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ithieme
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ESXi 6.7.0 - embedded USB boot drive dead, no backup of configuration but datastores are readable

I have a client that had a boot failure with a standalone ESXi 6.7.0 host running two virtual servers. After inspecting the hardware, I found out that the internal USB drive inside a Lenovo x3550 M5 server has gone bad and is no longer readable. There is a local datastore on the server which I can access using an external Ubuntu live USB stick and read the VMDK files.

My concern is my client does not have a backup of the dead USB drive nor a copy of the previous configuration files.

I have searched several places on the Internet for a "KB or How To" article on possible recovery scenarios for a standalone ESXi server without a configuration backup. So far, I have not found any viable solutions. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

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e_espinel
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Hello
The internal USB drive can be replaced by a new one of the same size and physical form of 4GB or 8GB.
You could also install a new USB drive in one of the external USB ports of the server.

Simply install VMware vSphere on the new USB drive and once the server boots from this USB drive, perform a scan of the HBA and Storage to access the local storage. Finally re-enter the VMs in the inventory.

Attached is a link where you can get the ISO image from Lenovo.

https://vmware.lenovo.com/content/custom_iso/

 

 

Enrique Espinel
Senior Technical Support on IBM, Lenovo, Veeam Backup and VMware vSphere.
VSP-SV, VTSP-SV, VTSP-HCI, VTSP
Please mark my comment as Correct Answer or assign Kudos if my answer was helpful to you, Thank you.
Пожалуйста, отметьте мой комментарий как Правильный ответ или поставьте Кудо, если мой ответ был вам полезен, Спасибо.

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e_espinel
Virtuoso
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Hello
The internal USB drive can be replaced by a new one of the same size and physical form of 4GB or 8GB.
You could also install a new USB drive in one of the external USB ports of the server.

Simply install VMware vSphere on the new USB drive and once the server boots from this USB drive, perform a scan of the HBA and Storage to access the local storage. Finally re-enter the VMs in the inventory.

Attached is a link where you can get the ISO image from Lenovo.

https://vmware.lenovo.com/content/custom_iso/

 

 

Enrique Espinel
Senior Technical Support on IBM, Lenovo, Veeam Backup and VMware vSphere.
VSP-SV, VTSP-SV, VTSP-HCI, VTSP
Please mark my comment as Correct Answer or assign Kudos if my answer was helpful to you, Thank you.
Пожалуйста, отметьте мой комментарий как Правильный ответ или поставьте Кудо, если мой ответ был вам полезен, Спасибо.
ithieme
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e_espinel,

Thank you so much for the information and the iso link. This made my weekend much easier in dealing with a down server situation. 

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