Got a comment on my share and share alike post that covered setting up shared VMDK files on VI3 / ESX 3.x. Seemingly it didn’t work any longer. Work or not, I figure it’s time to revisit this in a new way, using vCLI(rCLI)! This will require the following steps:
- Download & install the vCLI
First download & install vCLI. I’ll wait… Ready? Fire it up and CD into the bin folder:
- Next we use vmkfstools.pl to create the disk:
vmkfstools.pl –server 192.168.15.8 -c 10G -d eagerzeroedthick /vmfs/volumes/lab/shared.vmdk -a lsilogic For each VM, walk through the add hardware wizard, selecting the following:
Hard Disk
Use Existing Hard Disk
Browse to the location of the disk you created
Under “Advanced Options” Change the “virtual device node” select a device that is on an unused adaptor (generally something in the 1: or 2: range) here’s a picture to help:
Note: Use the same on both VMs. Consistency is good. mmmkay?- Back under edit settings for the new VM, change the new disk controller’s “SCSI Bus Sharing” to “Physical”:
- Repeat for both VMs
- At this point you can power on the VMs & follow your OS vendors setup guideline for shared disks.
Hope you found this informative. Questions, comments, corrections, or requests? Drop a line in the comments!
