Recovering Vmfs Datastore 'link' Guide

Before running any recovery tools, verify where the failure occurred:

Recovering a VMware VMFS (Virtual Machine File System) datastore can range from a simple rescan to complex data recovery, depending on whether the datastore was accidentally unmounted, removed from inventory, or formatted/partitioned over . Reddit +1 Here is a structured guide to recovering VMFS datastores based on common scenarios in 2026. 🚨 Crucial Initial Steps (Do Not Skip) Stop immediately: If a datastore is deleted, do not create a new datastore on that LUN/drive. This will overwrite existing data. Verify LUN Visibility: Check if the physical storage (LUN, RAID set, or local disk) is still detected by the ESXi host. www.it-react.com Scenario 1: Datastore is "Inaccessible" or Disconnected If the LUN is present but the datastore shows as inactive or inaccessible. Rescan Storage: Rescan all hosts to refresh storage topology. Check Snapshot LUNs: The datastore might be detected as a snapshot LUN (often happens after hardware changes or storage failures). List LUNs: recovering vmfs datastore

Trying to recover datastore after RAID10 rebuild | VMware vSphere Before running any recovery tools, verify where the

(if partition table lost but partition start known): This will overwrite existing data

Sudden power loss, host crashes (PSOD), or RAID controller failures can leave the volume header or resource bitmap inconsistent.

Before attempting data recovery, confirm if the datastore is truly gone or simply unmounted.