Downloading VMDKs over a WAN connection (VPN) is prone to failure. If you must transfer a VM to a remote location, consider using via the vSphere Client (File > Export). This bundles the VM into a portable, compressed package (.ova or .ovf) which is significantly smaller and faster to transfer than a raw VMDK file.
Replace user , ESXi_host , datastore1 , VM_folder , and file.vmdk with the actual values. download vmdk file from datastore
For advanced administrators requiring efficiency, cloning the disk locally before downloading can save bandwidth and storage space. This is particularly useful if you need to export a Thin Provisioned disk without expanding it to its full size. Downloading VMDKs over a WAN connection (VPN) is
Once the clone is created, you can safely download the cloned file via SCP or vSphere Client. This method also protects the original disk from accidental modifications during the transfer process. Replace user , ESXi_host , datastore1 , VM_folder , and file