VMDK file recovery tools?

[pdrace]

I had an unfortunate incident this weekend where a couple of flat-vmdk files were deleted.

This appears to have happened as a the result of deleting some files that were generated by a third party backup product. It left the .vmdk files but the flat-vmdk files dissapeared.

The vm was powered down at the time so I'm wondering if there are any tools to attempt recovery of these files?

[admin]

Unfortunately I don't think there are, you'll need to restore the -flat.vmdks from backup.

The -flat.vmdk is the important bit, it contains the VM data, the .vmdks are just header/pointer files and can quite easily be recreated.

[RParker]

Ever heard of backup?

VMDK files are just that, files. If you don't backup, you have nada, zip, nil.

If you have a disaster recovery plan, this should take care of it. If you didnt' have one, I bet you will make one now . . . . . . . . .

[FrankHanhart]

Ahh, dude,

Give the man a break ! Although you're ofcourse 100% right, I can imagine what cold sweat dripped from his back when he noticed these files to be deleted.....

I'm not a linux Guru, but no change of any 'undelete' progs available for Linux, able to read VMFS or so....

....me checking consolidated backup logs twice...

[pdrace]

Thanks for the helpful reply.

Unfortunately my last successful monolithic backup was on 2/10. I also have agent based backups, excuse me for wanting to save some time and effort by seeing if there was a way to simply recover the file as nothing else is writing to the lun and the data is theoretically still there.

Remember the old saying about assuming?

It applies here.

Our backup tool of choice won't perform a hot backup of a vm unless there is a minimum of 6 gig free on every lun attached to the vm even though at this point snapshots only place files on the first lun which is why I don't have a more recent vmdk backup.

A word to the wise, if you're backing up your vmdk files with a popular widely used tool and it ends unsuccessfully don't delete any vendor created files named:

-flat.vmdk file will dissapear also.

This is when using the Datastore browser and has been confirmed in testing by myself and the vendor.

I haven't tested the scenario from the command line so that \*may* be safe.

Message was edited by:

pdrace

[pdrace]

Although you're ofcourse 100%

right,

Not in this case, an assumption was made that I had absolutely no backups.

I could have seen that type of response if I had posted, Oh No! Urgent, please help!! I deleted a vmdk file without any backup, I'm screwed!!

Just thought some one may have developed an undelete tool.

There shouldn't be a large market for it but I could see it being a real time saver if the unthinkable does happen.

[Anders · Accepted solution]

Dont do any changes to the VMFS partition and contact VMware support.

Ask to speak to an expert on VMFS recovery,

not sure if we can recover a single file, but the data should still be there...

\- Anders

[pdrace]

Thanks, I 'll keep that in my back pocket if there ever is a next time.

The vm wasn't in production yet and as it turns out the application (Oracle grid control) that is being used has been released in a 64 bit version.

It is going to reinstalled fresh with 64 bit Linux as a result.

[admin]

I wouldn't be offended, RParker seems to be a bit of a grump, check out his "Raid 0" thread.

Sorry I couldn't be of more help that my post but I genuinly don't know of any 'undelete' tools for VMFS.

[pdrace]

A word to the wise, if you're backing up your vmdk

files with a popular widely used tool and it ends

unsuccessfully don't delete any vendor created files

named:

<YourVmName>.vmdk.vzsnp The corresponding

<YourVmName>-flat.vmdk file will dissapear also.

This is when using the Datastore browser and has been

confirmed in testing by myself and the vendor.

haven't tested the scenario from the command line so

that \*may* be safe.

Message was edited by:

pdrace

I tested this scenario again yesterday deleting the .vmdk.vzsnp file from the command line. This did not result in deleting the flat-vmdk file so it appears to be a bug in the Datastore browser. From now it's look but don't touch for me from the browser!

[danam]

FWIW, just to be complete, it seems VMware has heard you:

VMDK Recovery Tool (ESX 3.5 Update 3)

-dan