Comments on: Keeping Thin VMDKs Using NetApp SnapRestore http://blog.scottlowe.org/2008/04/09/keeping-thin-vmdks-using-netapp-snaprestore/ The weblog of an IT pro specializing in virtualization, storage, and servers Fri, 21 Nov 2008 21:51:59 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6 By: Jon http://blog.scottlowe.org/2008/04/09/keeping-thin-vmdks-using-netapp-snaprestore/#comment-37502 Jon Fri, 09 May 2008 06:54:11 +0000 http://blog.scottlowe.org/2008/04/09/keeping-thin-vmdks-using-netapp-snaprestore/#comment-37502 Thank you Scott, nevertheless the deduplication trick works well if the clone and the source VM is in the same volume. With your trick you can restore to another volume maintaining the thin status... Thank you for your blog! Jon Thank you Scott, nevertheless the deduplication trick works well if the clone and the source VM is in the same volume.
With your trick you can restore to another volume maintaining the thin status…

Thank you for your blog!
Jon

]]> By: slowe http://blog.scottlowe.org/2008/04/09/keeping-thin-vmdks-using-netapp-snaprestore/#comment-37493 slowe Thu, 08 May 2008 17:20:41 +0000 http://blog.scottlowe.org/2008/04/09/keeping-thin-vmdks-using-netapp-snaprestore/#comment-37493 Jon, You're absolutely correct, of course, but this is a nice trick for those customers who can't (or won't) use deduplication. Jon,

You’re absolutely correct, of course, but this is a nice trick for those customers who can’t (or won’t) use deduplication.

]]> By: Jon http://blog.scottlowe.org/2008/04/09/keeping-thin-vmdks-using-netapp-snaprestore/#comment-37492 Jon Thu, 08 May 2008 17:14:21 +0000 http://blog.scottlowe.org/2008/04/09/keeping-thin-vmdks-using-netapp-snaprestore/#comment-37492 I think istead the snpRestore trick you con do use deduplication here: the filer will write the virtual disk normally(thick) durinfg the clonation BUT deduplicate later (at night?). (The trick is to schedule your snapshots right as any un-deduplicated data will remain frozen until the snapshots is deleted) I think istead the snpRestore trick you con do use deduplication here: the filer will write the virtual disk normally(thick) durinfg the clonation BUT deduplicate later (at night?).
(The trick is to schedule your snapshots right as any un-deduplicated data will remain frozen until the snapshots is deleted)

]]> By: Dejan Ilic http://blog.scottlowe.org/2008/04/09/keeping-thin-vmdks-using-netapp-snaprestore/#comment-37127 Dejan Ilic Wed, 23 Apr 2008 21:10:22 +0000 http://blog.scottlowe.org/2008/04/09/keeping-thin-vmdks-using-netapp-snaprestore/#comment-37127 "ls" will give you both the actual disk useage and the "thick" space usage. Try "ll -hus" or the equivalent "ls -lhus". “ls” will give you both the actual disk useage and the “thick” space usage.

Try “ll -hus” or the equivalent “ls -lhus”.

]]> By: dtv http://blog.scottlowe.org/2008/04/09/keeping-thin-vmdks-using-netapp-snaprestore/#comment-37003 dtv Thu, 10 Apr 2008 11:27:34 +0000 http://blog.scottlowe.org/2008/04/09/keeping-thin-vmdks-using-netapp-snaprestore/#comment-37003 I've used vmkfstools -i -d thin options to clone to a new set of files, then deleted the old files and renamed the newly cloned thin format files to the original names. I’ve used vmkfstools -i -d thin options to clone to a new set of files, then deleted the old files and renamed the newly cloned thin format files to the original names.

]]> By: Andrew Miller http://blog.scottlowe.org/2008/04/09/keeping-thin-vmdks-using-netapp-snaprestore/#comment-36999 Andrew Miller Wed, 09 Apr 2008 23:05:07 +0000 http://blog.scottlowe.org/2008/04/09/keeping-thin-vmdks-using-netapp-snaprestore/#comment-36999 I've found that while "ls" from a commandline won't show the right size for a thin provisioned disk "du -hs" does. I’ve found that while “ls” from a commandline won’t show the right size for a thin provisioned disk “du -hs” does.

]]> By: Nick Triantos http://blog.scottlowe.org/2008/04/09/keeping-thin-vmdks-using-netapp-snaprestore/#comment-36998 Nick Triantos Wed, 09 Apr 2008 22:46:15 +0000 http://blog.scottlowe.org/2008/04/09/keeping-thin-vmdks-using-netapp-snaprestore/#comment-36998 "You’ll also find that running an “ls -la” on an NFS datastore from the Service Console will show you -flat.vmdk files that appear to be thick provisioned. The only way I’ve found to see if they are thin provisioned is to use the Datastore Browser. It’s a VMware thing, I suppose." Scott, It's not a VMware thing. If anything ESX understands thin provisioning, it's the COS that doesn't...When you create a xGB sparse Disk, the size of it will appear as the size of the disk you've initially created. The behavior you see at the COS for the *-flat.vmdk occurs on every OS where storage has been thin provisioned. Just use the system and create a 1TB LUN on a 20MB Flexvol by creating the lun with -o noreserve and map it to a host. You will see a 1TB of storage. “You’ll also find that running an “ls -la” on an NFS datastore from the Service Console will show you -flat.vmdk files that appear to be thick provisioned. The only way I’ve found to see if they are thin provisioned is to use the Datastore Browser. It’s a VMware thing, I suppose.”

Scott,

It’s not a VMware thing. If anything ESX understands thin provisioning, it’s the COS that doesn’t…When you create a xGB sparse Disk, the size of it will appear as the size of the disk you’ve initially created. The behavior you see at the COS for the *-flat.vmdk occurs on every OS where storage has been thin provisioned. Just use the system and create a 1TB LUN on a 20MB Flexvol by creating the lun with -o noreserve and map it to a host. You will see a 1TB of storage.

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