VDFUSE is a command-line tool that enables users to mount a VirtualBox disk image file (VDI) as a regular file system. This tool is useful for accessing files and directories stored within a VDI file without booting a virtual machine.
Overview
The VDFUSE command requires root privileges to run. To use the command, the user must first create a mount point directory. Then, the VDI file can be mounted to the mount point directory using the VDFUSE command.
Syntax
vdfuse -f <VDI_file> <mount_point>
Example
$ sudo mkdir /mnt/vdi
$ sudo vdfuse -f /path/to/vdi/file.vdi /mnt/vdi
After running the above command, the contents of the VDI file will be accessible from the /mnt/vdi directory.
Use Cases
- Recovering files from a corrupted virtual machine
- Copying files from a virtual machine to the host machine
- Accessing files from a virtual machine without booting it up
Options
The following table lists all available options for the VDFUSE command.
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
-f <VDI_file> |
Specifies the VDI file to mount |
-r |
Mounts the VDI file in read-only mode |
-t <timeout> |
Specifies the timeout value for the mount operation |
-v |
Enables verbose output |
-h |
Displays the help message |
Troubleshooting tips
- If the VDFUSE command fails to mount the VDI file, ensure that the file path is correct and that the user has the necessary permissions to access the file.
- If the VDFUSE command fails with an error message related to the FUSE module, ensure that the FUSE module is loaded and that the user has the necessary permissions to use it.
Notes
- The VDFUSE command is only available on Linux and other Unix-like operating systems.
- The VDFUSE command requires the FUSE module to be installed and loaded on the system.