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Our guest machines in ESXi server has lot of snapshots. While I am deleting them, they are merging. So I am in doubt whether deleting snapshot would help me gain disk space.

Can any one clarify whether deleting snapshot would help me?

If not is there any provision to save space in ESXi server?

ceejayoz
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Samselvaprabu
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2 Answers2

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Snapshots builds one on top the other, saving only differences from the previous step. So, deleting a snapshot in the middle of a tree branch won't probably free disk space because modifications have to be merged to the next level to achive consistency. I suppose the only way to free up disk space is delete an entire branch of snapshots. Example:

Hello
-HelloW
--HelloWo
---HelloWor
----HelloWorl
-----HelloWorld
--HelloWW
---HelloWWW
----(you are here)

Deleting ---HelloWor snapshot won't free up space because differences has to be merged to the next level of the branch ----HelloWorl. To free up space you'll need to delete the whole branch starting from --HelloWo to -----HelloWorld

Danilo Brambilla
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You could shrink your virtual discs

Kai
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