Which virtual disk format should be used when deploying PowerProtect Data Manager in a VMware on-premises or hybrid environment?

For optimal and predictable performance, Dell EMC mandates deploying the PowerProtect Data Manager virtual appliance using the "Thick Provision Eager Zeroed" disk format in VMware environments. This format pre-allocates and zeroes out the entire disk space upon creation. This prevents I/O latency that can occur with other formats during first-time block writes, which is critical for a data protection appliance that handles significant I/O operations.

A. Thin Provision Lazy Zeroed is not recommended as it can lead to performance degradation and potential I/O stun during storage allocation.

C. Thin Provision Eager Zeroed is not a standard VMware disk format option. The options are Thin, Thick Lazy Zeroed, and Thick Eager Zeroed.

D. Thick Provision Lazy Zeroed allocates space upfront but zeroes blocks on demand, which can introduce minor write latency compared to Eager Zeroed.

1. Dell PowerProtect Data Manager Deployment Guide, Version 19.14. Page 26, "Deploy the PowerProtect Data Manager appliance," Step 11. The instruction states: "For Select virtual disk format, select Thick Provision Eager Zeroed."