the alarm at the threshold point you configured. A non-zero value triggers the alarm only after the condition reaches an additional percentage above or below the threshold point.
Condition threshold + Reporting Tolerance = trigger alarmTolerance values ensure you do not transition alarm states based on false changes in a condition

  • Under Frequency there is an option Repeat triggered alarms every

The frequency sets the time period during which a triggered alarm is not reported again. When the time period has elapsed, the alarm will report again if the condition or state is still true

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  • Click the Actions tab
  • Click Add
  • Click the Drop Down box on Action and Select Send a notification email

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  • If you chose Send a notification email or Send a notification trap as the alarm action, make sure the notification settings are configured for vCenter Server
  • Double click Configuration and enter an email address
  • In the next boxes are the alarm status triggers. Set a frequency for sending an email each time the triggers occur

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Click OK to Finish