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How to Remove Files from the Library

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Applies To: Virtual Machine Manager 2008, Virtual Machine Manager 2008 R2, Virtual Machine Manager 2008 R2 SP1

When you no longer need a file in the VMM library, it is recommended that you remove the file through Virtual Machine Manager. If you remove the file from a library share outside Virtual Machine Manager, any template, guest operating system profile, hardware profile, or virtual machine that uses the file must be repaired to remove the reference to the deleted file. If you use the Remove action in Library view to remove the file, VMM lists any virtual machines, templates, or guest operating system profiles that reference the file, and, if you choose to proceed, VMM removes references to the deleted file from the dependent resources.

The following table summarizes the types of dependency that exist for templates, profiles, and virtual machines. Those dependencies involve only physical files. When a guest operating system profile, hardware profile, or template is used to create a virtual machine or a template, the settings are imported without maintaining any link to the source configuration.

Resource Type Dependent Resources

Templates

ISO images, scripts, answer files, virtual hard disks, virtual floppy disks.

Guest operating system profiles

Scripts and answer files.

Hardware profiles

ISO images, virtual floppy disks.

Virtual machines

ISO images, virtual hard disks, virtual floppy disks.

The virtual hard disks and virtual floppy disks attached to a virtual machine are indexed in Virtual Machine Manager but are not displayed in the library because the files are not available for use with other resources.

Note

To get a list of resources that are dependent on a specific file, you can use the Get-DependentLibraryObjects cmdlet in the Windows PowerShell - Virtual Machine Manager command shell.

When you remove a resource from the VMM library, the file is deleted from the share. If you want to remove resources from the library without deleting the files, you can remove the library share that stores the resources. Or, to temporarily remove a resource from use in new virtual machines, profiles, and templates, you can disable the resource.

To remove resources from the library

  1. In Library view, expand Library Servers in the navigation pane, and then navigate to the library share that stores the resources.

  2. In the results pane, select the resources that you want to remove. Then, in the Actions pane, click Remove.

    If any resources are linked to other resources in Virtual Machine Manager, a confirmation prompt will list the linked resources. If you proceed, the files are deleted from the share and the status of the linked resources is updated.

  3. At the confirmation prompt, click Yes.

See Also

Concepts

How to Temporarily Disable Library Resources
How to Remove a Library Share
Removing File-Based Resources from the Library