VMWare ESXi file replication | Man page
Replicate files at up to gigabytes per second between ESXi systems and Linux.

XSIDiff is a binary tool programmed in plain C and assembly that allows you to replicate files between datastores, tunnel them over SSH or set up IP server/ client topologies over IP. It maximizes transfer speeds by just copying used blocks in sparse .vmdk files

XSIDiff is the ideal file replication solution for server admins. With XSIDiff you can replicate -flat.vmdk files in seconds, it is programmed in pure C plus assembly to maximize efficiency and reduce data transfer times to minimum even for terabyte .vmdk disks. XSIDiff just copies real data, skipping the holes in sparse -flat.vmdk files, the magic relies in that if you host 10 gb. of data in a 1 tb. disk, only 10 gb. will be copied, and they will be copied at a high speed, thus the speed relative to the full file size will be much greater than expected.

XSIDiff binary is offered free of charge with a limitation to copy up to 10 gb. files, so that you can try it, or even use it for small VMs. Should you need a license for a higher number of servers, please check our Enterprise licensing plans.




© XSIDiff is as fast as vmkfstools and can copy files over IP. When used as a client/server tool (unencrypted data) it will get very close to the theoretical 1 gbps limit, if you use Intel NICs. When used tunneled over SSH, its efficiency can drop up to 30%, due to encryption overhead and block size limits imposed by STDIN/STDOUT. In any case, as it only copes used blocks, it will tipically copy a 1 tb. drive with 10 gb. in it in about 2 minutes through a gigabit LAN.

All registered XSIBACKUP-PRO users can request a free license of © XSIDiff to be used as a separate binary tool to copy -flat.vmdk files manually. From the day of launch of XSIBACKUP-PRO 10 (sched. aug 2017), © XSIDiff will be used as a core binary, and may be used separately too. A binary license.key file is necessary to operate with files bigger than 10 gb.

The provided license allows one host to receive files from other hosts that may be using an unlicensed version, and to copy files locally and to other hosts.

Related posts:
• How to use deduplication, build a deduplication appliance
• XSIBackup MANPAGE with all arguments explained and examples
• All blog posts - extended information