Mount remote VMDK under Windows

[jsdmc]

Hello

I'm looking for a way to mount remote VMDK from ESXi hosts, to a Windows Server. (i prefer avoiding vCenter)

My goal is to do consistency and anti-viral checks on offline backups by mounting (eventually readonly) doing a scan, and then unmounting.

Is this possible using PowerCli or  vmware-vdiskmanager.exe ?

Best regards

[diegodco31]

Check if the following https://www.altaro.com/vmware/extract-content-vmdk-files/ helps.

[jsdmc]

Thanks for your link which gives me some hints but this does not answer the real question.

Situation :

-  Alive VM to do checks (we will name it "Control VM")

- Offline VM VMDKs

I would like to find a way to script :

- Mounting offline VM disks to alive VM (if possible)

or stopping "Control VM", mounting disks and restart "Control VM"

This on the same host, and enventually between different hosts.

Is this possible ?

[Teddy092]

Hi jsdmc,

This is a very particular use case and don't think it's actually possible.

I've never seen something call "offline vmdk".

From my point of view, you either have an online vmdk or nothing at all.

Sorry for not helping further.

[jsdmc]

I should explain a bit.

We are making backups or replicats of our VMs.

For these backups or replicats, all VM stay in the "shutdown" state. So disks are not used by it's original VM nor it's replica.

Because these backups may get old, we need to ensure they are consistent, and if possible virus free before having to use it.

That's why we are looking for a way to script consistency checks and virus scan not on alive VMs but on replicats / backups VMDKs.

I think it may be possible to script, on esxi host, vmdk disk mounting to another VM and to dismount it after checks but i m not as experienced as needed to do it myself.

[Teddy092]

OK I get it, it's more clear now. Thanks for the explanation.

But what you're asking and the way you want to make it seems very complicated.

Why don't you just archive these VMs of yours ?