vCenter Server backup size increases due to VUM component archive growth

Products

• VMware vCenter Server

Issue/Introduction

• Users may observe that the backup size of the vCenter Server has increased significantly after performing sequential ESXi host upgrades.
• The following log entries in the vCenter Server Backup logs indicate a substantial increase in the VUM component archive size:
  
  /var/log/vmware/applmgmt/backup.log
  YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS.SSS [########-######-########] [MainProcess:PID-##### [ComponentScripts::ComponentScriptsSize:ComponentScripts.py:50] INFO: Archive size for component vum: <SIZE of archiving>

Environment

• vCenter Server 7.0
• vCenter Server 8.0

Cause

The storage consumption and subsequent backup size increase are caused by the growth of the vSphere Lifecycle Manager (VUM) component, which occurs when new ESXi ISO images and update payloads are imported into the vCenter repository during host upgrades.

Resolution

1. Log in to the vSphere Client.

2. Navigate to the Lifecycle Manager interface.

3. Review the current image depot.

4. Delete any unused or obsolete ESXi images and payloads to reduce the vCenter Server storage footprint, which will subsequently decrease the backup size.