Specifications

Table 3‑5. Virtual Machine Files (Continued)
Extension File Name Description
vmname-s###.vmdk If you specified that the files can increase, filenames include an s in
the file number, for example, Windows 7-s001.vmdk.
If you specified that the virtual disk is divided into 2GB sections, the
number of files depends on the size of the virtual disk. As data is
added to a virtual disk, the files increase to a maximum of 2GB each.
vmname-f###.vmdk
If all disk space was allocated when the disk was created, filenames
include an f, for example, Windows 7-f001.vmdk.
vmname-disk-###.vmdk
If the virtual machine has one or more snapshots, some files are redo
log files. These files store changes made to a virtual disk while the
virtual machine is running. The ### indicates a unique suffix that
Player adds to avoid duplicate file names.
.vmem uuid.vmem
The virtual machine paging file, which backs up the guest main
memory on the host file system. This file exists only when the virtual
machine is running or if the virtual machine fails. It is stored in the
working directory.
snapshot_name_number.vmem
Each snapshot of a virtual machine that is powered on has an
associated .vmem file, which contains the guest operating system
main memory, saved as part of the snapshot.
.vmsd vmname.vmsd
A centralized file for storing information and metadata about
snapshots. It is stored in the working directory.
.vmsn vmname.Snapshot.vmsn
The snapshot state file, which stores the running state of a virtual
machine at the time you take that snapshot. It is stored in the
working directory.
vmname.Snapshot###.vmsn
The file that stores the state of a snapshot.
.vmss vmname.vmss
The suspended state file, which stores the state of a suspended
virtual machine. It is stored in the working directory.
Some earlier VMware products used the .std extension for
suspended state files.
Other files, such as lock files, might also be present in the virtual machines directory. Some files are present
only while a virtual machine is running.
Getting Started with VMware Player
38 VMware, Inc.