You can dynamically increase the capacity of a VMFS datastore. Additional capacity might be required when you add virtual machines to a datastore, or when the virtual machines running on a datastore require more space.
If a shared datastore has powered on virtual machines and becomes 100% full, you can increase the datastore's capacity. This action can be performed only from the host with which the powered on virtual machines are registered.
Procedure
- In the vSphere Web Client navigator, select .
- Select the datastore and click the Increase Datastore Capacity icon.
- Select a device from the list of storage devices.
Your selection depends on whether an expandable storage device is available.
| Option |
Description |
| To expand an existing extent |
Select the device for which the Expandable column reads YES. A storage device is expandable when it has free space immediately after the extent. |
| To add a new extent |
Select the device for which the Expandable column reads NO. |
- Review the Partition Layout to see the available configurations.
- Select a configuration option from the bottom panel.
Depending on the current layout of the disk and on your previous selections, the menu items you see might vary.
| Menu Item |
Description |
| Use free space to expand the datastore |
Expands an existing extent to a required capacity. |
| Use free space |
Deploys an extent in the remaining free space of the disk. This menu item is available only when you are adding an extent. |
| Use all available partitions |
Dedicates the entire disk to a single extent. This menu item is available only when you are adding an extent and when the disk you are formatting is not blank. The disk is reformatted, and the datastores and any data that it contains are erased. |
- Set the capacity for the extent.
The minimum extent size is 1.3 GB. By default, the entire free space on the storage device is available.
- Click Next.
- Review the proposed layout and the new configuration of your datastore, and click Finish.
