First, identify the VMFS device UUID:
esxcli storage vmfs mount -l "datastore-name" -U "device-uuid" If mounting fails with a clear error (e.g., "File system is inconsistent" ), you need file system repair. Critical note: Never run repairs on an actively used VMFS volume. Put the ESXi host into maintenance mode or, ideally, boot into a recovery environment or use a Linux VM with direct LUN access. repair vmfs volume
For VMFS5/VMFS6, the built-in repair tool is limited. However, you can use the vmfs-tools suite from a Linux environment (not natively on ESXi). This is the safest approach for logical corruption. First, identify the VMFS device UUID: esxcli storage