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mla579
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quick snapshot question

Hi,

I didn't touch yet with Snapshots in 5.1 yet (worked with Hyper-V).

Read quickly "Understanding Virtual machine snapshots in VMWare".

Better, want to ask ... It is different from Hyper-V. Example in HV delete snapshot will actually Merge a snapshot with original VM.

So, under snapshot we have: Revert snapshot, Revert to current, Consolidate. And under Snapshot manager Delete, Delete all.

1. created a snapshot.

    a. performed some changes

    b. then need to clear all changes in snapshot (return to the point when snapshot was created for new tests).

What option to use?

2. created a snapshot.

     a. performed some changes

     b. need to merge a snapshot with original VM

What option to use?

3. created 3 snapshots.

    a. need to remove snapshot #2

    b. need to merge snapshots #1 and #3 with original VM

What are the steps?

4. is Yellow Triangle indicates that a VM has a snapshot or it is another alert (appears after taking snapshot)?

Thx.

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vNEX
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Go to -> revert to specific snap in the chain

Revert to current -> revert to the snapshot from which VM is actually running i.e. to the state the VM was before taking that snapshot

Delete All -> commit all snapshots/changes to base/parent disk

Delete snapshot -> commit changes in selected snapshot to its parent in the chain ("You Are here" icon under desired snapshot)

Consolidate -> used for repairing snapshot hierarchy i.e. leftover delta files in VM directory after Delete operation etc.

ad1) Use -> Go to or Revert to  (not delete)

ad2 Use Delete

ad3 If you will do this you will broke entire snapshot chain and your Guest will end with PSOD

If you want to delete/ discard changes made by some snapshot in the chain you must stand with "You are here" icon above that snapshot and then use "Delete"

"This will also discard any snapshots in the chain tree below You Are here state"

If you have only one snapshot and want to revert/discard changes use "Go to" or "Revert to current snap..." the state in Snap Manger remains the same but you will find your VM

in state which it has in time where the snapshot was created...so every changes to the VM from that moment (snapshot creation) are discarded.

Hope it helps...

_________________________________________________________________________________________ If you found this or any other answer helpful, please consider to award points. (use Correct or Helpful buttons) Regards, P.

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vNEX
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Go to -> revert to specific snap in the chain

Revert to current -> revert to the snapshot from which VM is actually running i.e. to the state the VM was before taking that snapshot

Delete All -> commit all snapshots/changes to base/parent disk

Delete snapshot -> commit changes in selected snapshot to its parent in the chain ("You Are here" icon under desired snapshot)

Consolidate -> used for repairing snapshot hierarchy i.e. leftover delta files in VM directory after Delete operation etc.

ad1) Use -> Go to or Revert to  (not delete)

ad2 Use Delete

ad3 If you will do this you will broke entire snapshot chain and your Guest will end with PSOD

If you want to delete/ discard changes made by some snapshot in the chain you must stand with "You are here" icon above that snapshot and then use "Delete"

"This will also discard any snapshots in the chain tree below You Are here state"

If you have only one snapshot and want to revert/discard changes use "Go to" or "Revert to current snap..." the state in Snap Manger remains the same but you will find your VM

in state which it has in time where the snapshot was created...so every changes to the VM from that moment (snapshot creation) are discarded.

Hope it helps...

_________________________________________________________________________________________ If you found this or any other answer helpful, please consider to award points. (use Correct or Helpful buttons) Regards, P.
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mla579
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So Delete actually is MERGE of snapshot with a parent.

Thanks!

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UmeshAhuja
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Hi,

Kindly find the difference of snapshot in Hyper-V and VMware.

In Hyper-V

• Apply... Applying a snapshot to a virtual machine basically means copying the complete virtual machine state from the selected snapshot to the active virtual machine.  This process means that any unsaved data in the currently active virtual machine will be lost - and you will be asked if you want to create a snapshot of your current active virtual machine before the selected snapshot is applied. Once the snapshot is applied the virtual machine will either be in a saved state or stopped (depending on if the snapshot was taken of a running or stopped virtual machine).  If there are any settings that you need to change before starting the virtual machine you can now select the virtual machine, open the Virtual Machine Settings, and change them.

• Rename... This is a quick shortcut that allows you to rename a snapshot without having to open the Virtual Machine Settings.

• Delete Snapshot... Deleting a snapshot means that you can no longer restore the virtual machine to that point in time.  It is important to understand that deleting a snapshot will never effect any other snapshots, nor will it affect the current state of the virtual machine.  The only thing that will disappear is the selected snapshot. Sometimes in order to delete a snapshot we will need to merge the differencing disk that we created for the snapshot. This merging will happen automatically the next time that the virtual machine is not running.

• Delete Snapshot Subtree... Will delete the selected snapshot and any snapshots that are hierarchically underneath it.

• Revert …. This will take a virtual machine back to the last snapshot that was taken or applied (indicated in the Snapshots pane by the green arrow head) and delete any changes that have been made since that snapshot.

In VMware

• Delete…. Consolidates the snapshot data to the parent snapshot and removes the selected snapshot from the Snapshot Manager and virtual machine.

• Delete All…. Consolidates all of the immediate snapshots before the You are here current state to the base parent disk and removes all existing snapshots from the Snapshot Manager and virtual machine

• Revert to Current Snapshot….. Restores the parent snapshot, one level up in the hierarchy from the You are Here position. Revert to Current Snapshot activates the parent snapshot of the current state of the virtual machine.

• Go To….. Lets you restore any snapshot in the snapshot tree and makes that snapshot the parent snapshot of the current state of the virtual machine. Subsequent snapshots from this point create a new branch of the snapshot tree.

Thanks n Regards
Umesh Ahuja

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