Vmfs Metadata — Repair

esxcli storage filesystem rescan esxcli storage vmfs snapshot resignature -l DATASTORE_NAME Then attempt mount:

esxcli storage vmfs mount -l DATASTORE_NAME --force After forced mount, move VMs off the datastore and reformat. 4. Low-Level Metadata Recovery (Last Resort) Use vmfs-tools (Linux-based recovery suite): repair vmfs metadata

vmkfstools -P /vmfs/volumes/DATASTORE_NAME If you see “Permission denied” or “No such file or directory” despite the path existing — that’s metadata trouble. 1. Remount Without Reboot Sometimes it’s a transient lock issue. Think of metadata repair as — enough to

esxcfg-volume -l If a datastore is listed as “not mounted” but the partition exists, metadata is a likely culprit. metadata is a likely culprit.

Think of metadata repair as — enough to get VMs off the datastore. Once rescued, destroy and recreate the volume. Have a VMFS metadata horror story? Or a recovery trick I missed? Drop it in the comments.