vSphere On-disk Metadata Analyzer (VOMA)

By amit

VOMA helps in performing VMFS file system metadata checks. This utility scans the VMFS volume metadata and highlights any inconsistencies.

VOMA provides four modules, and except for lvm, each of them has a fix function:

lvm-  Checks datastore’s logical device header,logical volume header and physical extent mapping

  • vmfs – This module checks vmfs hearder,resource file, heartbeat region, file descriptor ,connectivity etc.0
  • ptbl –  Module checks the partition table and provide table structure.
    • Phase 1: Checking device for valid primary GPT
    • Phase 2: Checking device for a valid backup GPT
    • Phase 3: Checking device for valid MBR table
    • Phase 4: Searching for valid file system headers
voma [OPTIONS] -m module -d device

-m, --module      Name of the module to run.

                    Available Modules are

                      1. lvm

                      2. vmfs

                      3. ptbl

-f, --func        Function(s) to be done by the module.

                     Options are

                       query   - list functions supported by module

                       check   - check for Errors

                       fix     - check & fix

                       dump    - collect metadata dump

-d, --device      Device/Disk to be used

-s, --logfile     Path to file, redirects the output to given file

-x, --extractDump Extract the dump collected using VOMA

-D, --dumpfile    Dump file to save the metadata dump collected

-v, --version     Prints voma version and exit.

-h, --help        Print this help message.
Example:

voma -m vmfs -f check -d /vmfs/devices/disks/naa.xxxx:x

voma -m vmfs -f dump -d /vmfs/devices/disks/naa.xxxx:x -D dumpfilename
voma -m vmfs -f check -d /vmfs/devices/disks/<device-id>

Checking if device is actively used by other hosts

Initializing VMFS Checker..|Scanning for VMFS-3/VMFS-5 host activity (512 bytes/HB, 2048 HBs).

Found 3  actively heartbeating hosts on device '/vmfs/devices/disks/<device id>

1): MAC address

2): MAC address

3): MAC address
voma -m ptbl -f check -d /vmfs/devices/disks/<device id>

Running Partition table checker version 0.1 in check mode

Phase 1: Checking device for valid primary GPT

Phase 2: Checking device for a valid backup GPT

Phase 3: Checking device for valid MBR table

Phase 4: Searching for valid file system headers

No valid LVM headers detected