esxcfg-volume -l If a datastore is listed as “not mounted” but the partition exists, metadata is a likely culprit.
You can also check with:
esxcli storage vmfs mount -l DATASTORE_NAME --force After forced mount, move VMs off the datastore and reformat. 4. Low-Level Metadata Recovery (Last Resort) Use vmfs-tools (Linux-based recovery suite): repair vmfs metadata
esxcli storage filesystem rescan esxcli storage vmfs snapshot resignature -l DATASTORE_NAME Then attempt mount: esxcfg-volume -l If a datastore is listed as
vmkfstools -P /vmfs/volumes/DATASTORE_NAME If you see “Permission denied” or “No such file or directory” despite the path existing — that’s metadata trouble. 1. Remount Without Reboot Sometimes it’s a transient lock issue. esxcli storage vmfs mount -l DATASTORE_NAME VMFS has
esxcli storage vmfs mount -l DATASTORE_NAME VMFS has a fsck-like tool but with limits:
vim-cmd hostsvc/storage/filesystem_volume_info | grep -A5 -B5 "error" Or use the classic: