VMware Workstation

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  • 1.  Choosing the right Virtual Machine Disk Type

    Posted Nov 23, 2023 05:00 PM

    Hello,

    How to determine the appropriate disk type for a certain VM? Previously I was using a SATA HDD and when I created a VM, the SCSI disk type was selected and recommended by the VMware application.

    Now my Desktop has been upgraded to a SATA SSD and when creating a new VM, NVME disk type is recommended despite the fact that my physical storage uses an SSD connected to a SATA port. Which one should I choose?

    Host:
    intel i5 4th Gen, Windows 10 Pro x64, 512GB SATA 2.5" SSD, VMware Workstation 17 Pro (17.5.0 build-22583795)

    Guest:
    Windows 10 Pro x64



  • 2.  RE: Choosing the right Virtual Machine Disk Type

    Posted Nov 24, 2023 08:20 AM

    Unless you are going to run very IO intensive workloads, he specific disk type doesn't really matter.

    Workstation makes suggestions based on what it can detect. The types you see are just for the virtual hardware that will get presented into your guest. You won't really notice any difference unless you run a latency sensitive or IO intensive workload.



  • 3.  RE: Choosing the right Virtual Machine Disk Type

    Posted Nov 24, 2023 09:21 AM

    Hello,


    Substantially correct, as rightly said by , unless particular situations arise in terms of performance, there may not be much difference between SATA, SCSI or NVME.


    But it must also be said that the "Recommended" proposal of the type of disk controller / disk type shown by the "VMware Workstation" product (also applies to ESXi) is derived from the selection of the used GUEST operating system type, it being understood that we can then choose to do otherwise. I am trying to say, for example by selecting "Microsoft Windows 10 x64" as the GUEST operating system, the default proposal as "disk type" is NVME regardless of whether the aforementioned virtual machine ends up placed on a SATA disk drive (mechanical or otherwise) or on an NVME disk drive.


    Regards,
    Ferdinando



  • 4.  RE: Choosing the right Virtual Machine Disk Type

    Posted Nov 27, 2023 08:40 AM

    First of all, I want to thank you for answering my question. So, the disk type offered is based on the guest os I choose and does not act according to the physical type of the desktop I use. I'm just worried because I'm afraid that the wrong choice of disk type will cause the life cycle of my ssd drive to decrease.

    I just noticed that the mistake of selecting the Guest operating system in the VMware workstation options also caused the installation of the operating system to get stuck. I tried by selecting 'Other 64-bit' and tried to install 'Windows 10 64-bit' but stuck at the 'Getting windows ready' stage.



  • 5.  RE: Choosing the right Virtual Machine Disk Type

    Posted Nov 27, 2023 09:52 AM

    Hello,


    In the end it is exactly like this, if you pay attention the recommendation of the "disk controller" and the "type of disk" comes before asking you where you are going to physically place the files that make up your virtual machine. However, it is always advisable to select the correct type of GUEST operating system because certain hardware characteristics are set accordingly and cannot be manipulated via the product GUI, only by manually modifying the corresponding ".VMX" file of your VMs.


    Then, I'll tell you that I wouldn't worry too much about possible "wear", at least not with decent quality device.


    Regards,
    Ferdinando