ESXi 5.5 Lost Hard Disk Drive

[akio63]

Hello,

So I was running several VMs on ESXi 5.5.  One of my hard drives failed and I believe it was the one that had ESXi 5.5 installed on it.  This was several years ago and the last time I tried working on it was maybe 3 years ago.  Before I go down that rabbit hole again, I wanted to know if it was possible to move the hard drives with the datastores over to a new installation of ESXi 5.5 and restore the VMs?  Is there a different version that can do this instead of ESXi 5.5?  Is there a 3rd party software that can do this?  

As I remember ESXi 5.5 boots up and tries to run but then I get an error message and it never completes boot up.  Maybe it is simply a few files that are corrupt and I could simply restore those files to get the ESXi 5.5 up and running again.  Then since I placed the datastores on a separate hard disk, I can get the VMs up and running again.  

Any information would be greatly appreciated.  Thank you.

------------------------------
Akio63
- Getting back into VMware after a long hiatus.
------------------------------

[a_p_]

VMs are basically comparable to documents. They usually consist of a number of files, which are stored in a single folder per VM.

With what you said, it should work to attach the disk to another ESXi host (same version, or newer) and register the VM's in the host's inventory.

André

[akio63]

Perfect, that is what I wanted to know.  With that I will proceed to create a new ESXi host and attach the HDDs to it.  I didn't want to waste more time by trying if it wasn't going to work.  

So when I attach the HDDs and start up the host, will it automatically see and install the VMs?  Or do I need to import them into the system?  If I remember correctly it saw the datastores but I had no way of restoring the VMs. 

I was going to try to use something like Veeam, but I could not get it to connect to the host.  Well that's a whole other story.  Hopefully I won't have to go that route and this will work.  

Thank you.

[a_p_]

>>> will it automatically see and install the VMs? 

No, the host will see the datastore, but you will have to register the VM's to the host's inventory manually.

An easy way to do this is to right click the VMs' .vmx files in the datastore browser.

André

[mauriziofanigli]

If the data store is located on a different HDD / RAID it is also possible to replace the HDD on which ESXi is located, reinstall ESXi and then connect the datastore again, without losing the VMs.

[akio63]

Actually I thought I tried that but it never saw the datastores. So I remember thinking it might have been the wrong version. I even tried up to version 6 and it didn't work. 

I will try again this weekend since you say it is possible. Maybe I wad doing something wrong. 

[NickDaGeekUK]

Hi, mauriziofanigli

It's been a while since I had to do this (and I hope I never have to do it again) but I have had ESXi boot disks on a server fail before forcing a fresh install of ESXi. Once the datastore is connected you can recover the installed VMs to your ESXi host and your vSphere too. It is usually straight forward if you have the same version installed. I have not tried it with a later version of ESXi but if the installed VM version is compatible it is theoretically possible. Just make sure that if you used a vendor customised ESXi installer that you use the same again and make sure it is compatible with the server version i.e. HPE have several ESXi installers, but the latest version is not backward compatible with earlier generations of the same model of server. Use the latest version of the installer you have a licence for and is compatible with the server you have and you should be fine.

Kind Regards,

Nick

[KATELYN SHIRLEY]

It sounds like you have a situation where the ESXi installation might be corrupted due to the failed hard drive, but the VM datastores are intact on separate disks. Let's break down your questions and concerns:

1. Restoring ESXi 5.5 Installation:

   • If you suspect that the ESXi installation itself is corrupted or the boot disk has failed, you may try to reinstall ESXi 5.5 on a new disk. ESXi installation itself is relatively straightforward, and you can usually reinstall it without affecting the VM datastores.
   • After reinstalling ESXi 5.5 on a new disk, you should be able to reconnect your existing datastores where your VMs reside. ESXi will detect these datastores and should allow you to register your VMs and start them.

2. Compatibility with Different ESXi Versions:

   • While it's generally recommended to match the version of ESXi with the version used to create the VMs (for compatibility reasons), ESXi is usually backward compatible within the same major version (e.g., ESXi 5.x). This means you should be able to reinstall ESXi 5.5 and access your VMs without issues.
   • However, if you plan to upgrade to a newer version of ESXi (like 6.x or 7.x), you might need to consider compatibility with your VMs and any potential upgrades needed for them.

3. Third-Party Tools:

   • There are third-party tools available that can help with VM recovery or migration between ESXi versions, but in your case, since the VM datastores are intact, you may not need these unless there are specific recovery needs beyond what ESXi can handle natively.

4. Repairing ESXi 5.5:

   • If you suspect that only a few files in the ESXi installation are corrupt, it might be possible to repair the installation rather than performing a full reinstall. This can involve using the ESXi installation media to access recovery options or manually replacing potentially corrupt files.

Steps to Consider:

• Backup your VM datastores: Before proceeding with any reinstallation or repair attempts, ensure you have backups of your VM datastores or at least copies of critical VM files.

• Reinstall ESXi 5.5: Prepare a new boot disk for ESXi 5.5 and reinstall it on your server.

• Reconnect Datastores: After reinstalling ESXi, reconnect your existing datastores where your VMs are stored. This should allow ESXi to recognize the VMs and allow you to register and start with official site.

• Consider Upgrades: Depending on your long-term plans and compatibility requirements, you might consider upgrading to a newer version of ESXi once you have your VMs running again on ESXi 5.5.

In summary, it should be possible to recover your VMs by reinstalling ESXi 5.5 on a new disk and reconnecting your existing datastores. Ensure you have backups and proceed with caution, especially if attempting any repairs to the existing ESXi installation.

[mauriziofanigli]

Thanks  NickDaGeekUK but the problem isn't mine. You should reply to akio63.