What is a linked clone in virtual machine cloning techniques?
In the world of virtualization, a linked clone is a type of clone that shares virtual disk images with its parent virtual machine. This concept is widely used in virtual machine cloning techniques.
When creating a virtual machine clone, there are two main methods: full clone and linked clone. While a full clone is an independent copy of the source virtual machine and has its own resources, a linked clone creates a copy that depends on a parent virtual machine for disk resources.
The linked clone technique works by using a snapshot of the parent virtual machine’s virtual disk as a read-only base for the clone. Any changes made on the clone are stored in a separate delta disk, which keeps track of the differences between the clone and its parent.
One of the significant advantages of linked clones is the reduced storage space they require. Since linked clones share the majority of their disk images with the parent, they only need additional storage for the delta disk, which contains the unique changes made on the clone. This can significantly save disk space and resources, making linked clones a popular choice in virtual environments.
Furthermore, linked clones are beneficial for testing and development scenarios. They allow for quick and efficient creation of multiple virtual machines from a single source, enabling the setup of different testing environments concurrently without consuming excessive storage.
Despite their benefits, linked clones have some limitations. They are dependent on the existence and availability of the parent virtual machine. If the parent virtual machine is deleted or moved, the linked clones become unusable. Additionally, linked clones may have performance implications, as they rely on accessing the parent disk for reading common data.
In conclusion, linked clones in virtual machine cloning techniques are copies of virtual machines that share disk resources with their parent. They offer storage efficiency, quick deployment, and the ability to create multiple virtual machines from a single source. However, their usability depends on the availability of the parent virtual machine and may have performance considerations.
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