How to Resize a Linux VMWare disk

To enlarge a disk in a VMware Linux virtual machine, you'll need to follow a multi-step process. This involves both VMware-related operations and Linux command-line instructions to resize the partition and the filesystem. Here is the complete step-by-step guide:

Step 1: Enlarge the Virtual Disk in VMware

1. Shutdown the VM: Power off the virtual machine to ensure you can safely modify the virtual disk.
2. Increase the Disk Size:
   • Open the VMware vSphere client (or VMware Workstation/Player).
   • Locate the VM you want to resize.
   • Right-click the VM and select Edit Settings.
   • Select the virtual hard disk you want to resize.
   • Increase the size of the disk by modifying the Provisioned Size.
   • Save the changes.

Step 2: Boot the VM and Identify the New Disk Size

1. Power On the VM: Start the virtual machine.
2. Verify the Disk Size: Check the new disk size with the following command:

   lsblk

   This will list all block devices and their sizes.

Step 3: Resize the Partition

If you're using a partitioned disk (e.g., /dev/sda), you'll need to resize the partition before resizing the filesystem.

1. Identify the Partition: Find the partition you want to resize (e.g., /dev/sda1). You can use fdisk or parted to resize the partition.
2. Resize the Partition Using fdisk (For MBR Partitions):
   • Open the disk in fdisk:

     sudo fdisk /dev/sda

   • Delete the partition you want to resize (don't worry, your data will remain intact).
   • Recreate the partition with the same starting sector and a larger size.
   • Save and exit fdisk by pressing w.

   Note: Ensure that the starting sector is the same as before to avoid data loss.

3. Resize the Partition Using parted (For GPT Partitions):
   • Start parted:

     sudo parted /dev/sda

   • Use the following command to resize the partition:

     resizepart <partition_number> <end_position>

     For example, to resize /dev/sda1 to use the entire disk:

     resizepart 1 100%

   • Exit parted.

Step 4: Resize the Filesystem

Now that the partition has been resized, you need to resize the filesystem to take up the new space.

1. Resize the Filesystem: Depending on the filesystem type, use one of the following commands:
   • For ext4/ext3 Filesystem:

     sudo resize2fs /dev/sda1

   • For XFS Filesystem:

     sudo xfs_growfs /dev/sda1

     (Note: XFS filesystems cannot be shrunk, but they can be expanded online.)

2. Verify the Filesystem Size: Check if the filesystem has been resized correctly:

   df -h

   This will display the filesystem's current size and usage.

Summary of Commands:

• Resize the partition using fdisk or parted.
• Resize the filesystem using resize2fs for ext filesystems or xfs_growfs for XFS filesystems.

After completing these steps, your virtual machine's disk and filesystem should reflect the newly allocated size.