Tech-Gen

In vSphere 8, various file types are used for managing virtual machines (VMs), storage, and configuration. Below are the key file types:

1. Virtual Machine Files

These files store VM data and configuration.

.vmx – Virtual machine configuration file

.vmdk – Virtual disk file (contains VM data)

.nvram – Stores VM BIOS/EFI settings

.vmxf – Supplemental configuration file

.vmsd – VM snapshot metadata

.vmsn – Snapshot state file

.vswp – VM swap file (used for memory management)

.log – Log files for debugging

.hlog – vSphere host log file

2. Snapshot Files

Used for managing VM snapshots.

.delta.vmdk – Differencing disk for snapshots

.vmsn – VM memory and state file for snapshots

3. ESXi and vSphere Configuration Files

Files used by the hypervisor and vSphere components.

.vmkernel.log – ESXi kernel log file

.hostd.log – ESXi management service logs

.vpxa.log – vCenter agent logs

4. vCenter and vSphere Components

Files related to vSphere management.

.db – vCenter database files

.psc – Platform Services Controller configuration

5. Storage-related Files

Used for storage features like vSAN and VMFS.

.flat.vmdk – Raw disk file for thick provisioned disks

.sesparse.vmdk – Space-efficient snapshot disk format

.locker – ESXi scratch partition