Converting Multiple VMware disk image to single disk image

Question

I have a VMware Instance that uses "multiple vmdk" format(around 7 vmdk files). I want to write the entire disk image to my pen drive.

If it was "single vmdk" image, I can use

qemu-img convert file.vmdk -O raw /my/drive/

But, I'm unsure on how to do the same with the multiple vmdk format.

Do I have to combine them into a single vmdk and then write to my pen drive, or Is there any alternatives?

Solution

It is certainly doable. Assume you have:

vmdk-primary.vmdk
vmdk-2.vmdk
vmdk-3.vmdk

Then do this:

vmware-vdiskmanager.exe -r vmdk-primary.vmdk -t 0 combinedImage.vmdk

The vmware-vdiskmanager.exe lives with VMWare Player (or your chosen VMWare product).

1. Once done, you will still have the original files.
2. You will have to rename the combinedImage.vmdk file to the original file name vmdk-primary.vmdk.
3. Once you are happy with the new image, you can delete the old files, just make sure it works first.

This will not save any space (well maybe some very small portion) but it will get you one disk file rather than several. Alternately, you could just compress all the files and store the archive on your USB thing.

On MacOS, the same can be accomplished using vmware-fusion which contains the vmware-vdiskmanager binary.

brew cask install vmware-fusion
vmware-vdiskmanager -r vmdk-primary.vmdk -t 0 combinedImage.vmdk

Comments

[Roger Dueck]

Without the homebrew install, just specify the full path to the executable: /Applications/VMware\ Fusion.app/Contents/Library/vmware-vdiskmanager.