dd if=/dev/sdX1 of=recovered.vmdk bs=512 skip=START_BLOCK count=BLOCKS This is tedious and only works for non-fragmented files. | Action | Purpose | |--------|---------| | Enable VMFS undelete (VMFS5/6 only) | esxcli storage vmfs undelete enable -l datastore1 | | Use snapshots + backups | Primary recovery method | | Set storage vMotion before deletions | Move critical VMs off datastore | | Configure trash can (NFS only) | Not native to VMFS | | Lower DeleteTimeout (advanced param) | Prevents accidental bulk deletes | Check if undelete is supported esxcli storage vmfs undelete status -l datastore_name If enabled, use:
hexdump -C /tmp/vmfs_dump.raw | grep "44 4b 4d 56" Expected header start (little-endian):
sudo vmfs-undelete /dev/sdX1 /recovery_folder This scans for orphaned file entries. If you know the filename or extension:
# Disk DescriptorFile version=1 If you find the start offset:
1. Introduction VMFS (Virtual Machine File System) is VMware's clustered file system used to store virtual machines (VMDKs, VMX, logs, etc.) on shared block storage (SAN, iSCSI, or local disks). Accidentally deleting a virtual machine file (e.g., a .vmdk or .vmx ) is a common administrative mistake.
Unlike ext4 or NTFS, VMFS does not have a native "Trash/Recycle Bin" visible through the vSphere Client. However, under certain conditions, deleted files can be recovered using low-level tools.