To create a new virtual disk, use a command like the following:

vmware-vdiskmanager -c -t 0 -s 40GB -a ide myDisk.vmdk

This creates a 40GB IDE virtual disk named myDisk.vmdk. The virtual disk is contained in a single .vmdk file. The disk space is not preallocated.

To convert a virtual disk from preallocated to growable, use a command like the following:

vmware-vdiskmanager -r sourceDisk.vmdk -t 0 targetDisk.vmdk

This converts the disk from its original preallocated type to a growable virtual disk consisting of a single virtual disk file. The virtual disk space is no longer preallocated, and the virtual disk manager reclaims some disk space in the virtual disk so it is only as large as the data contained within it.

To expand the size of a virtual disk, use a command like the following:

vmware-vdiskmanager -x 40GB myDisk.vmdk

This increases the maximum capacity of the virtual disk to 40GB.

documented on: 2006.12.11