Most shared VMDKs can be accessed using a standard method on the VM where you want to restore files. For example, on a Windows operating system, you can paste the UNC path in the Windows Explorer address bar or the Map Network Drive tool. On Linux, you can create a mount point directory, mount the CIFS share, and then browse to files in the mount point directory.
On Windows machines, you can preserve access control lists (ACLs) for files by copying the files using Robocopy or xcopy with the appropriate switches.
When you access a file or folder using a UNC share in Linux, file attributes are retained if you copy files using the appropriate flags. Check your Linux man pages for the correct copy command flag for your Linux distribution.
When you access a share, each VMDK partition appears as a sequentially-numbered directory. For example, if the VMDK contains three partitions, the directories are named “0”, “1” and “2”. You can then copy the files you want to restore.
Note: Although you can access files and folders on shared VMDKs using this method, the Dynamic Disk Tool is the preferred method for accessing shared VMDKs on supported Windows operating systems, and is required for accessing files and folders on Windows dynamic disks. For more information, see the vSphere Agent User Guide.