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Piggy
Enthusiast
Enthusiast

How do I delete -ctk.vmdk files left behind by VMDR?

I had some issues and need to start over with VMware Disaster Recovery . At the moment I don't have a VMDR appliance but some of my VMs have -ctk.vmdk files. How do I get rid of them?

I found this article and followed the instructions. It "fixed" the VMs in question but the -ctk files didn't get removed by the delete all snapshot function.

Thanks.

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a_p_
Leadership
Leadership

The CTK files are used for changed block tracking and will be rebuilt if they are missing. Therefore you can just delete them anytime you want. The only impact after deleting these files would be that the first differential backup will take a longer time.

André

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Piggy
Enthusiast
Enthusiast

2am - 3am seems like a prime time to post questions and get answers! 😉

So just to confirm, I can delete these files without shutting down the VMs?

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a_p_
Leadership
Leadership

You can delete the files in the datastore browser. In some cases this is even necessary to prevent from wrong backups.

see http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1021607

André

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NavalgundRaj
Enthusiast
Enthusiast

Hi Piggy,

No worries,

I faced same issue, just few days back.

Just make one directory as #mk dir ctkfolder

and then #mv xxxx.ctk ctkfolder

and then it is almost will not affect anything.

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Basavaraj .R Navalgund

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NavalgundRaj
Enthusiast
Enthusiast

Hi Piggy,

Just  getting rid of .ctk files may not 100% resolve the issue, so what is the tool or third party tool you use to take a backup.

that may also cause the snap shot not to consolidate.

Regards

Basavaraj.R Navalgund

Note: If you found this correct or answer useful please consider the use of the Correct buttons to award points. Regards Basavaraj.R Navalgund
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mohsinabdul2312
Contributor
Contributor

Deleting .ctk files will not impact the VM

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Bullrem
Contributor
Contributor

Can the file -ctk.vmdk be deleted with the VM on, or does it have to be turned off?

please confirm.

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a_p_
Leadership
Leadership

It depends on how you do this. If you want to manually delete the file, the VM has to be powered off. However, you can use e.g. PowerCLI to reset CBT for powered on VMs. See e.g. https://kb.vmware.com/s/article/2139574​ (which contains an attached PowerCLI script) for details.

André

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