size of backup files, Win 2000 vs Win 2003

[stephanie]

Hi all,

We have VCB backup of VM using Veritas Netbackup software:

Windows 2000 VM1: VM Disk size 37.8 GB, inside Windows 2000 OS, actual data size 29 GB, total backup file size 32 GB

Windows 2000 VM2: VM Disk size 46 GB, inside Windows 2000 OS, actual data size 22 GB, total backup file size 22 GB

Windows 2003 VM1: VM Disk size 67.8 GB, inside Windows 2003 OS, actual data size 24.3 GB, total backup file size 65.7 GB

Windows 2003 VM2: VM Disk size 33.9 GB, inside Windows 2003 OS, actual data size 21.8 GB, total backup file size 33.8 GB

We want to know why Windows 2003 VCB backup will not use the actual data size inside the VM like Windows 2000 OS VM? Is this an expected behavior?

[GBromage]

Hi Stephanie!

If you're telling VCB to compress the disk image, it doesn't look at "actual data size" or unallocated disk space, it really looks for empty/zero disk pages.

It sounds like there's something other than zeroes (such as deleted file space) on the disk. Maybe the disk was full, and you deleted some stuff off it? Or some strange formatting / disk spanning? VCB will probably still see those disk pages as not being empty.

Try using Microsoft's SDELETE utility ( http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sysinternals/FileAndDisk/SDelete.mspx )

with the -z[/b] option to cleanse the free space, and see if it improves things.

Hope that helps,

Greg

[stephanie]

Hi Greg,

Thanks a lot for the information. We will try your suggestion, SDELETE utility with the -z option to cleanse the free space.

Tks/B.Rgds.

Stephanie.

[Dave_Mishchenko]

Hi Stephanie, you'll have the option of marking Greg's specific post as correct or helpful to award him some point for his help.

http://www.vmware.com/community/help.jspa#awardrp