03-09-2012 07:19 AM
I am performing a full backup of four different vms using BE 2010. We are on ESX 4.1. The backups are going to a backup to disk folder on a QNAP NAS. Two of the machines have leftover vmdk and -ctk files after each backup is complete. I assume BE is making a snapshot of the vm while backing up and then not removing the files after the backup is complete. This is in turn using up datastore space on our server. The other two machines do not exhibit this behavior. Does anyone know what might cause these leftover files and how it can be fixed?
TIA,
Kurt
03-09-2012 09:12 AM
refer the following infromation from the doc http://www.symantec.com/business/support/index?page=content&id=HOWTO54202
scsix:x.ctkenabled = "true | false"
True = ctk enabled for this specific disk
False = ctk disabled for this specific disk
-For each virtual disk and snapshot disk there is a .ctk file. For example:
vmname.vmdk
vmname-flat.vmdk
vmname-ctk.vmdk
vmname-000001.vmdk
vmname-000001-delta.vmdk
vmname-000001-ctk.vmdk
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This paramater enables or disables the Changed Block Tracking (CBT) at the virtual machine level. the parameter must be specified for every scsi disk also.
See Vmware technote "http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?cmd=displayKC&externalId=1031873" for more information.
03-09-2012 05:34 PM
Care to explain how enabling/disabling Change Block Tracking would solve the user's problem of snaphots being left behind.
03-11-2012 04:35 PM
I take it your seeing snapshots left in the snapshot manager in vCenter client? with SYMANTEC DD-MM-YY as the snapshot name?
How often is this happening to the VMs , every backup?
are you removing the snaphosts via snapshot manager?