Consolidate without disk space

[gustavoponce]

Hello,

I have one datastore with just 1 VM, totaling 120TB.

An analyst forgot snapshots on the VM and the datastore is at 100%.

There is a message to consolidate...

What's the best way to go?

Doubt: Can I move this snapshot to another datastore? Ajusting in .vmx file locations and consolidate, will it work?

[Duncan Epping]

you could SvMotion the vm to another datastore after powering it off. powering off the VM also cleans up the swap file , which means you get some space back.

[gustavoponce]

We do not have another Datastore with this capacity.

The VM is already powerd off, but this swap files is in another datastore.

[Duncan Epping]

you can try consolidating, but there's a chance you fill up the datastore completely and end up in a situation where there's no way back. If this is a production environment you may want to contact support, as depending on the version the consolidation process slightly varies etc.

Any other VMs you can move by any chance?

[gustavoponce]

I can't move snapshots to another datastore and consolidate? I have a delta of 5T, doing this frees up this space

[a_p_]

How is the base virtual disk provisioned? Thick or Thin?

In case of a thick provisioned virtual disk, consolidating a snapshot (with a powered off VM) should not consume additional disk space, i.e. chances are good that consolidation succeeds.

In doubt, run ls -lisa and compare the provisioned size with the consumed disk space (in kB) in column 2. If the sizes match, it's a thick provisioned virtual disk which size should not grow with the consolidation.

That said, it's important to have at least some free disk space on the datastore, which should be the case, if the VM has been powered off, and the swap file - which by default is created with the size of the VM's provisioned RAM - is gone.

In doubt, please post a complete file listing (the output of ls -lisa).

André

[BarryGrowler]

Directly moving snapshots to another datastore and adjusting paths in the .vmx file for consolidation isn't straightforward due to the risk of filling up the datastore completely, potentially leading to a no-return point, especially in a production environment.

Given the tight constraints, your focus should shift towards understanding the provisioning of the base virtual disk (thick or thin). If it's thick provisioned, consolidating the snapshot might not require additional space, offering a viable path forward. However, the success of this approach hinges on having a minimal amount of free space on the datastore.

Before proceeding with consolidation, verifying the disk provisioning type and ensuring some free disk space are crucial steps. In situations like these, involving complex VMware operations with significant risk, reaching out for VMware support is advisable for guidance tailored to your environment's specifics and version dependencies.