ESX Server 2.0 includes a new file system, VMFS version 2 (VMFS-2). If this partition is formatted for VMFS-1, you can convert it to VMFS-2.
The changes you can make to the partition may include (certain partitions do not allow you to change all of the following):
There are two modes for accessing VMFS volumes: public or shared.
With a public VMFS version 1 (VMFS-1) volume, multiple ESX Server computers have the ability to access the VMware ESX Server file system, as long as the VMFS volume is on a shared storage system (for example, a VMFS on a storage area network). However, only one ESX Server can access the VMFS volume at a time.
With a public VMFS version 2 (VMFS-2) volume, multiple ESX Server computers can access the VMware ESX Server file system concurrently. VMware ESX Server file systems with a public mode have automatic locking to ensure file system consistency.
Note: If you plan to change the accessibility mode for a VMFS volume, you must deactivate the swap file if it exists. To deactivate the swap file, see Configuring a Swap File.
If you plan to create virtual machines with virtual disks larger than the default maximum size of 144GB, change the value in the Max File Size field.
You can only span VMFS-2 volumes. Spanning a volume allows the volume to comprise multiple VMFS disk partitions. Each disk or partition to which this volume is spanned is called an extent. In effect, this creates a single volume that is larger than would be possible from one partition. Also, in the spanned volume or extent, you cannot change the maximum size of files.
Once you span a volume, you cannot remove the volume if it is spanned or if it spans other volumes. To span to another volume, check the box next to that volume label.
Caution: Any data on the extent is lost when the VMFS volume spans to it, so it is a good idea to span to newly created partitions.
To convert the partition to VMFS-2, click the Convert to VMFS-2 link. In order to convert the file system, you must deactivate the swap file if it exists. To deactivate the swap file, see Configuring a Swap File.
Caution: Metadata on VMFS-2 volumes utilize more space than metadata on VMFS-1 volumes. To successfully convert a file partition, you may need to move files to allow for more disk space.
To remove the partition, click Remove. You are asked to confirm that you want to remove the partition. To delete certain partitions, you must click Edit, then Remove.
If the volume is spanned to other volumes, you cannot remove it.