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WANTED: low level tool to merge delta.vmdk into flat.vmdk

WANTED: low level tool to merge delta.vmdk into flat.vmdk
Sometimes it would be helpful to have a non-automatic manual tool to merge  snapshots.
Example:
- no ESXi host is available to create a dummy VM

- vmkfstools -i is no option because it can not write into the basedisk and creates a copy

- graintable is partly damaged in the delta

- ....

The core function of the tool / script would parse the snapshot metadata of the delta file and would output a file with one dd command for each graintable entry.
Outputfile may look like:

IF= input delta.vmdk
OF=output flat.vmdk
BS=blocksize

dd if=$IF of=$OF bs=$BS conv=notrunc skip=X seek=Y count=Z # GT-entry = 1

dd if=$IF of=$OF bs=$BS conv=notrunc skip=X seek=Y count=Z # GT-entry = 2

dd if=$IF of=$OF bs=$BS conv=notrunc skip=X seek=Y count=Z # GT-entry = 3

...

Once  outputfile is created it can be used to:

- inflate a delta to a new flat.vmdk

- merge a delta  into its parent flat.vmdk

- "repair"  delta.vmdks if metadata is partly corrupt

.

It is possible that a script / tool that does that already exists - if yes please post a link.
Tools like the vmware-vdiskmanager from the VDDK-kit already include similar functions - but I have no idea on how to use it like this ...

Any ideas welcome ....


Ulli


________________________________________________
Do you need support with a VMFS recovery problem ? - send a message via skype "sanbarrow"
I do not support Workstation 16 at this time ...

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