how to get array space back after deleting data at OS level

[kholliday19]

Is there any way of getting volume space back to the array once you have deleted data on the volume at the OS level?

[#2]

Is this for Windows, Linux, or ESX?

[kholliday19]

Windows

[bgrieve65 · Accepted solution]

Newer versions of Windows (i.e., 2012 and 2008 R2, I believe) support SCSI UNMAP. Space reclamation can be triggered by file deletion, a file system level trim, or a storage optimization operation. File system level trim is enabled for a storage device designed to perform “read return zero” after a trim or an unmap operation. Nimble also supports this, and space is actually freed up on the array when garbage collection takes place.

For additional info, here is a pretty good read: Thin Provisioning (Windows Drivers)

[david_tan2]

Search the forum for 'reclaim space' for info and scripts you can run to return space to the array on win 2003/2008. Be great if nimble could include a background process with NCM that does what win 2012 does. Until then will need to run separate scripts or util. ..