6.5.1

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Snapshots are not supported with PCI vSphere Direct Path I/O devices.
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VMware does not support snapshots of virtual machines configured for bus sharing. If you require bus
sharing, consider running backup software in your guest operating system as an alternative solution.
If your virtual machine currently has snapshots that prevent you from configuring bus sharing, delete
(consolidate) the snapshots.
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Snapshots provide a point-in-time image of the disk that backup solutions can use, but Snapshots are
not meant to be a robust method of backup and recovery. If the files containing a virtual machine are
lost, its snapshot files are also lost. Also, large numbers of snapshots are difficult to manage,
consume large amounts of disk space, and are not protected in the case of hardware failure.
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Snapshots can negatively affect the performance of a virtual machine. Performance degradation is
based on how long the snapshot or snapshot tree is in place, the depth of the tree, and how much the
virtual machine and its guest operating system have changed from the time you took the snapshot.
Also, you might see a delay in the amount of time it takes the virtual machine to power-on. Do not run
production virtual machines from snapshots on a permanent basis.
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If a virtual machine has virtual hard disks larger than 2TBs, snapshot operations can take significantly
longer to finish.
Managing Snapshots
You can review all snapshots for the active virtual machine and act on them by using the Snapshot
Manager.
After you take a snapshot, you can use the Revert to Latest Snapshot command from the virtual
machine’s right-click menu to restore that snapshot at any time. If you have a series of snapshots, you
can use the Revert to command in the Snapshot Manager to restore any parent or child snapshot.
Subsequent child snapshots that you take from the restored snapshot create a branch in the snapshot
tree. You can delete a snapshot from the tree in the Snapshot Manager.
The Snapshot Manager window contains the following areas: Snapshot tree, Details region, command
buttons, Navigation region, and a You are here icon.
Snapshot tree Displays all snapshots for the virtual machine.
You are here icon Represents the current and active state of the virtual machine. The You are
here icon is always selected and visible when you open the Snapshot
Manager.
You can select the You are here state to see how much space the node is
using. Revert to, Delete, and Delete all are disabled for the You are here
state.
Revert to, Delete, and
Delete All
Snapshot options.
vSphere Virtual Machine Administration
VMware, Inc. 222