Manual File copy job and scheduled file copy job

[mephisto]

Hi guys,

I'm trying to copy a VMDK file from one VM to another, it is a 9TB VMDK thin provisioned, 4TB of actual data in it. Using the manual files option on the left bottom corner, it explores the datastore and see the file as a 9TB, it doesn't show if the file is thinprovisioned or not. I'm reading and copying to the same datastore, a quite large RAID5 array. Strangely is writte faster than is read, about 500MB/sec read and 250MB/sec write. Does this mean it is reading the file as if it was a thick disk and writing down as a thin provisioned disk?

When I scheduled a file copy job, exactly the same file was read at 250MB/sec and write at 120MB/sec so I'm wondering what is the difference between a manual file copy (using copy and paste) and the schedule job?

Which one copies the file thinprovisioned as it was originally?

[Vitaliy S.]

Hi Mephisto,

During file copy job thin virtual disks are converted to thick provisioned, because of these reasons > V6.1 File Copy Thin or Thick provision?

If you would like to preserve VM virtual disk type, then I would suggest using replication job to transfer this disk and then attach it to the new VM.

Thanks!

[mephisto]

Hi Vitaly,

The replication job won't be able to put the virtual disk into another VM folder, will it? I don't want to attach the VMDK from a different folder, I would like to keep in the same folder as the VM it is going to be used.

Thanks!

[Vitaliy S.]

You can select what folder you want to place replicated VM files to. See this link for more details > http://helpcenter.veeam.com/backup/70/v ... on_vm.html

[mephisto]

You can select what folder you want to place replicated VM files to. See this link for more details > http://helpcenter.veeam.com/backup/70/v ... on_vm.html

I think you are referring to something different. What I meant is the VM folder in the datastore. Each VM has its own folder in the datastore and I want to make sure it goes where I want it to go. In this way on the link you sent me are about folder created in vcenter, that is not what I want.

Thanks

[Vitaliy S.]

Yes, I have missed the fact that you were talking about datastore folders, my bad. Well, in this case it seems like you need to use file copy job, attach the copied virtual disk to the new VM and then convert this disk back to thin provisioned type.

[mephisto]

Yes, I have missed the fact that you were talking about datastore folders, my bad. Well, in this case it seems like you need to use file copy job, attach the copied virtual disk to the new VM and then convert this disk back to thin provisioned type.

Convert it you mean by vmotion for example?

[Vitaliy S.]

Yes, it could be one of the solutions indeed.