SSH into the ESXi host and navigate to the VM folder:
Navigate to the virtual machine's directory on the datastore and note the exact size of the -flat.vmdk file in bytes. ls -l [VM_NAME]-flat.vmdk 2. Create a Temporary Descriptor
You’ve been there. A VM fails to power on. You browse the datastore and see:
cd /vmfs/volumes/datastore-name/VM-name/ ls -la vmname-flat.vmdk restore vmdk from flat file
This is the safest and fastest method. You create a new, matching descriptor file that points to the existing -flat.vmdk .
A flat file, in the context of VMware, refers to a type of virtual disk file that stores the contents of a virtual hard drive in a single, flat file. Unlike some other virtual disk formats that might be split into multiple files or have additional metadata files, a flat file contains all the data in one place.
Depending on your access level and technical comfort, there are several ways to restore functionality. 1. Recreating the Descriptor via Command Line (Manual) SSH into the ESXi host and navigate to
Have a different recovery scenario? Let me know in the comments.
Open the renamed .vmdk file in a text editor (like vi ) to link it to your original -flat.vmdk file.
Example:
: The actual raw data storage for the virtual disk.
vmkfstools -c 42949672960 -a lsilogic -d thin temp.vmdk
vmkfstools -V vmname.vmdk