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RAR / Servers and virtualisation

ESXi · VMFS · vSAN · VMDK · snapshot chains · Hyper-V · VHDX · CSV · Windows and Linux servers

Server and virtual machine recovery. The array first, then the datastore, then each machine, each guest checked.

A server that has lost its storage has usually lost it in layers. Underneath is a RAID set on a PERC, a Smart Array or a MegaRAID; on top of that a datastore or a volume; inside that the virtual machines, each a file or a set of files; and inside each of those a guest operating system with its own file system and its databases. Recovery runs back up the same layers, in order: every member imaged, the set reassembled in software, the datastore or volume repaired on the virtual copy, each virtual disk extracted and its snapshot chain consolidated, and each guest opened and checked, SQL and Exchange databases included. The pages below take the common cases: a VMware host whose datastore will not mount, a VMFS volume with damaged metadata, a virtual machine deleted or with a broken snapshot chain, a Hyper-V cluster volume, and a Windows or Linux server that has failed as a set. Every one begins with the same instruction, because it is the one that keeps the data recoverable: power the host down, label every drive by slot, and rebuild nothing.

Free first lookOne fixed figure in writingNo data, no bill on most jobsReturn postage paid

Rather talk it through? An engineer answers the bench line
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Power down. Label every slot before a drive comes out. Do not rebuild, do not force a drive online, do not import or clear a foreign configuration, do not initialise, and do not run chkdsk, fsck, zpool import -F or mdadm --create on the members. A rebuild reads every sector of every survivor and writes to the replacement; each of the commands writes to the drives. On images, all of them are reversible. On the originals, none of them is.

The cases, in order of how often they arrive.

Describe yours to us → →

Servers and virtualisation

VMware data recoveryA failed host, a datastore that will not mount, or vSAN gone: the set, the datastore, then each machine→ESXi datastore and VMFS recoveryInactive, not mounted, shown as a snapshot, or reformatted: the VMFS metadata repaired on a virtual copy→Virtual machine, VMDK and VHDX recoveryA machine that will not start, a broken snapshot chain, or a deleted VM: the files, the chain, then the guest→Hyper-V data recoveryA failed host or cluster volume: the set, the NTFS or ReFS volume, then each VHDX and its checkpoints→Server data recoveryA file, database or application server that has failed as a set: Windows or Linux, repaired on the copy, databases checked→

Why virtual machines make a RAID job longer, not harder.

Layers, each with its own metadataThe RAID layer has its stripe geometry, the datastore has its file-system metadata, each virtual disk has its descriptor and chain, and each guest has its own file system. Recovery reads each layer's metadata before moving to the next, and repairs on copies at every stage.
The datastore is a file system like any otherVMFS, NTFS or ReFS under a cluster shared volume, ext4 or XFS under KVM: a datastore is a file system holding large files, and it is repaired the way any file system is, on the reassembled virtual volume, never on the members.
A virtual disk is a file, and a chain is a set of filesA -flat.vmdk or a .vhdx is one large file; a snapshot or checkpoint chain is a base file plus delta files that must be consolidated in the right order. Extracting the files is the easy part; consolidating a chain with a missing or mismatched link is the craft.
The guest has to be opened, not just extractedA recovered virtual disk is only recovered once the guest's file system mounts and its databases open. SQL Server and Exchange databases are checked for consistency before anything is listed as recovered.

The questions that come up first.

Do I send the whole server?

The drives, every member of the array including any that failed first and any replacement, labelled by slot. The chassis, controller and backplane stay with you unless we ask for the controller, which is rare. Tell us the controller model and, if you can, the virtual disk layout.

Can you recover a single virtual machine rather than the whole datastore?

Often, once the datastore is reassembled and repaired on the virtual copy: individual machines are extracted and opened, and you can have just the ones that matter. The set still has to be rebuilt first, because the machine's files are striped across every member.

What does it cost?

A set of two to four members is £500 + VAT upwards; larger sets, SAN volumes and vSAN clusters start at £1,250 + VAT. The first look is free, the figure is given in writing, and on most jobs an invoice only follows the data.

How long does it take?

Usually 5–10 days for a set of two to four members, longer for large sets and vSAN clusters, and the virtual machine extraction and guest checks add to the bench time rather than to the price band.

Nothing gets worse while it is powered down.

Power the host down, label every drive by slot, and tell us the controller, the datastore type and what the virtual machines held. The first look is free.

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