How to Increase Hard Disk Size with Virtualbox
1. Create a new virtual hard disk
If you are running out of space with your gridseed virtual machine and if this virtual machine was partitioned with lvm software, you can incraese your virtual hard disk by creating a new hd and merging the two hard disks together.
1.1 Add a new virtual hard disk via GUI
NOTE From version 4.x of Virtualbox you cannot use the graphical user interface to create a new hard disk
- Open the Virtualbox GUI
- Select the Virtual Media Manager
- Create a new virtual disk
- Select to dynamically expanding storage
- Choose the name and the size of the new hard disk (in our case extension-01 and 2,40GB)
- Now the new hard disk is created.
- Go to the virtual machine on which you want to attach the hard disk, and open the settings window.
- Go to Storage -> SATA Controller -> Add
- Choose the previously created hard disk.
- Now your hard disk is attached to the Virtual machine
1.2 Add a new virtual hard disk via CLI
- Open a Terminal on your host system
- Create a new hard disk:
vbox@neon:~$ VBoxManage createhd --filename /vm/harddisk/extension-01.vmdk --size 2500 \ --variant Standard --format VMDK Oracle VM VirtualBox Command Line Management Interface Version 3.2.8 (C) 2005-2010 Oracle Corporation All rights reserved. 0%...10%...20%...30%...40%...50%...60%...70%...80%...90%...100% Disk image created. UUID: 913bdd47-0a3b-4449-943c-729e34edb383
You have just created a new hard disk named extension-01 with size 2500 MB in
vmdk format.
- Add the new hard disk to the Virtual Media Manager (NOTE: this commando shouldn't work on Virtualbox 4.x, skip to the next point):
vbox@zenith:~$ VBoxManage openmedium --type normal disk /vm/harddisk/extension-01.vmdk Oracle VM VirtualBox Command Line Management Interface Version 3.2.8 (C) 2005-2010 Oracle Corporation All rights reserved.
- Add the hard disk to the virtual machine
vbox@neon:~$ VBoxManage storageattach <VM> --storagectl "SATA Controller" --port 1 --device 0 \ --type hdd --medium extension-01.vmdk Oracle VM VirtualBox Command Line Management Interface Version 3.2.8 (C) 2005-2010 Oracle Corporation All rights reserved.
This is more complicated that previous commands:
- storagectl is the name of the storage controller. You can find out what si you contrlooer name with
vbox@neon:~$ VBoxManage showvminfo <VM>
- port is the port on which you wish to attach the hard disk. In our caseis 1 because on port 0 is already a hard disk.
- device is the storage controller instance number.
- type is the type of device that you wish to attach. In our case is hdd.
2. Extend the virtual machines hard disk
- Now the hard disk is attached to the virtual machine. Run that machine and login.
- Check if the OS finds your new hd
[root@localhost ~]# fdisk -l Disk /dev/sda: 2621 MB, 2621440000 bytes 255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 318 cylinders Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System /dev/sda1 * 1 13 104391 83 Linux /dev/sda2 14 318 2449912+ 8e Linux LVM Disk /dev/sdb: 2621 MB, 2621440000 bytes 255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 318 cylinders Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes Disk /dev/sdb doesn't contain a valid partition table
As you see, there is a /dev/sdb without a valid partion table, that is the new hard disk
- Create a new partition table for that hard disk. Enter the fdisk utility:
[root@localhost ~]# fdisk /dev/sdb Device contains neither a valid DOS partition table, nor Sun, SGI or OSF disklabel Building a new DOS disklabel. Changes will remain in memory only, until you decide to write them. After that, of course, the previous content won't be recoverable. Warning: invalid flag 0x0000 of partition table 4 will be corrected by w(rite) Command (m for help): n Command action e extended p primary partition (1-4) p Partition number (1-4): 1 First cylinder (1-318, default 1): Using default value 1 Last cylinder or +size or +sizeM or +sizeK (1-318, default 318): Using default value 318 Command (m for help): t Selected partition 1 Hex code (type L to list codes): 8e Changed system type of partition 1 to 8e (Linux LVM) Command (m for help): p Disk /dev/sdb: 2621 MB, 2621440000 bytes 255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 318 cylinders Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System /dev/sdb1 1 318 2554303+ 8e Linux LVM Command (m for help): w The partition table has been altered! Calling ioctl() to re-read partition table. Syncing disks. We have create a new partition with 'n' command (primary, first cylinder 1, last 318), changed the type with 't' command (to 8e value, Linux LVM), print the partition table with 'p' and write the changes to hard disk with 'w'.
- Create a new physical volume:
[root@localhost ~]# pvdisplay /dev/hdc: open failed: No medium found --- Physical volume --- PV Name /dev/sda2 VG Name VolGroup00 PV Size 2.34 GB / not usable 24.49 MB Allocatable yes (but full) PE Size (KByte) 32768 Total PE 74 Free PE 0 Allocated PE 74 PV UUID bZ829X-q5Du-wtEn-Xq5M-D0JT-Yuxm-MjHa4a [root@localhost ~]# pvcreate /dev/sdb1 Physical volume "/dev/sdb1" successfully created [root@localhost ~]# pvdisplay --- Physical volume --- PV Name /dev/sda2 VG Name VolGroup00 PV Size 2.34 GB / not usable 24.49 MB Allocatable yes (but full) PE Size (KByte) 32768 Total PE 74 Free PE 0 Allocated PE 74 PV UUID bZ829X-q5Du-wtEn-Xq5M-D0JT-Yuxm-MjHa4a "/dev/sdb1" is a new physical volume of "2.44 GB" --- NEW Physical volume --- PV Name /dev/sdb1 VG Name PV Size 2.44 GB Allocatable NO PE Size (KByte) 0 Total PE 0 Free PE 0 Allocated PE 0 PV UUID M4CU6H-k7KU-O2hM-P00d-b2RI-obU9-tSeRaR
- Extend the previous volume group
[root@localhost ~]# vgdisplay --- Volume group --- VG Name VolGroup00 System ID Format lvm2 Metadata Areas 1 Metadata Sequence No 3 VG Access read/write VG Status resizable MAX LV 0 Cur LV 2 Open LV 2 Max PV 0 Cur PV 1 Act PV 1 VG Size 2.31 GB PE Size 32.00 MB Total PE 74 Alloc PE / Size 74 / 2.31 GB Free PE / Size 0 / 0 VG UUID BxtAUT-o807-UfVo-CEav-onVy-v8qp-3Imbb0 [root@localhost ~]# vgextend VolGroup00 /dev/sdb1 Volume group "VolGroup00" successfully extended [root@localhost ~]# vgdisplay --- Volume group --- VG Name VolGroup00 System ID Format lvm2 Metadata Areas 2 Metadata Sequence No 4 VG Access read/write VG Status resizable MAX LV 0 Cur LV 2 Open LV 2 Max PV 0 Cur PV 2 Act PV 2 VG Size 4.72 GB PE Size 32.00 MB Total PE 151 Alloc PE / Size 74 / 2.31 GB Free PE / Size 77 / 2.41 GB VG UUID BxtAUT-o807-UfVo-CEav-onVy-v8qp-3Imbb0
- Extend the logical volume
[root@localhost ~]# lvdisplay --- Logical volume --- LV Name /dev/VolGroup00/LogVol00 VG Name VolGroup00 LV UUID UrbkHL-pKOm-riZ1-ZZPc-6c6C-MPuY-nNzqRd LV Write Access read/write LV Status available # open 1 LV Size 1.88 GB Current LE 60 Segments 1 Allocation inherit Read ahead sectors auto - currently set to 256 Block device 253:0 --- Logical volume --- LV Name /dev/VolGroup00/LogVol01 VG Name VolGroup00 LV UUID fu122V-Y3VR-IoIc-24LL-00UX-7emq-1zmXGd LV Write Access read/write LV Status available # open 1 LV Size 448.00 MB Current LE 14 Segments 1 Allocation inherit Read ahead sectors auto - currently set to 256 Block device 253:1 [root@localhost ~]# lvextend -l +100%FREE /dev/VolGroup00/LogVol00 Extending logical volume LogVol00 to 4.28 GB Logical volume LogVol00 successfully resized [root@localhost ~]# lvdisplay --- Logical volume --- LV Name /dev/VolGroup00/LogVol00 VG Name VolGroup00 LV UUID UrbkHL-pKOm-riZ1-ZZPc-6c6C-MPuY-nNzqRd LV Write Access read/write LV Status available # open 1 LV Size 4.28 GB Current LE 137 Segments 2 Allocation inherit Read ahead sectors auto - currently set to 256 Block device 253:0 --- Logical volume --- LV Name /dev/VolGroup00/LogVol01 VG Name VolGroup00 LV UUID fu122V-Y3VR-IoIc-24LL-00UX-7emq-1zmXGd LV Write Access read/write LV Status available # open 1 LV Size 448.00 MB Current LE 14 Segments 1 Allocation inherit Read ahead sectors auto - currently set to 256 Block device 253:1
- Resize the filesystem
[root@localhost ~]# df -h
Filesystem Size Used Avail Use% Mounted on
/dev/mapper/VolGroup00-LogVol00
1.9G 719M 1.1G 41% /
/dev/sda1 99M 12M 82M 13% /boot
tmpfs 125M 0 125M 0% /dev/shm
[root@localhost ~]# resize2fs /dev/VolGroup00/LogVol00
resize2fs 1.39 (29-May-2006)
Filesystem at /dev/VolGroup00/LogVol00 is mounted on /; on-line resizing required
Performing an on-line resize of /dev/VolGroup00/LogVol00 to 1122304 (4k) blocks.
The filesystem on /dev/VolGroup00/LogVol00 is now 1122304 blocks long.
[root@localhost ~]# df -h
Filesystem Size Used Avail Use% Mounted on
/dev/mapper/VolGroup00-LogVol00
4.2G 720M 3.3G 18% /
/dev/sda1 99M 12M 82M 13% /boot
tmpfs 125M 0 125M 0% /dev/shm
Now your system have 4.2G of totale space.