4.0

Table 3-6. Virtual Machine Files (Continued)
Extension File Name Description
.vmdk vmname .vmdk
Virtual disk files, which store the contents of the virtual machine hard
disk drive. These files are stored in the same directory as the .vmx file.
A virtual disk is made up of one or more virtual disk files. The virtual
machine settings show the name of the first file in the set. This file
contains pointers to the other files in the set.
If you specify that all disk space should be allocated when the virtual
disk is created, these files start at the maximum size and do not grow.
Almost all of the file content is virtual machine data. A small portion
of the file is allotted to virtual machine overhead.
If the virtual machine is connected directly to a physical disk, the
virtual disk file stores information about the partitions that the virtual
machine is allowed to access.
NOTE Earlier VMware products use the .dsk extension for virtual
disk files.
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
34 VMware, Inc.