To add an RDM with snapshots to a virtual machine:
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Power down the virtual machine to which the RDM must be added.
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In the vSphere Client, select the virtual machine and click Edit Settings.
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Add a disk to the virtual machine and select the Raw Device Mapping option.
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Point to the LUN to be used as the RDM.
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Select Store with Virtual Machine.
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Select Virtual Compatibility Mode.
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Select the SCSI controller and SCSI ID for the RDM.
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Click OK to save the settings.
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Edit the descriptor file for the snapshot and ensure that it points to the RDM pointer file as the parent disk.
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Note the parent CID within the descriptor file.
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Edit the RDM Pointer file and change the CID information to match the parent CID information in the Snapshot Descriptor.
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Edit the virtual machine's .vmx file and change the disk for the RDM to reference the snapshot file.
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Unregister and re-register the virtual machine.
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Power on the virtual machine and ensure that the data is intact.
Note: If you run virtual machines on snapshots for long periods of time, the snapshots may grow to the full size of the RDM if the number of changes is more.