The snapshot Consolidation command searches for hierarchies or delta disks to combine without violating data dependency. After consolidation, redundant disks are removed, which improves virtual machine performance and saves storage space.
Snapshot consolidation is useful when snapshot disks fail to compact after a Delete or Delete all operation or if the disk did not consolidate. This might happen, for example, if you delete a snapshot but its associated disk does not commit back to the base disk.
The Needs Consolidation column in the vSphere Client shows the virtual machines that need to be consolidated and the virtual machine's Summary tab shows a Configuration Issues consolidation message if the virtual machine needs to be consolidated. If you see errors for failed conditions, such as running out of disk space, correct them and run the consolidation task.
Prerequisites
Required privilege: