Virtual environments have two failures to deal with: the one in the datastore below (the physical), and the one on top of it (the virtual). In most cases you need to be able to read what’s going on in the datastore before you can even begin to troubleshoot the virtual environment. This means, typically our work starts with reconstructing the arrays involved, and then follows through the snapshot chain(s) down to the thin provisioned disks, and finally the guest file systems themselves.
Rewriting disk chains during snapshot consolidation on a damaged datastore can render unreadable those very same disk chains a recovery effort would later attempt to re-assemble. Stop immediately if a VM will not boot, and if the storage appears suspect. Leave the snapshots exactly where they are.
There are two levels at which virtual environments fail, and the distinction determines the entire approach.
You will have to read the datastore before you can restore the guest OS.
When storage failure occurs, the underlying array is first imaged and re-assembled exactly as any other RAID/SAN, and the virtual disks are made visible after the VMFS/NTFS data store is rebuilt upon it.
From there, the recovery effort takes place on an internal level. Snapshot chains are sorted in the proper parent-child order, and the real extents can be identified and located by walking through the thin-provisioned VMDK/VHDX metadata, which ultimately allows the file system within the recovered guest machine to be repaired. The end result is either a recovered virtual machine (VM) which can then be booted back up and run as a functional “disk image,” or if you prefer to start fresh with your own copy of the VM, its contents can be simply copied out into standard files.
Including undocumented environments.
VMFS data stores, flat/delta VMDK files, snapshot chains and thin-provisioned disks.
VHD & VHDX files, differencing disks/checkpoints & Cluster Shared Volumes.
QCOW2 / raw images, guests using LVM volumes & ZFS datasets.
Where you start your recovery as a RAID/SAN job but continue to the virtual layer.
Damaged databases, corrupted file systems, deleted files within otherwise fully operational virtual machines.
Recovery of a virtual machine will cost more than just recovering an array as there may need to be further recovery on top of the datastore level.
The price of recovery can start at £800 +VAT, with confirmation of this price made once we have completed our free diagnostic which takes 48 hours. If the underlying SAN or array needs to be rebuilt then you will receive quotes for both the virtual machine recovery (from £800 +VAT) and any additional work needed to rebuild your SAN or array (RAID/server from £500 +VAT, enterprise SAN from £1,250 +VAT). If physical drive level work is necessary, then a 50% deposit will be applied.
We would like to know your hypervisor and version number. How many machines are affected by the failure? Were you using snapshots? What steps have you taken so far, specifically regarding consolidating any VMs? NDAs are standard and invoicing is available.
Once you send over your virtual disk files (with hypervisor, format and details of what went wrong) we will complete a free diagnostic and pass it on to one of our engineers who will review these details and confirm the exact quote in writing prior to commencing any work.
Prior to posting or dropping off your system, please contact us by telephone or fill out our quote form so that we can provide you with an estimate prior to commencing the process of recovering your data. The first step is to obtain the virtual disk (or failed storage) which holds all of your data, then send it securely along with the hypervisor and format used. Once we have completed the free diagnostic, we will then issue your written confirmation as to what your actual quote will be, prior to beginning any work on your system.
Posting it? We would suggest using a tracked and insured delivery method. Want to drop it off? That’s okay too. Monday to Friday, from 9am to 5:30pm is good; no appointment necessary: simply prepare the item as described above.
Do you need a custom quote? Simply fill out the form including hypervisor details, disk type/format and failure description and one of our engineers will evaluate and email you a customised quote.
We’ll be in touch shortly. If it’s urgent, call 01865 593000.
Commonly asked questions regarding recovery of virtual machines.
Normally. In cases where the underlying RAID/fault tolerant array has failed, it is typically “imaged”/recreated first and then a VMFS datastore recreated on top of the new volume allowing the virtual machine’s disks to once again be accessible. All VMs residing on this datastore are restored at the same time.
Often, unless something further has been written since failure. Any delta files that have become orphaned can be properly re-assembled in the correct order. It is typically when datastores have been run through a consolidation process while they were already failing that prevents recovery.
Yes. Once your virtual disk becomes accessible, it is treated just like any other guest file system: we can recover deleted files, fix corrupted file systems and repair damaged databases in the normal manner.
You will either have access to these files as a bootable image of a disk that you can simply add (attach) to your host server or you will receive them as individual files if you want to rebuild the server or workstation completely. We will request how you prefer to have the data returned before we complete our recovery efforts.
Yes, VHD and VHDX images with differencing disks and snapshots; QCOW2 or raw images on Proxmox, XenServer, KVM, etc., including LVM-based guests and ZFS datasets.
The cost is from £800 plus VAT. The quote is provided in writing after completing a complimentary 48-hour assessment. If there are additional costs associated with rebuilding your underlying storage array or SAN they will also be included within the quote: typically this includes RAID or server rebuilds starting at £500 plus VAT and enterprise SAN rebuilds starting at £1,250 plus VAT.
The diagnostic is free, pricing is based on a tiered model starting at £800, and in most cases you only pay if we recover your data. All virtual machines have their disks and data recovered, including VMware, Hyper-V, Proxmox etc. Get started with your recovery now.