I'm using VM Esxi 6.7 and I don't have access to vCenter. I can stop the virtual servers and download their images from datastore (VMDK) or backup them by export.
However, it is not possible to perform these operations without shutting down the running virtual machines.
Also, even though I configured it as thin, when I download a server that I assigned a 500GB HDD but has 50GB of data, it downloads 500GB.
How can I take a backup without stopping the servers? I would be happy if you share your recommendations or experiences.