What are Linked Clones in VMware?

Linked clones in VMware refer to virtual machines that share virtual disks with a parent virtual machine. This sharing is a fundamental characteristic of linked clones, which allows them to utilize the same base disk image while maintaining their own separate data. When a linked clone is created, it takes a snapshot of the parent VM's disk at that point in time, and any subsequent changes made to the linked clone are stored in a differencing disk.

This approach not only conserves storage space but also speeds up the process of creating new VMs since the linked clone does not require a full copy of the disk data; it only needs to track the changes made from the original parent. As a result, linked clones are particularly beneficial in environments where many similar virtual machines are needed, such as in development, testing, or training scenarios. They facilitate resource efficiency and can greatly reduce the budget on storage capacities while still allowing users to operate in their individual environments.