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PriyankaKamdar
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Linked clone saves space as comapred to full clones

I have read somewhere that linked clone in VMware View saves 90% of storage space as compared to full clone.

Could anybody help me explain how linked clones created using VMware view saves 90% of storage space compared to full clones?

Also is there any difference between a cloned VM from vcenter to full clone VDI created using VMware View?

Regards, Priyanka Kamdar
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Linjo
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The delta-disk is not 40GB, it starts with a few hundred MB:s and will increase when used to a maximum of 40GB.

It might look like its 40GB when looked at in the vSphere Client but if you look at the actual file you see that its much smaller.

// Linjo

Best regards, Linjo Please follow me on twitter: @viewgeek If you find this information useful, please award points for "correct" or "helpful".

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nzorn
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This explains it pretty well: Types of Clone: Full and Linked

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PriyankaKamdar
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Hi,

Thanks for your post.

My query is how linked clone conserves space as compared to full clone.  I think it should be somewhere related to OS delta disk created in linked clone. 

For ex:
Parent image has disk of 40 GB.

If I create a full clone it will be 100% copy so it will too have 40 GB disk.

If Linked clone deployed from parent image it will have 4 disk: 1) Opearting system delta disk of 40 GB, 2) internal disk of 20 MB. 3) disposal disk say of 2 GB(which is optional) and 4) persistent disk of say 2 GB.

Then where is the storage space less?

How linked clone is saving 90% of space compared to a full clone.

Regards, Priyanka Kamdar
Linjo
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The delta-disk is not 40GB, it starts with a few hundred MB:s and will increase when used to a maximum of 40GB.

It might look like its 40GB when looked at in the vSphere Client but if you look at the actual file you see that its much smaller.

// Linjo

Best regards, Linjo Please follow me on twitter: @viewgeek If you find this information useful, please award points for "correct" or "helpful".
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PriyankaKamdar
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Hi,

Thanks Linjo

I was excepting this answer.

Then if such is the case does for every read operation in linked clone on delta disk goes to replica in the pool and does it uses copy on write mechanism?

May be then it is the reason to keep replica VM on SSD storage?

Regards, Priyanka Kamdar
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Linjo
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PriyankaKamdar wrote:

Then if such is the case does for every read operation in linked clone on delta disk goes to replica in the pool and does it uses copy on write mechanism?

No, every read operation goes first to the linked-clone, if the block is not there then it will go to the replica.

Not sure what "copy on write" have to do with that but every write operation goes to the linked clone.

The use of SSD or not depends on your design, there is also View Storage Accelerator that can take most of the read operations.

// Linjo

Best regards, Linjo Please follow me on twitter: @viewgeek If you find this information useful, please award points for "correct" or "helpful".
PriyankaKamdar
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Thanks for your quick answers:)

Regards, Priyanka Kamdar
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