I am using XenCenter to access a XenServer with several VMs which I use for dev DBs. Periodically I create new VMs with a fresh batch of sanitized live data, then swap them out with the old VMs.
Normally in the New VM Wizard, for Storage, I disable the "Use storage-level fast disk clone" option to create a full copy of the virtual disks used in each VM. This time, however, I left the option checked. The new VM started up almost immediately, as expected.
I previously thought that the fast clone would link to the original only temporarily, while it did the full copy in the background. From some reading I've done today, it sounds like this is not the case; a fast clone is pretty much just a snapshot of the original plus a set of changes, and stays that way forever. (If I'm wrong, and the fast clone becomes a full copy on its own in the background, my question is irrelevant.)
In XenCenter, how can I convert a fast cloned virtual disk to a full copy?
Best Answer
I'm not sure this is the best way to go about fixing the problem but here is how I did it.
Export the VM you made a clone of, then delete the VM. This breaks the chain between the clone/parent, the clone will turn itself into a full copy.
Import the VM you deleted.