Re-Add VMFS Datastore with two Extents after RAID Controller change

[btnschuler]

Hi,

what is the correct way to re-add a VMFS Datastore with two Extents after a defective RAID Controller had to be changed.

Situation:

- ESXi 5.5

- local RAID controller with two RAID Arrays configured

- a VMFS Datastore was created with one RAID Array and then expanded with the second RAID Array

- RAID Controller died in the ESXi Host

- RAID Controller was replaced with a similar controller

- RAID Controller shows both arrays as healthy

- rescan Datastores in ESXi doesn't mount a datastore

- the add HDD/LUN Wizard shows both RAID Arrays as possible Target with option to mount the datastore by keeping the signature, changing the signature or format the volume

- the original big Datastore is not shown in this wizard

- as far as I could find out both shown volumes are recognized as mirror LUN since they are accessed on a different path because of the RAID controller change

Question:

how to re-add the original VMFS Datastore containing both RAID Arrays and not loosing Data on the VMFS volume

[TechMassey]

First, do you have a disconnected or orphaned datastore listed in the datastore list? If you do, you can try to mount it if it isn't greyed out.

Before proceeding further, I highly recommend you have VMware on the phone if you are unfamiliar with this process.

With that said, If the datastore is not shown at all, then your best option is the add storage wizard. Based on your description, it recognized the VMFS volume by asking to keep or create a new signature. The safest option is to keep the signature and mount "As is."

[continuum]

Hi Christoph
I dont know if there is any supported procedure to acchieve this.
I would hexedit two "lines" in the VMFS-metadata-area of extend1 so that the different ids are referenced.
First of all: be very very careful and dont make any experiments !!!

It would help to see a VMFS header dump of the parent datastore - see
Create a VMFS-Header-dump using an ESXi-Host in production | VM-Sickbay
Bei Bedarf meld dich per skype
Gruss Ulli

[btnschuler]

Thanks for your input. I'll get in touch with VMWare support on monday

I'll update this thread after support for documentation

[continuum]

> I'll get in touch with VMWare support on monday.
Good luck with that.
.... so I expect your call monday afternoon
Ulli