Windows 2008R2 Virtual server, want to reduce size of virtual disks
I have an old Windows 2008R2 virtual machines with 2 virtual disks, one of 50GB another of 120GB (more or less). I have replaced this VM server with another VM so I want to "warehouse" this VM, store it, backup it up so I can get to in the event we discover something on the new VM we did not transfer from the old. What is the best way to do this? The MAIN GOAL is to minimize the size of the virtual disks? Drive C (the 50GB drive) only has about 20GB of space used and Drive D (the 120GB) is only using about 70GB. In other words is there a process that will allow me to only backup, export, ???? that only what is being used, so as to reduce the size of the virtual disks to something close to the actual space used? That way if I do have to get to it (restore it, import it) it will be 2 drives of 20GB and 70GB instead of 50 and 120? Again, the MAIN GOAL being that we want to minimize the size of the virtual disks? Thank you very much.
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The server must remain bootable (running a SQL app and database--may have to get back at this app and data down the road)--it is not just a question of the data on the drives--if it were just a question of the drive contents I could copy/robocopy the files and folders. The idea is to keep the Old VM in its current bootable state with with drives as small as possible. So far Svet Paperov's suggestion looks the most promising. I have looked at Shabarinath Ramadasan suggestion and from his comments about the 100GB limit is a non-starter as the C Drive is now only 50 and I would like to get it to around 20 to 30GB. Thanks thus far.
Yes. I agree with you Lionelmn.. The option which has been provided by Svet is the appropriate one. I was under the impression that Compacting disk is a feature came up with Windows Server 2012.
If 2008R2 support that, you can just compact the disk and export it so that you will have a safe copy of the VM with data.
Good luck.
If 2008R2 support that, you can just compact the disk and export it so that you will have a safe copy of the VM with data.
Good luck.
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I tried the suggestions form 39828137 above and I must have done something wrong as the VM is no longer bootable. I can't run Windows repair and when I go to the command prompt to look at the drive there is no longer a C:\Windows folder.
What exactly did do? Could you walk me though, please, step by step? I've never seen a VM been corrupted because of compact, unless there were some hard disk issues with the host.
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Well at this point I am trying to get it working again but basically I followed the steps you gave. I had no snapshots so I used the Vssadmin to see if any shadow copies existed and then removed them. Then I compacted the drives (both were already dynamics so need to convert). I exported the VM, and then tried to use that export to create another VM to make sure I had a good VM--that failed. I then tried to use the existing compacted VM (did not delete it yet) and tried to start it and it failed too. So both the original and the export do not work.
This is very strange. As I said, I’ve never seen or heard of VM being corrupted by compacting it.
I am afraid, you will have to go back to your last working backup of the VM, restore it and start over. But this time, I would recommend verifying the storage of the host first for issues. I don’t see another explanation for what have happened with the VM.
I am afraid, you will have to go back to your last working backup of the VM, restore it and start over. But this time, I would recommend verifying the storage of the host first for issues. I don’t see another explanation for what have happened with the VM.
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The suggestions I were given actually caused my VM to become non functional and could not get it back so I can't say whether these suggestions will work for others or not.
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