Thin Provisioning vs thick Provisioning

Similar Questions

• Thin vs. lazy thickness set to zero + SAN thin provisioning

  Is there an advantage to using thick lazy set to zero and then using a provisioning to the FC LUN by opposition level just using Vmware Thin provisioning?  I guess I could use thin for VMS and LUNS, too.

  Updated zero lazy thick result in less lock/delay when filling unused space from end

  I don't think we see any economy using eager Zero thick with San provisioning on our Netapp.

  You should see the original in vsphere, but thin format discs on your San.

  Maybe this will help.  http://theithollow.com/2013/03/are-you-thin-or-thick-where-at/

• How to convert a thickness thin provision

  Hello

  I converted physical machine to virtual .during this process, I chose to files on the hard drive thick delivery.

  now I want to convert all files to provision thin to save storage.how can I convert thick to thin provision.

  I haven't used this link procedure Storage vMotion is much easier, and yes it free your place if you go thin thickness.

  This link may be also useful: http://www.thelowercasew.com/reclaiming-disk-space-with-storage-vmotion-and-thin-provisioning

• ESXI 5.1 "the disc is not thin-provisioned" after copying to the new data store vmdk

  I wanted to create an external backup as a 2nd VM ready-to-run on the 2nd data store.

  I've removed all snapshots, stop the machine virtual and exported the OVF file to a computer, adjusted to the size of the original virtual machine starts in Gparted to update the partition and restart. All very well.

  I then tried to deploy the OVF in the data store alternative (235GB slim, thickness according to the deployment of 250 Wizard). I tried both thick and thin but the error message "cannot deploy the OVF. The operation was cancelled by the user.

  I then manually downloaded the VMDK & OVF file to the 2nd data store and tried to inflate but then received the message "a specified parameter was not correct. The disc isn't thin provisioned. ».

  It seems I have dealing with the same thing, as this is the document here (http://pubs.vmware.com/Release_Notes/en/vsphere/55/vsphere-vcenter-server-55u3-release-notes.html).  However, I have no idea what to do now... and I'm worried because it seems that my backup plan may not work if I can't restore an OVF/VMDK from a disk of visas.

  The solution to the first problem here: https://communities.vmware.com/message/2172950#2172950 that solved my problem 2nd too.

• Default MARVIN and Thin Provisioning storage policy

  Hello

  When you use the default storage of MARVIN to vSAN on our new Evo strategy, it seems that all VMs are thick provisioned, not thin.

  My question is, why has it chosen default thick provisioning provisioning method for the storage of MARVIN policy? My understanding of vSAN vanilla is that a provisioning is the default value. I plan to create a new storage for provisioning strategy, but first of all, I would like to understand if thick is preferred on the Evo and, if so, why?

  Thanks in advance.

  It's quite strange - because by default in Evo must be a provisioning is not thick...

  The Evo has to ship to the QEP with the same default values as VSAN. As the team of VSANS, we would recommend thin provisioning...

  Can you confirm that the policy is set to thick. Maybe a screenshot of the policy upgrade...?

  This could be a factory error, or maybe a change not verified by a rogue administrator?

  Can I ask who is the partner of QEP. It may be useful if you send (using posts here) what is Device Evo... (you'll find this under 'health' in the user interface of Evo, next to the health of system - ID is probably something like MAR12345604...

  Kind regards

  Mike

• New-VM cmdlet always deploys "Thin-provisioned" VMs - need help

  Hi all

  I am at a total loss on this and spent several days trying to figure out what's wrong.  I'm deploying a new virtual machine from a template using PowerCLI version 5.1 Release 1.  The model is thin-set as all our models are, but when you specify my "New - VM" command, the resulting virtual machine always deploys as thin-provisioned even if I specify "thick".  Here is the command I use:

  PowerCLI C:\ > New-VM-model $templatename - $datastoreClustername - DiskStorageFormat EagerZeroedThick - $hostname - VMHost Datastore name $newVMname - location $foldername

  The above command returns the following error that 'EagerZeroedThick' is not a valid for the parameter - DiskStorageFormat option (although I see it clearly is done by "Get-Help-detailed New - VM")...:

  New - VM: 20/02/2014 12:09:18 new - the specified invalid VM storage format. Valid values are "Thin" and "thick".

  Online: 1 character: 7

  + New-VM < < < <-Template (model Get - Id VirtualMachine - vm - 1060) Datastore - Orion1_DSCluster - DiskStorageFormat EagerZeroe

  dThick - VMHost orion2esx01.cisco.com - name rcdn6-vm91-8-location "generic user (jstest).

  + CategoryInfo: InvalidArgument: (:)) [new-VM], InvalidArgument)

  + FullyQualifiedErrorId: Client20_VMServiceImpl_GetnerateCloneSpec_IvalidStorageFormat, VMware.VimAutomation.ViCore.Cmd

  lets.Commands.NewVM

  So I try the same command above, but this time by using 'thick ':

  PowerCLI C:\ > New-VM-model $templatename Datastore thick - VMHost $hostname - DiskStorageFormat - $datastoreClustername - name $newVMname - location $foldername

  The above command will successfully deploy a new virtual machine to the specified model, but the resulting virtual machine will always be Approvisionnés Thin rather than thick as I said...

  I have Google had the devil on this issue and did not happen to something that helps me...  I tried all the combinations of parameters, and the parameter order hoping that would be the thing without result.  As I said, I am at a complete loss and hope someone here can point me in the right direction.

  Sum, my 2 questions are:

  1. Why is EagerZeroedThick not considered as a valid option for the setting -DiskStorageFormat even if "Get-Help-detailed New - VM" clearly states that it is?  (I've seen a lot of example online of people using this option as well)
  2. Why the new virtual machine being deployed as a thin-put in service of the virtual machine, even if I specify thick for the setting -DiskStorageFormat of New - VM?

  It is a 1 vCenter/vSphere 5.1 update environment.

  Thanks in advance for your help.

  I finally received a response from the Vmware Support on this topic and thought I'd share it for anyone else running in this issue:

  VMware support:

  "I confirmed and discovered that it is a bug that is already running of our public relations team that suits him.

  And confirmed that this will be fixed in the next major release of VMware CLI power.

  And now, there is no ETA for it but I think would it as well as ESXi 5.5 U1 version but I can't confirm it. »

• Shrink a thin provisioned VMDK

  I have a VMDK thin provisioned is 500 GB. The real Windows Partition is only 150 GB. I would change the VMDK disk 150 GB thick put into service. What is the best way for me to go on this?

  If you prefer GUI, then use the converter otherwise vmkfstools is a powerful CLI command.

• Thin provisioning / "right-size" database disk

  OK, so I have the setting permissions and ready to deploy to the device.  I don't want to have a 200 + GB DB hard.  I know they say there is a special way, using the OVFTool application if you are using vSphere 4.0.  We run vCenter 4.1 and 4.1 ESXi hosts.  To specify the hard size I want, will it still thinly provision the device with the OVFTool?  I'm looking for clarity in this before deploying the machine, because I will be setting LUN space based on drive of 75 GB database (with room for future growth in LUN).  I apologize if this has already been covered, but I didn't see any other posts related to my question.

  virtualhudak,

  Technically, you should be prevented to deploy the virtual appliance CapacityIQ on a LUN with only 125 GB of free space on the disk.

  You need a data store with at least 258 GB free space on the drive in order to deploy the appliance CapacityIQ. That you complete the deployment wizard, two of the questions asked are if you want the first disk to be configured as a disk, thin or thick. and the same question for the second disk (/ data).

  Once you have deployed the virtual appliance successfully, you can follow the steps to reduce the size of the second (/ data) disk.

  James Ang | VMware engineering
  VMware vCenter operations
  VMware vCenter CapacityIQ
  VMware Capacity Planner
  VMware vCenter Guided Consolidation

• Thin provision NFS works only for instant VMDK

  Hi guys,.

  We have a host of ESXi 4.1 using NFS as a storage device. NFS is provided by the platform, Bluearc Mercury.

  Whenever I create a new virtual machine, for Thin Provisioning option is checked but also gray outside. There is a line saying:

  "Actual allocation policy will be determined by the NFS server.

  I'll check the newly created VMDK and it's a thick disk, it consumes as much disk space I put for the disc size.

  So, it makes me believe that the Bluearc Mercury does not support provisioning.

  The strange thing happens after that I did a snapshot, another VMDK as server - 0001.vmdk was created, and it's the thin disk.

  Someone at - it the similar problem?

  Kind regards

  Derrick

  Showmanlkz,

  On the BlueArc server, file systems are provisioned files, thin as VMDK files are created as "fragmented files".  Just a slight difference in terminology, but the effect is what you're looking for in what concerns the commissioning only the disk blocks that are actually used (thin provisioning).

  If you have created a 10 GB VMDK file, but have only 5 GB of data on the inside, only pointers to these 5 GB of data blocks will be created.  Us will not pointers to blocks of empty data.  Standard orders will make reference to the metadata VMDK structure and will report on the 10 GB file.  In order for a command 'df' to show the use of real drive (5 GB), rather than the allocated size (10 GB), you must enable the "true fragmented file" mode.  Contact the BlueArc TAC for the real run command.

  Snapshots are a completely different beast.  By default, they are only pointers to a point static instant copy.  However, if you use our new feature JetClone to create clones in entry level file, these files will be also thin provisioned, only as the clone diverges in content data from the original VM has been created between more and more.

  Julie HG

  Product Manager, BlueArc

• Thin provisioning question

  Tonight

  We recently P2V. by 4 Dell servers that all went well.

  When it came to thin provisioning of storage, we encountered a slight impediment. No matter what we do, we cannot recover any space with a provisioning.

  For example, we have only one server, 62 GB C. We have done the following:

  Defragmented

  CHKDSK would be

  SDelete - c (and even z, followed by another - c)

  Then migrate to another store of data configured as thin. We seem to get 0 space back even if Windows reports being 31.6 GB of free disk space.

  Don't get me wrong in the past doing the 4 steps above still retrieved the free space, but just this time on all 4 servers, we cannot recover anything.

  I have even converted to thick, and then to thin in case something to be funny.

  With the help of ESX 4 fully patched on all hosts. The only thing I can think is that when we thin put in service in the past, we were running ESX 4 with no patches and we have recently updated to the current version, but I can't really believe that a fix/update would have broken something as Basic.

  Any idea?

  There is a very simple solution for this problem, I found a couple of weeks ago.

  Do the usual "sdelete - c C:" stuff, and then migrate as Thin put in service in a store of data with a * different blocksize *.

  Then it just works how it has always been.

  It's only when you migrate it to a store of data with the same size block, it's broken.

  --

  Jules

  [email protected]

  www.Jules.FM

• Models of thin provision

  Looking to change my form of models thick to thin provisioned disks. The benefits are that they occupy less space and faster deployment.

  I have Win3K3 and Win3K8 models. Models have been created initially with ESX 3.5 so that they always have hardware virtual version 4. We

  are in the process of upgrading our ESX hosts to version 4.0 U1. Our virtual Center is already updated to version 4.0 U1. No downside to

  do this?

  Mike

  It is actually better to store your models as thin and then convert them into thickness during deployment.   They will use less space on the LUN model and should deploy more quickly.

  -MattG

  If you find this information useful, please give points to "correct" or "useful".

• Thin Provisioning

  I'm looking for the pros and cons of the use of provisioning of the disks. In ESX 3.5, there was the problem of the migration of records between data warehouses in which records have been changed from thin in. thick. This I understand has been fixed in ESX 4.0 U1. From what I read, I need to recreate my datstores for Thin Provisioning and then I can migrate live discs from thick to thin. What are some of the gothca otherwise than on commissioning?

  Thank you

  Mike

  Hello.

  What are some of the gothca otherwise than on commissioning?

  For me, the oversupply is the largest.  It creates a thing to have to monitor and take into account during operations.  Creation of alarms is essential, if you follow this path.

  You cannot use them with VMware FT.

  When a thin provisioned disk grows, a SCSI reserve be held.

  The way which drives develop and activities which develop, are also important understand but not necessarily to a witch hunt.  Defragments, copy large files and other normal operations will cause thin disks to grow.  Delete the files from the virtual machine won't give you the back of the space.  The free space can be recovered, but it will take extra work. Some virtual machines just do lend themselves well to it, because of this.  We can expect big savings and not actually bring.

  If performance (including writing intensive apps) are a top concern, so it is better not to use thin discs put in service as well.  You can learn more on this subject in the study of the Performance of VMware vStorage Thin Provisioning.

  Good luck!

• Thin-provisioned VMDK &amp; vSphere Client?

  Hi people,

  Just a quick, I have a VM thinly provisioned created on a host of test ESXi 4U1; I connect directly to the host via vSphere Client.

  When I download the file of the virtual computer on my own machine using the browser to store data, the end result is a flat file on my machine...  What is everything?  If I have a thin 60 GB disk implemented with only 12 GB allocated and want to take a copy, it ends up as a flat file of 60 GB transfer and waste all that space on my machine...

  Am I missing something obvious here?

  Thank you

  Alistair

  Hello

  the thin supply function is available only on a VMFS and some NFS data stores.

  When you copy a virtual machine on your pc, it does not matter if the VM vdisk is thick (flat) or thin, on your pc always it is thick (flat).

  Then, the slim advantage is only on the data store, not when you copy/transfer of the virtual machine on your pc.

  For example, it does not happen on vmware server 2 or workstation because the virtual machine is placed (previously assigned or not) in the files of the operating system.

  Hope this helps

  Best wishes / Saludos.

  Pablo

  Please consider to assign all useful or correct answer. Thank you!! - Por favor considered premiar any respuesta correcta o util. ¡¡MUCHAS gracias!

  Virtually noob blog

• Thin Provisioning not reduce size of backup

  I use ghettoVCB to save some of my virtual machines. I changed some of these virtual machines to use a provisioning in an attempt to reduce the size of backup. When I browse my store of data using vSphere Client, I see that the thin provisioned disks take less space. However, when I go back to a NFS store on a Windows Server 2008 R2, backup sizes are the same as they were when I used thick provisioning. Is this normal on a Windows NFS share? I did specify a provisioning for ghettoVCB.

  I ran sdelete and VMWare Converter to try to reduce the disks; This decreases the size of the disk that I see in the browser to store data, but the size of the backups on the NFS share was always the same.

  I don't have access to an NFS server ATM, but tests on a ZFS volume w/de-dupe that is exported outside like NFS, I can confirm that on the host ESX virtual machine appears as thin provisioned and when you do ls - lha on the VMDK is 8 GB and not 0 GB, but when you look at the free data store no space has been consumed during the creation of this new virtual machine. It all depends on your server and it is the configuration of NFS, I agree with RParker, you'll want to enable deduplication on your NFS server if it is supported. Put into operation end is handled differently on the NFS Server vs on VMFS volume and it dictated by the server NFS itself on how it is configured to manage a provisioning.

  =========================================================================

  William Lam

  VMware vExpert 2009

  Scripts for VMware ESX/ESXi and resources at: http://engineering.ucsb.edu/~duonglt/vmware/

  Twitter: @lamw

  repository scripts vGhetto

  Introduction to the vMA (tips/tricks)

  Getting started with vSphere SDK for Perl

  VMware Code Central - Scripts/code samples for developers and administrators

  VMware developer community

  If you find this information useful, please give points to "correct" or "useful".

• Thin Provisioning operational entities designated and Donts?

  Hi, im could have some customers who want to configure Vmware Essentials Plus.

  Thin Provisioning seems to be a very good thing and ive used on my test server.  It seems if large in a new configuration I think you want to use a provisioning on all your virtual machines.

  And Yes im aware, I need to keep my eyes on the space and set up some alarms.

  But since im not known enough, I was wondering if there is some designated operational entities and depend on the use of provisioning.

  As it's ok to use Exchange or SQL Server environment.  Or is it correct or not correct to use a provisioning on the operating system or data drive?

  Im hoping its ok to use on everything. Laughing out loud

  My typical clients are customers SMB.  None of them have more than 50 users, so that there would be heavy loads on the servers.

  Typical servers would be 2003/2008 domain controllers, Terminal Server, Exchange 2003/2007 servers and perhaps SQL.  Oh and Small Business Server.

  Thank you

  Mike

  Hello.

  And Yes im aware, I need to keep my eyes on the space and set up some alarms.

  Yes, this is perhaps the most important part of the use of provisioning.

  As it's ok to use Exchange or SQL Server environment.  Or is it correct or not correct to use a provisioning on the operating system or data drive?

  In General, you can use a provisioning for most workloads.  There are a few exceptions (like VMware FT), where it will not be allowed - but that does not apply in most Essentials. The key to whether or not it will be a good fit is to know the characteristics of workloads.  Everything simply because it is SQL or Exchange, does not necessarily it does real work.  When performance counts absolutely, I'd go with a disc of zeroing eager thick.

  Im hoping its ok to use on everything. Laughing out loud

  Learn more about the study of the Performance of VMware vStorage Thin Provisioning for more details.

  Good luck!