Delta VMDKs are differencing disks that store changes made to a VM's disk. They are created when a VM is powered on, and changes are made to the disk. Delta VMDKs are used to:
In VMware, a delta VMDK (Virtual Machine Disk) is a differencing disk that stores changes made to a virtual machine's (VM) disk. Over time, delta VMDKs can accumulate and consume significant storage space. Deleting delta VMDKs can help reclaim storage space and improve VM performance. This report outlines the steps to delete delta VMDKs in VMware. vmware delta vmdk delete
| Topic | Link | |-------|------| | Understanding snapshots | KB 1015180 | | Deleting snapshots fails | KB 1007849 | | Consolidation needed after snapshot delete | KB 2003639 | | Orphaned delta VMDK cleanup | KB 1027880 | Delta VMDKs are differencing disks that store changes
[Base Disk: flat.vmdk] <-- (Consolidation writes data back) <-- [Snapshot 000001-delta.vmdk] Method B: Disk Consolidation Check Over time, delta VMDKs can accumulate and consume