Introduction
Rebuilding a VMX file from vmware.log in VMware ESXi can be crucial for restoring a virtual machine’s configuration. This guide will walk you through the process using SSH according KB 1023880, but with update for ESXi 8.0. It was necessary add #!/bin/ash because of error “Operation not permitted”.
![](https://vdan.cz/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/log2vmx-1024x585.webp)
Step 1: SSH into Your ESXi Host
First, ensure SSH is enabled on your ESXi host. Then, use an SSH client to connect to the host.
Step 2: Navigate to the Virtual Machine’s Directory
Change to the directory where your VM resides. This is usually under /vmfs/volumes/
.
cd /vmfs/volumes/name-volume/name-vm
Step 3: Create and Prepare the Script File
Create a new file named vmxrebuild.sh
and make it executable:
touch vmxrebuild.sh && chmod +x vmxrebuild.sh
Step 4: Edit the Script File for ESXi 8
Edit the vmxrebuild.sh
file using the vi editor:
- Run
vi vmxrebuild.sh
. - Press
i
to enter insert mode. - Copy and paste the following script (adjust for your ESXi host version).
- Press
ESC
, then type:wq!
to save and exit.
Script Content for ESXi 8.0:
#!/bin/ash
VMXFILENAME=$(sed -n 's/^.*Config file: .*\/\(.\+\)$/\1/p' vmware.log)
echo -e "#\041/usr/bin/vmware" > ${VMXFILENAME}
echo '.encoding = "UTF-8"' >> ${VMXFILENAME}
sed -n '/DICT --- CONFIGURATION/,/DICT ---/ s/^.*DICT \+\(.\+\) = \(.\+\)$/\1 = \2/p' vmware.log >> ${VMXFILENAME
Step 5: Run the Script
Execute the script to rebuild the VMX file:
./vmxrebuild.sh
Conclusion
This process extracts the necessary configuration details from the vmware.log
file and recreates the VMX file, which is vital for VM configuration. Always back up your VM files before performing such operations.