Data recovery after format by ESXi

[haaretz]

I've been using ESXi 4.1update1 with local storage provided by an Adaptec SAS Raid adapter. I wanted to try out device passthrough (not on Raid card but on network devices) so I enabled VT-d in BIOS. When ESXi came back up it said that it couldn't access my datastores. I rebooted and disabled VT-d and I could see my datastores again and everything worked as it should. I decided to try a fresh install of ESXi so I prepared a new USB drive from the ESXi 4.1update1 CD. This time with VT-d enabled I saw my arrays but the datastores were empty. I switched back to my original USB drive and they were still empty.

It looks like ESXi formatted the datastores when I booted with the new USB drive. The block size is now 1MB when originally it was 8MB. I don't understand why it would do something so drastic as format the array. Is there any way to recover the data?

[binoche]

what original data on local storage? is there any partition?

ESXi 1st bootup thought this local lun is blank and format it to vmfs

[haaretz]

I'm using ESXi for consolidating several home servers. All my .vmx and .vmdk were on the partitions on the Raid.

The new partitions look the same as the old ones so I don't know if it repartitioned. The only thing I notice different besides all the data is gone is the new block size for the file system (1MB now vs the 8MB that it used to be).

[binoche]

in my experience, if there was vmfs created on storage, ESXi initial bootup will not re-format it,

no idea what has happened,

[bulletprooffool]

ESXi should not reformat a partition that is already vmfs - even starnger, it should not change block size.

Also, ESXi only does formatting at install time.

Have a look at the the following post - it will show how to vire your partitions:

http://www.get-virtual.info/2011/02/09/adding-datastores-to-esxi-hosts-that-have-already-been-built/

Of course, do not issue any of the format type instructions - but try to track down whether you perhaps have 2 datastores presented and you are seeing a different one to before. (you don't want to get any further than the 'fdisk -l command'

What I am concerned about however is that you 'prepared a new USB drive from the ESXi 4.1update1 CD' - assume that this was done offline (ie attached to an external machine) - if you did this on the server - it is possible that you selectd the datastore, rather than the USB key when prompted? If so . . I am afraid recovery will have to be expensive 3rd party job . .