Below are the steps to recreate a missing text descriptor file for a virtual disk
Important points:
1. Make sure u backup the virtual machine configuration file
2. Make sure u have last successful backup for your virtual machine.
Steps to follow:
1. Login to ESX/ESXi server using putty session
2. Switch to virtual machine directory as show below
#cd /vmfs/volumes/<datastore name>/<virtualmachine folder>
3. list the vmdk files and check whether the text descriptor file is present or not
#ls -l *.vmdk
Pre-requisites:
4. In order to re-create the missing text descriptor file, we should first know the scsi controller type which was being used by the virutal disk. Below command helps you to get that information
#less *.vmx | grep -i virtualdev
scsi0.virtualdev = "lsilogic"
5. Next u need to have the exact size of the virtual disk. Below command will do that for you. Copy the value as shown in the output
#ls -ll *-flat.vmdk
6. vmkfstools command will help you to recreate a missing text descriptor file. options used are (CAD)
#vmkfstools -c <size value> -a lsilogic -d thin temp.vmdk
c - create; a - scsi controller type; d - disk type (thin or thick)
7. list the vmdk files and check whether the new descriptor file named temp.vmdk was created or not. Note that 2 files will be created text descriptor file and its associated flat file
#ls -ll *.vmdk
temp.vmdk
temp-flat.vmdk
8. rename the newly created descriptor file to your servername as shown below:
#mv temp.vmdk servername.vmdk
9. Note that your servername.vmdk file is still pointing to temp-flat.vmdk file. So edit the servername.vmdk file and point it to servername-flat.vmdk file as shown below.
#vi servername.vmdk
in extent description section change the file name
Also note that if your disk is thick provisioned then remove the line "ddb.thinprovisioned" = 1 at the last and then save the file
10. Check all the steps are correctly performed and then power on the virtual machine.
Important points:
1. Make sure u backup the virtual machine configuration file
2. Make sure u have last successful backup for your virtual machine.
Steps to follow:
1. Login to ESX/ESXi server using putty session
2. Switch to virtual machine directory as show below
#cd /vmfs/volumes/<datastore name>/<virtualmachine folder>
3. list the vmdk files and check whether the text descriptor file is present or not
#ls -l *.vmdk
Pre-requisites:
4. In order to re-create the missing text descriptor file, we should first know the scsi controller type which was being used by the virutal disk. Below command helps you to get that information
#less *.vmx | grep -i virtualdev
scsi0.virtualdev = "lsilogic"
5. Next u need to have the exact size of the virtual disk. Below command will do that for you. Copy the value as shown in the output
#ls -ll *-flat.vmdk
6. vmkfstools command will help you to recreate a missing text descriptor file. options used are (CAD)
#vmkfstools -c <size value> -a lsilogic -d thin temp.vmdk
c - create; a - scsi controller type; d - disk type (thin or thick)
7. list the vmdk files and check whether the new descriptor file named temp.vmdk was created or not. Note that 2 files will be created text descriptor file and its associated flat file
#ls -ll *.vmdk
temp.vmdk
temp-flat.vmdk
8. rename the newly created descriptor file to your servername as shown below:
#mv temp.vmdk servername.vmdk
9. Note that your servername.vmdk file is still pointing to temp-flat.vmdk file. So edit the servername.vmdk file and point it to servername-flat.vmdk file as shown below.
#vi servername.vmdk
in extent description section change the file name
Also note that if your disk is thick provisioned then remove the line "ddb.thinprovisioned" = 1 at the last and then save the file
10. Check all the steps are correctly performed and then power on the virtual machine.
