Split disk (2GB blocks) & backup with Time Machine?I just recently discovered the option to have the

[Stephen Van Dellen]

I just recently discovered the option to have the VM disk image split into 2 GB blocks. If I do that and tell Time Machine to back up the PVM, will it only copy the blocks that have changed?

Then if my system disk fails and I restore it onto a new disk with Time Machine, will the PVM be usable?

I've used Parallels for a long time. I've always found Snapshots and, later, SmartGuard clumsy and confusing. Splitting the disk into blocks and letting Time Machine back them up just seems like so much better a solution that I can't figure out why Parallels hasn't re-written the Backup section of the HELP manual and KB articles to recommend doing it that way.

 

[Maria@Parallels]

Hi, a virtual disk of either format can be a single-piece disk or a split disk. A split disk is cut into 2 GB pieces and is stored as a single .hdd file.
And you can always restore your VM from backup, and also add your restored virtual disk to you vm.
Plz let me know if it's not that case.

 

[JonG89]

... A split disk is cut into 2 GB pieces and is stored as a single .hdd file...

Does macOS view a split disk as a single file, or as multiple files? The OP is asking whether or not Time Machine on macOS will treat the 2GB pieces as separate files for the purpose of incremental backups. I have the same question, as I have been excluding Parallels VMs from Time Machine backups, and using ChronoSync to copy them to a separate backup volume. Otherwise Time Machine will backup the entire virtual drive, at every backup, whenever the VM is running.