Vmdk Check Tool «2026 Edition»

| Tool | Command Example | Function | |------|----------------|----------| | | vmkfstools --checkconsistency /vmfs/volumes/datastore1/VM/VM.vmdk | Validates disk chain consistency (parent-child relationships for snapshots/delta disks). | | vmkfstools | vmkfstools --fixcheck /vmfs/volumes/datastore1/VM/VM-flat.vmdk | Attempts repair of sparse disk metadata. | | voma (VMFS Offline Metadata Analyzer) | voma -m vmfs -f check -d /dev/disks/... | Scans VMFS metadata and can validate VMDK pointers at the filesystem level. | | vmfsfilelockinfo | vmfsfilelockinfo --filename /path/VM.vmdk | Checks file lock consistency but not corruption. |

| Layer | Action | Tool | |-------|--------|------| | 1. Storage/HW | Regular RAID/scrub checks | Dell EMC, HPE storage tools | | 2. VMFS metadata | Quarterly offline analysis | voma | | 3. VMDK structural | After snapshots/large moves | vmkfstools --checkconsistency | | 4. Guest FS inside VMDK | Schedule guest OS chkdsk /f or fsck | OS-native tools (run inside VM) | | 5. Recovery validation | Automated test restores | Veeam, Nakivo, or manual mount | There is no standalone "VMDK check tool" shipped by VMware. The closest equivalents are vmkfstools --checkconsistency (for snapshots) and voma (for VMFS-level issues). For production environments, administrators must combine native CLI utilities with guest OS filesystem checks and periodic restore tests from backups. Relying solely on VMware tools will miss internal guest data corruption. vmdk check tool