# Check VMDK descriptor consistency vmkfstools -Q recovered_vm.vmdk dd if=recovered_flat.vmdk bs=1M count=1 | hexdump -C Attempt to mount or clone vmkfstools -i recovered_flat.vmdk -d thin verified.vmdk
vmfs-fuse -o ro /dev/loop0 /mnt/recovery If that fails, carve small files by known headers ( #! for VMX, KDMV for VMDK descriptor). Situation : An administrator ran vmkfstools -C vmfs5 /dev/disks/... on a datastore containing 12 production VMs. vmfs recovery
: Never trust a single VMFS datastore – replication and backups remain the only guaranteed recovery path. This write-up is for authorized forensic analysis and disaster recovery only. Always comply with software licensing and data privacy laws. vmfs recovery
Example (pseudo‑script logic):
