VM from template with added storage size

[Roberto80]

I'm taking my first steps with SimpliVity and I have a question.

I created a VM template with a basic Windows 2025 installation and a provisioned space of 90 GB.

From this template, I deployed a new VM that requires 600 GB of storage, so I specified this during the VM creation wizard.

The new VM now has the following disk layout:

EFI (100 MB) | NTFS (C:) (90 GB) | Recovery Partition (704 MB) | Unallocated (510 GB)

I would like to extend my C: partition rather than create a new partition at the end of the disk. Is this advisable? Would doing so reduce compression and deduplication efficiency?

Is it safe to move the recovery partition to the end of the virtual disk and then increase the size of C:?

Thank you!

[DCollette]

Robert,

Your disk layout is very similar to many of our server VMs. Whenever we need to increase the size of the C: drive, we increase the size of the virtual disk and then run a partitioning program (Partition Wizard Server) to move the Recovery partition to the end of the virtual disk. Then we increase the size of the C: drive. We've been doing this for years and have never encountered any problems. You should be safe in doing what you propose.

Doug

[Sanika · Accepted solution]

Hi @Roberto80 

Yes, it is advisable and safe to extend the C: partition into the unallocated space if you want a single, contiguous volume for simplicity.

SimpliVity’s data efficiency (Deduplication & Compression) works at the block level and is inline, i.e., it deduplicates and compresses data as it's written.
It doesn’t rely on partition boundaries, so extending C: won’t inherently reduce efficiency. What matters more is the type of data stored—redundant blocks compress better.

If you want to move the recovery partition to the end of the disk to allow for the extension of C:, it is safe, if done carefully. There are a few points to consider:

Always back up your data before making changes to partitions or the recovery partition.
You may need a third-party partition manager (e.g. AOMEI Partition Assistant, EaseUS, or Partition Wizard Server) to move the recovery partition, as Windows tools may not allow moving certain partitions.
Neither extending the C: partition nor moving the recovery partition will significantly impact SimpliVity's storage efficiency. The platform’s algorithms work at the block level and focus on the actual data being written, not the partition layout itself.

Hope this helps.

Regards,
Sanika.

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