You can use the vdmadmin command with the -M option to mark a linked-clone virtual machine for disk space reclamation. Horizon 7 directs the ESXi host to reclaim disk space on the linked-clone OS disk without waiting for the unused space on the OS disk to reach the minimum threshold that is specified in Horizon Administrator.

Syntax

vdmadmin -M [-b authentication_arguments] -d desktop -m machine -markForSpaceReclamation

Usage Notes

With this option, you can initiate disk space reclamation on a particular virtual machine for demonstration or troubleshooting purposes.

Space reclamation does not take place if you run this command when a blackout period is in effect.

The following prerequisites must be met before you can reclaim disk space by using the vdmadmin command with the -M option:

  • Verify that Horizon 7 is using vCenter Server and ESXi version 5.1 or later.
  • Verify that VMware Tools that are provided with vSphere version 5.1 or later are installed on the virtual machine.
  • Verify that the virtual machine is virtual hardware version 9 or later.
  • In Horizon Administrator, verify that the Enable space reclamation option is selected for vCenter Server. See Allow vSphere to Reclaim Disk Space in Linked-Clone Virtual Machines.
  • In Horizon Administrator, verify that the Reclaim VM disk space option was selected for the desktop pool. See "Reclaim Disk Space on View Composer Linked Clones" in the Setting Up Virtual Desktops in Horizon 7 document.
  • Verify that the virtual machine is powered on before you initiate the space reclamation operation.
  • Verify that a blackout period is not in effect. See "Set Storage Accelerator and Space Reclamation Blackout Times for View Composer Linked Clones" in the Setting Up Virtual Desktops in Horizon 7 document.

Options

Table 1. Options for Reclaiming Disk Space on Virtual Machines
Option Description
-d desktop Specifies the name of the desktop pool.
-m machine Specifies the name of the virtual machine.
-MarkForSpaceReclamation Marks the virtual machine for disk space reclamation.

Example

Marks the virtual machine machine3 in the desktop pool pool1 for disk space reclamation. 

vdmadmin -M -d pool1 -m machine3 -markForSpaceReclamation