vdiskadm(1M) System Administration Commands vdiskadm(1M)NAMEvdiskadm - create and manage virtual disks
SYNOPSISvdiskadm create -s size [-t type[:opt],[opt]
[-c comment] vdname
vdiskadm destroy [-r] vdname|snapshot
vdiskadm snapshot vdname@snapname
vdiskadm rollback [-r] snapshot
vdiskadm clone [-c comment] vdname|snapshot clone_vdname
vdiskadm move vdname dir
vdiskadm rename vdname|snapshot vdname|snapshot
vdiskadm list [-fp]vdname
vdiskadm verify vdname
vdiskadm prop-get [-l] -p property vdname
vdiskadm prop-set -p property=value vdname
vdiskadm prop-add -p property=value vdname
vdiskadm prop-del -p property vdname
vdiskadm import [-fnpqm] [-x type] -d file|zvol|dsk
[-t type[:opt]] vdname
vdiskadm export -x type[:opt] -d file|zvol|dsk vdname
vdiskadm convert [-t type[:opt]] vdname
vdiskadm translate [-i type[:opt]] -I input_file -x type[:opt]
-d output_file
vdiskadm help [command]
DESCRIPTION
The vdiskadm command manages virtual disks within dom0. In the SYNOPSIS
above, vdname is the pathname of the virtual disk; it has a maximum
length of MAXPATHLEN (1024 bytes).
vdiskadm is implemented as a set of subcommands, many with their own
options and operands. These subcommands are described under "Subcom‐
mands," below.
The following subsections describe concepts related to virtual disks.
Snapshots
A snapshot is a read-only copy of a virtual disk. Snapshots can be cre‐
ated extremely quickly and initially consume little space. As data
within the active virtual disk changes, the snapshot consumes more data
than would otherwise be shared with the active virtual disk.
Clones
A clone is a writable copy of a virtual disk. The default type of clone
is a merged (that is, coalesced) copy of the original virtual disk. An
example of a merged clone occurs when a virtual disk is comprised of
several snapshots; a subsequent clone operation results in a new vir‐
tual disk containing no snapshots. A clone will be of the same type as
the original virtual disk (that is, vmdk:fixed). When a merged clone is
created there is no linkage back to the original virtual disk or to any
of its snapshots. This lack of linkage allows the merged clone to be
moved to another physical machine.
Numeric Values
The values of numeric properties can be specified using human-readable
suffixes, such as k, KB, M, Gb, and so forth, up to Z for zettabyte).
The following are all valid (and equal) specifications:
1536M 1.5g 1.50GB
Types of Virtual Disks
The following types and options of virtual disks are supported:
o vmdk:fixed
o vmdk:sparse
o vdi:fixed
o vdi:sparse
o vhd:fixed
o vhd:sparse
o raw:fixed
where vmdk is the native VMware format, vdi is the native VirtualBox
format, vhd is the native Microsoft format, and raw describes a file
that looks like a raw disk. A raw disk is always in fixed format so
that option can be explicitly set or implicitly understood.
If the type is not specified, the default value is vmdk. If the option
is not specified, the default value is fixed for type raw and sparse
for types vmdk, vdi, and vhd.
Native and User-defined Properties
Properties are divided into two types, native and user defined. Native
properties either export internal statistics or control vdiskadm behav‐
ior. In addition, native properties are either editable or read-only.
User-defined properties are arbitrary strings that have no effect on
vdiskadm behavior. You can use them to annotate virtual disks in a way
that is meaningful in your environment. User-defined property names
must contain a colon (:) character, to distinguish them from native
properties.
Properties are associated only with the virtual disk and not with indi‐
vidual snapshots.
Every virtual disk has a set of native properties that export statis‐
tics about the virtual disk, as well as control various behaviors.
The following are the native properties for a virtual disk:
cdrom
Boolean property that is true if the virtual disk is a CDROM.
removable
Boolean property that is true if the virtual disk is a removable
media.
readonly
Boolean property that is true if the virtual disk is read-only.
This property is read-only.
sectors
Numeric property containing the number of disk sectors in the given
virtual disk. This property is read-only.
name
String property that is the name of the virtual disk. This property
is read-only.
max-size
Numeric property containing the maximum size of the virtual disk in
bytes. This property is read-only.
effective-size
Numeric property containing the effective size of the virtual disk,
in bytes. The effective size includes the size of the data file
and all snapshots. The effective size can exceed the maximum size.
This property is read-only.
creation-time
String property containing the date and time that the virtual disk
was created. This property is read-only.
creation-time-epoch
Numeric property describing the creation-time property in seconds
since the epoch (seconds since 00:00:00 UTC, Jan. 1, 1970). This
property is read-only.
modification-time
String property containing the date and time of last modification
to virtual disk. This property is read-only.
modification-time-epoch
Numeric property describing the modification-time property in sec‐
onds since the epoch (seconds since 00:00:00 UTC, Jan. 1, 1970).
This property is read-only.
description
String property that contains the comment given when the virtual
disk was created or cloned. This property is read-only.
type
String property that contains the type of virtual disk: vmdk, vhd,
vdi, or raw. This property is read-only.
sparse
Boolean property that is true if the virtual disk is in sparse for‐
mat. This property is read-only.
owner
String property that contains the user name of the owner of the
virtual disk. This property is editable.
SUB-COMMANDS
The vdiskadm subcommands and their arguments are described in the fol‐
lowing subsections.
vdiskadm create
vdiskadm create -s size [-t type[:opt],[opt]]
[-c comment] vdname
Creates a new virtual disk of the specified size and at the location
specified by vdname. If vdname includes a path to the virtual disk, the
directories that follow from that path will be created during creation
of the virtual disk. This subcommand has the options listed below.
-t type[:opt],[opt]]
Specifies the type of virtual disk to be created. The default type
is vmdk. For vmdk and vdi types the default option is sparse. For
type raw the default option is fixed.
-c comment
Comment that can be attached to virtual disk.
vdiskadm destroy
vdiskadm destroy [-r] vdname|snapshot
Destroys the specified virtual disk or snapshot. By default, the
destroy operation fails if the specified virtual disk contains snap‐
shots. This subcommand has the option listed below.
-r
Recursively destroys the virtual disk, including all snapshots
associated with the virtual disk.
vdiskadm snapshot
vdiskadm snapshot vdname@snapname
Creates a snapshot of the virtual disk with the specified snapname.
This subcommand has no options.
vdiskadm rollback
vdiskadm rollback [-r] snapshot
Roll back the virtual disk to a previous snapshot. When a virtual disk
is rolled back, all data that has changed since the snapshot is dis‐
carded, and the virtual disk reverts to the state at the time of the
snapshot. By default, the command refuses to roll back to a snapshot
other than the most recent one. In order to roll back further, all
intermediate snapshots must be destroyed by specifying the -r option.
This subcommand has the option listed below.
-r
Recursively destroy any snapshots more recent than the one speci‐
fied.
vdiskadm clone
vdiskadm [-c comment] vdname|snapshot clone_vdname
Creates a clone of the specified snapshot or virtual disk. The clone is
created with the type and option and the size of the virtual disk being
cloned. If clone_vdname includes a path the directories that flow from
that path will be created during creation of the cloned virtual disk.
By default, a merged clone image is created. This subcommand has the
option listed below.
-c comment
Comment that can be attached to cloned virtual disk.
vdiskadm move
vdiskadm move vdname dir
Moves a specified virtual disk into the specified directory. The vir‐
tual disk maintains the same name. The new directory must exist. This
subcommand has no options.
vdiskadm rename
vdiskadm rename vdname|snapshot vdname|snapshot
Renames a virtual disk or snapshot. This subcommand has no options.
vdiskadm list
vdiskadm list [-fp]vdname
Lists a specified virtual disk and its snapshots. This subcommand has
the options listed below.
-f
Gives a list of all files associated with the virtual disk. This
list includes the store file and the extents.
-p
Lists the files in an easily parsable format, prefixing the files
with a label of file:, snapshot:, or store.
vdiskadm verify
vdiskadm verify vdname
Returns an error if the virtual disk cannot be recognized or opened by
Solaris xVM. This subcommand has no options.
vdiskadm prop-get
vdiskadm prop-get [-l] -p property vdname
Returns the value of the property for the specified virtual disk. A
property value of all displays all native and user-defined properties
for the virtual disk. This subcommand has the options listed below.
-l
Gives additional property information, such as the writeable status
of property.
-p property
Specifies the property being queried and displays the value of the
property. For the property all, the name of the property, a colon,
and a space are displayed before the value of the property.
vdiskadm prop-set
vdiskadm prop-set -p property=value vdname
Sets the value of the specified property for the specified virtual
disk. property can be a native or a user-defined property, but must be
writable. Can be used to change the value of a property added with the
prop-add subcommand. This subcommand has the option listed below.
-p property=value
Specifies the property being set.
vdiskadm prop-add
vdiskadm-p property=value vdname
Adds the user-defined property with the specified value to the speci‐
fied virtual disk. Returns an error if the property already exists. The
user-defined property name must contain a colon character (:). This
subcommand has the option listed below.
-p property=value
Specifies the property being added.
vdiskadm prop-del
vdiskadm prop-del -p property vdname
Deletes a user-defined property from the specified virtual disk. This
subcommand has the option listed below.
-p property
Specifies the property being deleted.
vdiskadm import
vdiskadm import [-fnpqm] [-x type] -d file|zvol|dsk \
[-t type[:opt]] vdname
Creates a new virtual disk using data from a file or block device. The
file may be in vdi, vhd, vmdk, or raw format. A block device is always
assumed to be in raw format. This subcommand has the following options.
-f
Returns a list of files that will be used in the import process.
-n
Show output from import without actually running the import.
-p
Displays files in an easily parsable format.
-q
Run in quiet mode giving no output.
-m
Move the imported file to virtual disk without copying the data.
-x type
Specifies the type of virtual disk data being imported. If vdiskadm
is unable to detect the imported file type, -x must be specified.
-d file|zvol|dsk
File or block device containing data to be imported.
-t type[:opt]
Specifies the type of virtual disk to be created on import. The
default type is vmdk. For vmdk, vdi, and vhd types the default opt
is sparse. For type raw the default opt is fixed.
vdiskadm export
vdiskadm export -x type[:opt] -d file|zvol|dsk vdname
Exports data from a virtual disk to a file or block device. This sub‐
command has the following options.
-x type[:opt]
Specifies the type of virtual disk data being exported.
-d file|zvol|dsk
File or block device receiving data being exported.
vdiskadm convert
vdiskadm convert [-t type[:opt]] vdname
Converts a virtual disk into a different type virtual disk. This sub‐
command has the following option.
-t type[:opt]
Specifies the type of virtual disk to be created upon conversion.
The default type is vmdk. For vmdk, vdi, and vhd types the default
opt is sparse. For type raw the default opt is fixed.
vdiskadm translate
vdiskadm translate [-i type[:opt]] -I input_file \
-x type[:opt] -d output_file
Translate data from one virtual disk data type to another without cre‐
ating a virtual disk. This subcommand has the following options.
-i type[:opt]
Specifies the input type of virtual disk data being translated. If
vdiskadm is unable to detect the input file type, -i must be speci‐
fied.
-I input_file
File or block device containing data being translated.
-x type[:opt]
Specifies the output type of virtual disk data being translated.
For vmdk, vdi, and vhd types the default opt is sparse. For type
raw the default opt is fixed.
-d output_file
File or block device receiving data being translated. output_file
must not exist. The file will be created during translation.
vdiskadm help
vdiskadm help [command]
Displays a general or command-specific help message. This subcommand
has only the command name optional argument.
EXAMPLES
Example 1 Creating a vmdk Sparse File
The following command creates a virtual disk named disk1 of size 8 GB
in the directory /guests/disks.
# vdiskadm create -s 8g -t vmdk:sparse /guests/disks/disk1
Example 2 Creating a Snapshot
The following command creates a snapshot of the virtual disk located at
/guests/disks/disk1. The snapshot is named install.
# vdiskadm snapshot /guests/disks/disk1@install
Example 3 Creating and Destroying Snapshots
The following commands create two snapshots, named install and bfu, of
the virtual disk located at /guests/disks/disk1. The third command
destroys the newly created snapshot install.
# vdiskadm snapshot /guests/disks/disk1@install
# vdiskadm snapshot /guests/disks/disk1@bfu
# vdiskadm destroy /guests/disks/disk1@install
Example 4 Rolling Back a Virtual Disk
The following command reverts the contents of the virtual disk to the
snapshot named install, deleting all intermediate snapshots.
# vdiskadm rollback -r /guests/disks/disk1@install
Example 5 Listing a Virtual Disk and Snapshots
The following command lists all of the images associated with the vir‐
tual disk /guests/disks/disk1.
# vdiskadm list /guests/disks/disk1
disk1@install
disk1@bfu
disk1
Example 6 Creating a Clone
The following command creates a new virtual disk that is a coalesced
copy of the virtual disk /guests/disks/disk1. The clone is created in
the same format (that is, vmdk:sparse) as the original virtual disk.
# vdiskadm clone /guests/disks/disk1 /guests/clone/clone_disk1
Example 7 Adding a User-defined Property
The following command adds a user-defined property to the virtual disk
and assigns it the specified value. This property name was chosen to
represent the source and requirements of this virtual disk data using
the required colon to delineate the fields.
# vdiskadm prop-add -p com.sun:required-nic=2 /guests/disks/disk1
Example 8 Importing Existing vmdk Format File
The following command takes an existing vmdk format file and imports it
to a virtual disk.
# vdiskadm import -d /downloads/appliance.vmdk /guests/import/disk1
Example 9 Importing vmdk File and Converting to vhd
The following command takes an existing vmdk format file and, upon
import, converts it to a vhd-type virtual disk.
# vdiskadm import -d /downloads/appliance.vmdk -t vhd \
/guests/import/disk1
Example 10 Importing Data from zvol
The following command imports virtual disk data from a zvol and, upon
import, converts it to a vmdk:fixed type virtual disk.
# vdiskadm import -d /dev/zvol/dsk/pool1/disk1 -t vmdk:fixed \
/guests/import/disk1
Example 11 Exporting Data to Block Device
The following command takes an existing virtual disk and, upon export,
converts it to a disk slice, of raw type.
# vdiskadm export -d /dev/dsk/c0t1d0s3 -x raw /guests/disks/disk1
Example 12 Converting Virtual Disk Type
The following command takes an existing virtual disk and converts it
(in place) to a different format type.
# vdiskadm convert -t vdi:fixed /guests/disks/disk1
Example 13 Translating Data from One Type to Another
The following command translates data from a virtual disk format file
to raw data written to a zvol without creating a virtual disk.
# vdiskadm translate -I /downloads/appliance.vmdk -x raw \
-d /dev/zvol/dsk/pool1/disk1
ATTRIBUTES
See attributes(5) for descriptions of the following attributes:
┌─────────────────────────────┬─────────────────────────────┐
│ ATTRIBUTE TYPE │ ATTRIBUTE VALUE │
├─────────────────────────────┼─────────────────────────────┤
│Availability │system/storage/vdiskadm │
├─────────────────────────────┼─────────────────────────────┤
│Interface Stability │Uncommitted │
└─────────────────────────────┴─────────────────────────────┘
SEE ALSOvirsh(1M), virt-install(1M), attributes(5), xVM(5)SunOS 5.11 2 Apr 2009 vdiskadm(1M)
