Can I toggle server config VHDZ to/from VHD without any issues?

Server
1

Does it hurt anything to switch the sever config to VHD for occasional one-off backups and then change it back to VHDZ for future backups?

Thanks for reading.

2

Good question.

I do not know the answer, but I wonder how it might impact deduplication (if at all).

3

Does deduplication work on urbackup image backups?

4

Windows Server’s built in deduplication does, quite impressively.

5

Thanks for that, B_B! So far it has been looking good.

6

Here is what I tried:

Change server setting to VHD (uncompressed).

Restarted the Windows server

Ran a backup

I noted the new stored image file was with updated extension VHD

However it seems the files are compressed VHD as they are not the size of the disk and I could not open them with Hyper-V 2019.

7

OK, another update. I just discovered the small file-size, smaller than actually disk (for example 25GB VHD from a 1TB source) isn’t a tell-tale that the VHD is unusable as I am able to open the VHD with Explorer and browse folders. Hmmm!

I might try again to boot this on Hyper-V and try restoring the MBR. But really, just the fact I can have VHD smaller than the actual disk and simply browse the VHD in explorer is a major win.