VMware Cloud Community
PacketRacer
Enthusiast
Enthusiast

Silly question: most efficient way to delete snaps?

When you have a VM with multiple snapshots, some of them several days old, what is the most efficient way to delete them:  do you start at the bottom, with the latest snapshot, or do you start at the top with the earliest snap?  Or should I put my faith into the "Delete All" button?

Here's an example of what I'm talking about:

1759500.png

Yes, I'm away that I can just shut down the VM and do a clone, and the clone will be clean of snapshot.  I don't want to do that.  I very specifically want to delete the snaps.  I'm just wondering what's easier for VMware - start at the top or start at the bottom?

Tags (2)
Reply
0 Kudos
9 Replies
DSTAVERT
Immortal
Immortal

What version of ESXi? Unless the snapshots are large and you are short of diskspace I would use Delete All.

-- David -- VMware Communities Moderator
Reply
0 Kudos
PacketRacer
Enthusiast
Enthusiast

Version 4.1.  Yep, the snapshots are large.  All together the snaps take up more than 10 GB.

Not short on disk space now, but I have had that situation.  I have had my backup snapshot turn in "Consolidated Helper" snaps before.

My suspition is that if I start deleting from the bottom, VMware will need to grow the old snapshot files, meaning it will need extra space to delete snaps.  But if I start deleting at the top it will just replay the snap files into the vmdk and relink the snap chain, and thus no extra space will be needed during the snapshot deletion process.

Is that correct... or am I dreaming?

Reply
0 Kudos
DSTAVERT
Immortal
Immortal

Delete All will work. 10GB isn't large and 4.1 handles snapshot deletion more efficiently.

-- David -- VMware Communities Moderator
Reply
0 Kudos
indyodie
Enthusiast
Enthusiast

If this is a common occurance and the delete all option leaves behind the consolidate helper, you may want to consider scripting the removal with powercli.  You can take a look at a sample here:  http://tech.mikeal.com/blog1.php/2011/01/21/vmware-powercli-scripts-delete-all-snapshots-create-new-...

Mike

PHD Virtual Technologies
Reply
0 Kudos
petedr
Virtuoso
Virtuoso

I would agree the delete should be sufficient. If you are nervous about all in one then I would start at the last one and work backwards.

www.thevirtualheadline.com www.liquidwarelabs.com
Reply
0 Kudos
edk
Contributor
Contributor

I'd recommend using the delete all option.

The reason for this is that on the backend of things it employs a different logic. If you happen to run into any consolidate helpers, or have a snapshot that has gotten out of sync this will consolidate the VM back to one VMDK.

It may take some time, and you may notice the progress bar sticks at 95% while removing. Just be patient, theres a lot of data to incorperate and verify.

Hope this helps!

- Ed K | PHD Virtual Support
Reply
0 Kudos
petedr
Virtuoso
Virtuoso

Welcome to the community edk.

www.thevirtualheadline.com www.liquidwarelabs.com
Reply
0 Kudos
walkerjg
Contributor
Contributor

I will be out of the office until Monday, July 25th. If this is an urgent issue please contact Peter Redhead at Peter.Redhead@newschool.edu.

James Walker

Network Engineer

The New School

>>> communities-emailer 07/14/11 16:30 >>>

Pete Del Rey replied to the discussion

"Silly question: most efficient way to delete snaps?"

To view the discussion, visit: http://communities.vmware.com/message/1791278#1791278

Reply
0 Kudos
edk
Contributor
Contributor

Thanks, Pete!

- Ed K | PHD Virtual Support
Reply
0 Kudos