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Vmware Snapshots and Thin provisioning

I will appreciate someone's explanation regarding Vmware Snapshots.
1- If I understand , we can take several snapshots of a VM and can revert back to any point in time.
Now regarding the backup of VMs, when VMs are backed up , are the snapshots backed up as well along with VMs? are the snapshots purged from the VMs after back up

2- if I create a VM with a disk of 40GB, and set up the Thin provisioning.  Does this mean  the disk can be filled up to the maximum of 40GB or it can go over 40GB ?

I know it is 2 in 1 question, but it saves time..

I will appreciate your help in advance.
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Andrew Hancock (VMware vExpert PRO / EE Fellow/British Beekeeper)
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Well, let me see if I understood the Snaps:

1- when you create a VM machine and assign it 80GB disk size ...is this disk called parent Disk?
2- after you create a snapshot, it will create an empty file (vmdk) linked to parent disk, then changes will write to the this empty file, and the parent disk is read only. does the new file(delta) count on the 80GB size or it is not ? I mean it is included in the 80GB?

3- Is there any tool that can report the VMs that have snapshots and preferrably in chronological order ?
- Which VMs (Block level back up) that can delete and commit the snapshots to parent disk ?

4- Regarding Thin provisioning, if I have a VM created and assigned 80 GB and set up as Thin Provisionning, when the data starts filling up the disk,... would 80GB be the maximum that the data can get to or it can use space from the storage
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Thanks..

4- Why thin provisioning is most of the time not recommended. It sounds to me just like thick provisioning. You assign disk size for the VM, example :80GB , then the when you add data it fills up the disk up to 80 GB, I don't see how THIN is difference from THICK provisioning..
Any clearance on this ?
thanks
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<<performance and not supported by vendor OS and Applications. >>

Other than that, I don't see the difference other than the name Thin /Thick.

Thin= You reserve the Disk size (80GB) when you create a VM
Thick=You reserve the Disk size (80GB) when you create a VM
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I am not familiar with THIN provisionning.

When you create a VM and you assign it 80 GB and select thin provisionning.
Now if the disk uses 10GB for OS , then the 70GB will still be reserved to the same VM ?
and as more data is dumped to the disk, the free space will shrink up until all 80GB is used up.

With THICK.. it is the same I guess,,,where is the difference , I still don't see it...unless if my statment is wrong...which means I still don't understand the THIN provisioning yet....
please , provide clear example for THIN and THICK..

I will appreciate it.
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Excellent explanation