If using vmkfstool to convert your VMWare Server’s vmdk file to an ESX or ESXi file is not as convenient as it could be, you’ve got an alternative you can run inside of windows to do the same thing.

In VMWare Server 2.0 (RC or beta at this point), there’s a nice command line tool to be able to do this.   AFAIK, while this utility is in 1.0, the ability to convert to ESX style disks is not.

C:\Program Files (x86)\VMware\VMware Server>vmware-vdiskmanager /?
VMware Virtual Disk Manager - build 101586.
Usage: vmware-vdiskmanager.exe OPTIONS <disk-name> | <mount-point>
Offline disk manipulation utility
  Operations, only one may be specified at a time:
     -c                   : create disk.  Additional creation options must
                            be specified.  Only local virtual disks can be
                            created.
     -d                   : defragment the specified virtual disk. Only
                            local virtual disks may be defragmented.
     -k                   : shrink the specified virtual disk. Only local
                            virtual disks may be shrunk.
     -n <source-disk>     : rename the specified virtual disk; need to
                            specify destination disk-name. Only local virtual
                            disks may be renamed.
     -p                   : prepare the mounted virtual disk specified by
                            the drive-letter for shrinking.
     -r <source-disk>     : convert the specified disk; need to specify
                            destination disk-type.  For local destination disks
                            the disk type must be specified.
     -x <new-capacity>    : expand the disk to the specified capacity. Only
                            local virtual disks may be expanded.
     -R                   : check a sparse virtual disk for consistency and attempt
                            to repair any errors.

  Other Options:
     -q                   : do not log messages

  Additional options for create and convert:
     -a <adapter>         : (for use with -c only) adapter type
                            (ide, buslogic or lsilogic)
     -s <size>            : capacity of the virtual disk
     -t <disk-type>       : disk type id

  Options for remote disks:
     -h <hostname>        : hostname of remote server
     -u <username>        : username for remote server
     -f <filename>        : file containing password
     -P <port>            : optional TCP port number (default: 902)
     -S                   : specifies that the source disk is remote, by default
                            the remote options are assumed to refer to the
                            destination.
  Disk types:
      0                   : single growable virtual disk
      1                   : growable virtual disk split in 2GB files
      2                   : preallocated virtual disk
      3                   : preallocated virtual disk split in 2GB files
      4                   : preallocated ESX-type virtual disk
      5                   : compressed disk optimized for streaming

     The capacity can be specified in sectors, KB, MB or GB.
     The acceptable ranges:
                           ide adapter : [1MB, 950.0GB]
                           scsi adapter: [1MB, 950.0GB]
        ex 1: vmware-vdiskmanager.exe -c -s 850MB -a ide -t 0 myIdeDisk.vmdk
        ex 2: vmware-vdiskmanager.exe -d myDisk.vmdk
        ex 3: vmware-vdiskmanager.exe -r sourceDisk.vmdk -t 0 destinationDisk.vmdk
        ex 4: vmware-vdiskmanager.exe -x 36GB myDisk.vmdk
        ex 5: vmware-vdiskmanager.exe -n sourceName.vmdk destinationName.vmdk
        ex 6: vmware-vdiskmanager.exe -r sourceDisk.vmdk -t 4 -h esx-name.mycompany.com \
              -u username -f passwordfile “[storage1]/path/to/targetDisk.vmdk”
        ex 7: vmware-vdiskmanager.exe -k myDisk.vmdk
        ex 8: vmware-vdiskmanager.exe -p <mount-point>
              (A virtual disk first needs to be mounted at <mount-point>)

 

Notice the “preallocated ESX-type virtual disk”?   So, all you should have to do is run

vmware-vdiskmanager.exe -r sourceDisk.vmdk -t 4 destinationDisk.vmdk

and it effectively does the same thing the vmkfstool does at the command line for ESXi.   So, if you don’t want to have to use the unsupported command line of ESXi (even though I like having it available.   This has been tested and absolutely works.   If you don’t have enough double the necessary free space on you ESXi server for the server you are adding, this is certainly convenient.

Also, as a followup to the earlier post as others have pointed out, you really don’t “HAVE TO” open up ssh to run vmkfstool, you can just hit ALT-F1 and type in unsupported at the command prompt.   Opening up ssh is purely optional, but definitely convenient.