Unable to boot VM Linux - corrupted filesystem

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rhalim
Posts: 4
Joined: 16. Aug 2017, 05:57

Unable to boot VM Linux - corrupted filesystem

Post by rhalim »

Hi all, need your help please.

Problem description:
We have a WIndows 7 host running virtual box 5.1.6, and we have a LInux VM that used to run fine until a few days ago (power outage). Now, when we boot our Linux VM, it hangs. After a while, the following shows in the console.
EXT4-fs (dm-0): previous I/O error to superblock detected
Buffer I/O error on device dm-0, logical block 0
EXT4-fs error (device dm-0): ext4_find_entry:1270: inode #917965: block 3670076: comm sshd: unable to read itable block

We have tried:
1) Run Windows checkdisk on the Windows drive that has the vmdk. It does not report any error.
2) Tried to clone from GUI and also VBoxManage.exe clonehd, to convert the vmdk to vdi, hoping it can fix any file system issue during conversion. But this errors out with this below.
Progress state: VBOX_E_FILE_ERROR
VBoxManage.exe: error: Failed to clone hard disk
VBoxManage.exe: error: Could not create the clone medium 'e:\EBSR1224\EBS1224DB.
vdi' (VERR_UNRESOLVED_ERROR)
VBoxManage.exe: error: Details: code VBOX_E_FILE_ERROR (0x80bb0004), component M
edium, interface IMedium
VBoxManage.exe: error: Context: "int __cdecl handleCloneHardDisk(struct HandlerA
rg *)" at line 743 of file VBoxManageDisk.cpp

3) CloneVDI, after 19%, it hangs and after a while, we got Error window with message Got OS error 1117 when reading from source file
4) Network is working. So tried to SSH into it. It opens login prompt, but keep saying access denied to all users (root as well).

Is this issue with the file in Windows host or file system in the VM? Ideally we want to fix the VM such that it runs again, but if that's not possible, we want to boot into the file system to retrieve some critical files from the VM.

Thanks in advance!
mpack
Site Moderator
Posts: 39156
Joined: 4. Sep 2008, 17:09
Primary OS: MS Windows 10
VBox Version: PUEL
Guest OSses: Mostly XP

Re: Unable to boot VM Linux - corrupted filesystem

Post by mpack »

rhalim wrote: 3) CloneVDI, after 19%, it hangs and after a while, we got Error window with message Got OS error 1117 when reading from source file
In that case you have a hard error on the host drive. There is nothing anyone here can do to help you with that. Quite probably the drive needs replacing, or it could just be a bad SATA cable connection. Were you messing with the host innards recently?
rhalim
Posts: 4
Joined: 16. Aug 2017, 05:57

Re: Unable to boot VM Linux - corrupted filesystem

Post by rhalim »

Thanks mpack for your quick response.

We did not mess around with the host. There was a power outage and it starts to behave like this.

I think you are right that this might be a faulty hard drive.
I am trying chkdsk /R option now.
Besides chkdsk, any other recommendation?

Thanks.
mpack
Site Moderator
Posts: 39156
Joined: 4. Sep 2008, 17:09
Primary OS: MS Windows 10
VBox Version: PUEL
Guest OSses: Mostly XP

Re: Unable to boot VM Linux - corrupted filesystem

Post by mpack »

Like I said, it could mean that the drive needs to be replaced. You have not said what kind of drive it is: mechanical drives are prone to mechanical shocks, and perhaps also can be damaged by a power failure while writing.
Perryg
Site Moderator
Posts: 34369
Joined: 6. Sep 2008, 22:55
Primary OS: Linux other
VBox Version: OSE self-compiled
Guest OSses: *NIX

Re: Unable to boot VM Linux - corrupted filesystem

Post by Perryg »

The guests HDD is a file and Windows will not be able to fix it because it does not know how to fix a file like EXT4. The repair must be done at the Linux level if it is possible and you can do this with a Live CD. Put the Live CD in the guests virtual CD/DVD drive and boot it. Then use what ever drive test/fix you are familiar with. Of course a replace with known good backup would be faster.
rhalim
Posts: 4
Joined: 16. Aug 2017, 05:57

Re: Unable to boot VM Linux - corrupted filesystem

Post by rhalim »

@mpack, thank you. The drive is mechanical one, not SSD. By the way, I tried to use Windows Explorer to copy the vdmk file to a USB drive and getting I/O error as well.

@Perryg, thank you. I tried to add the vdmk file as another SATA storage of a working Linux VM, but upon booting that 2nd VM, the 2nd VM is also hanging.
Is it possible to add the vdmk to another Linux VM without mounting it?

Another thought, can we use GRUB to boot the problematic Linux VM in single user mode and use fsck to fix ?

Sorry for the newbie questions..and thanks for your help.
Perryg
Site Moderator
Posts: 34369
Joined: 6. Sep 2008, 22:55
Primary OS: Linux other
VBox Version: OSE self-compiled
Guest OSses: *NIX

Re: Unable to boot VM Linux - corrupted filesystem

Post by Perryg »

You can not reliably repair a mounted Linux file system. That is why I said to use a Live CD to preform this. There are several Live CDs that are specifically for drive repair and management and you should find the one you like and use it.

I would suggest that you backup this guest if you want to have any chance of retrieving the data though because drive repair can be problematic at best.
mpack
Site Moderator
Posts: 39156
Joined: 4. Sep 2008, 17:09
Primary OS: MS Windows 10
VBox Version: PUEL
Guest OSses: Mostly XP

Re: Unable to boot VM Linux - corrupted filesystem

Post by mpack »

I have to say that with the symptoms given: long I/O times and CloneVDI (on the host) eventually failing with OS error 1117 (I/O request could not be completed), I have my doubts whether this drive can be repaired by a disk check. It sounds like a hard mechanical failure, not filesystem corruption. Mechanical hard drives which have started to fail don't improve with age. I would try running the drive manufacturers diagnostic app for confirmation, but in similar circumstances I'd already be looking on Amazon for a replacement drive.

Either way, if the bad sectors are inside a VMDK then there's no way to recover them: all that a disk repair app will do is stop the host reusing those sectors. Maybe it will let you copy the VMDK off, with random junk replacing the lost data.
rhalim
Posts: 4
Joined: 16. Aug 2017, 05:57

Re: Unable to boot VM Linux - corrupted filesystem

Post by rhalim »

Just an update, chkdsk /R found and replaced bad clusters. After this, the VM was able to boot. Cloning to USB drive works now. Thank you both for your support!
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