HOWTO: resize a XEN virtual disk

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Environment

SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10

Situation

A XEN virtual machine is configured to use a virtual disk file and its storage needs to be expanded.

Resolution

Stop the virtual machine whose storage needs to be enlarged.
Be smart & safe: Make a copy of the image file! Work on the copy, not the original.
Increase the size of the virtual disk image:
# dd if=/dev/zero bs=1G count=1 >> your_disk_file

This example adds 1GB of additional space to the virtual disk image.
Resize the filesystem on the disk using the filesystem's resizing tools. In order to make sure the filesystem is clean, force a filesystem check first.
Here is an example for the ext3 filesystem:
# e2fsck -f the_disk_file
# resize2fs the_disk_file
Restart the virtual machine

Disclaimer

This Support Knowledgebase provides a valuable tool for SUSE customers and parties interested in our products and solutions to acquire information, ideas and learn from one another. Materials are provided for informational, personal or non-commercial use within your organization and are presented "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND.