Vmfs Datastore Recovery -

If your datastore appears here, you can mount it temporarily to extract data: esxcli storage vmfs snapshot mount -l "DatastoreName" 3. Resolving VMDK Descriptor Issues

If the datastore is visible but not mounted, it may be detected as a "snapshot." You can use the following command via SSH to list detected volumes that are not currently mounted: esxcli storage vmfs snapshot list

⚠️ Resignaturing changes the volume UUID – may break VM references (fix with VM folder edits or re-register VMs). vmfs datastore recovery

Commercial tools (safe, faster than manual):

Depending on your situation, use one of the following methods: If your datastore appears here, you can mount

📍 No recovery tool is 100% guaranteed. Use solutions like Veeam or Dell Avamar to keep off-site copies of critical VMs.

Understanding why a datastore became inaccessible is the first step in choosing the correct recovery path. Use solutions like Veeam or Dell Avamar to

If you have or if this is the only copy of the data

# ESXi shell – rescan and mount esxcfg-volume -l esxcfg-volume -M <volume-uuid>