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Configuring Virtual Disks
VM > Settings > Hardware > Hard Disk
You can configure settings for a virtual disk when its virtual machine is powered off. By default, virtual disks created with Workstation have the following properties:
• All changes made are immediately written to the disk (just like what typically happens with a physical computer's hard disk).
• When you take a snapshot of the virtual machine, the data on the disk is saved as part of the snapshot.
Under Disk file you can view the path and filename for the file used to store the virtual disk.
The Capacity section displays the following information:
• Current size — The amount of space the virtual disk currently occupies on the host computer's hard disk.
• Maximum size — The maximum possible size for the virtual disk. You set this size when you create the virtual disk. It cannot be changed later.
• System free — The amount of disk space left on the host computer partition where the virtual disk is stored.
The Disk information section displays a summary of the current configuration.
Settings displayed in the Disk information section are specified at the time you create the virtual disk and cannot be changed later.
If you are adding a new virtual disk, click Add to install the device.
To remove an existing virtual disk, select that disk, then click Remove.
Click OK to save the configuration and close the virtual machine settings editor
Defragmenting a Virtual Disk
Click Defragment to defragment the virtual disk. Defragmenting rearranges data on the virtual disk so that the individual blocks that make up the specific files on the virtual disk are contiguous.
Using the defragment feature improves the performance of your virtual disk, but it does not reduce the amount of storage space the virtual disk consumes on your host operating system. Defragmenting the disk can be a time-consuming process.
Note: The defragmentation process requires free working space on the host computer's disk. If your virtual disk is contained in a single file, for example, you need free space equal to the size of the disk's file.
Configuring Physical Disks
VM > Settings > Hardware > Hard Disk
You can add a physical (sometimes called raw) disk to your virtual machine. The virtual machine should be powered off before you begin. If it is not, shut down the guest operating system normally, then click Power Off on the Workstation toolbar.
Caution: A physical disk is an advanced feature and should be configured only by expert users.
A physical disk directly accesses an existing local disk or partition. You can use physical disks if you want Workstation to run one or more guest operating systems from existing disk partitions. Physical disks may be set up on both IDE and SCSI devices. At this time, however, booting from an operating system already set up on an existing SCSI disk or partition is not supported.
The most common use of a physical disk is for converting a dual-boot or multiple-boot machine so one or more of the existing operating systems can be run inside a virtual machine.
Under Disk file you can view the path and filename for the file used to store the virtual disk.
The Disk info section displays the following information, depending upon whether you are using a disk partition or the entire physical disk:
• Using whole disk — The device name and the capacity of the physical disk are displayed.
• Using partitions — The device name, the capacity of the physical disk and information about each partition (access, file system type and capacity) are displayed.
Settings displayed in the Disk info section are specified at the time you create the virtual disk and cannot be changed.
Caution: If you run an operating system natively on the host computer, then switch to running it inside a virtual machine, the change is like pulling the hard drive out of one computer and installing it in a second computer with a different motherboard and other hardware. You need to prepare carefully for such a switch. The specific steps you need to take depend on the operating system you want to use inside the virtual machine. For details, see "Configuring a Dual-Boot Computer for Use with a Virtual Machine" on the VMware Web site
www.vmware.com/support/ws4/doc/disks_dualboot_ws.html.
Note: You should not use a physical disk to share files between host and guest operating systems. It is not safe to make the same partition visible to both the host and the guest. You can cause data corruption if you do this. To share files between host and guest operating systems, use shared folders. For details, see
Setting Up Shared Folders.
Note: After you create a physical disk using one or more partitions on a physical disk, you should never modify the partition tables by running fdisk or a similar utility in the guest operating system.
Note: If you use fdisk or a similar utility on the host operating system to modify the partition table of the physical disk, you must recreate the virtual machine's physical disk. All files that were on the physical disk are lost when you modify the partition table.
If you are adding a new physical disk, click Add to install the device.
o remove an existing physical disk, select that disk, then click Remove.
Click OK to save the configuration and close the virtual machine settings editor
Changing the Disk Mode or Disk Node
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