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Side effects of running with snapshots

• Decreased performance if

•  there are too many delta files in a chain (caused by

• having too many snapshots).
• Decreased performance if delta

•  files become too large.
• Cannot

• increase Virtual Disk

•  size while snapshots are active.
• Delta files can grow to the same size as the original base disk file: a virtual machine's

• provisioned storage

•  size can grow to (

• its original

•  size ) multiplied

•  by (

• the number

•  of snapshots ).

Recommended Reading

• Understanding virtual machine snapshots in VMware ESXi and ESX (VMware KB Article 1015180)
• Best practices for virtual machine snapshots in the VMware environment (VMware KB Article 1025279)
  
  
• How to consolidate

•  disk snapshots (VMware KB article 2003638)
   vSphere client: right click on the VM name, go to "Snapshots", choose "Consolidate".
   vSphere Web client: click "Actions" tab, go to "All vCenter Actions", go to "Snapshots", choose "Consolidate".

Requesting a Snapshot

To request a snapshot for your VM, please use one of the following methods:

• Fill out the

• following Snapshot Request form.
• Use the VSS Command Line Interface 
• Use

• the EIS Virtual Cloud RESTful API - 

• Snapshot Management

Reverting to a Snapshot

To revert a VM to (or from) a specific snapshot, please use one of the following options:

• Send an email to vss(at)eis.utoronto.ca.
• Use the VSS Command Line Interface 
• Use

• the EIS Virtual Cloud RESTful API