If I use winscp to copy the .vmdk files from my vmware ESXI server, I am confident I can restore these onto another esxi box. What equivalent files and/or folders exist in the PVE environment?
this dependence on the used storage backend.
If your storage is a Filesystem based storage you have a file that you can copy.
If it is a Blockdevice you can use tools like dd/qemu-img to convert it in a file.
What would be the reason for doing this vs using the proxmox built in backup, which creates a single file?
- You would be able to restore that onto any new proxmox node.....