VMware: VMware vCenter Converter

Building a virtual machine from scratch can take several hours. Setting up the hardware parameters, installing the operating system, and then adding third-party applications to the OS can be a huge time sink. Fortunately, you can reduce the amount of time spent creating and configuring virtual machines by cloning and importing physical or virtual systems to your VMware ESX/ESXi server.

<< VMware vCenter Converter: Physical-to-Virtual (P2V) and Virtual-to-Virtual (V2V) >>
VMware vCenter Converter is an application developed to migrate systems. The application converts and packages a source system into a new virtual machine that can reside on an ESX/ESXi server.

vCenter Converter performs both physical-to-virtual (P2V) and virtual-to-virtual (V2V) migrations. In a P2V migration, the operating system running on a physical system is copied to a virtual machine. In a V2V migration, an existing virtual machine running on one virtualization platform is copied to a virtual machine running on another virtualization platform. But vCenter Converter is not limited to virtual machines created in VMware platforms; it can also import and convert VMs created in competing software, such as Microsoft Virtual Server and Microsoft Hyper-V.


<< Hot vs Cold Migrations >>
VMware vCenter Converter is capable of accomplishing both hot migrations and cold migrations.

Hot migrations are those which occur while the source system is in a running state. Hot migrations are not recommended for certain tasks — like migrating Active Directory Domain Controllers into a virtual machine (this task should be performed during a cold migration) — but work well with systems where local data remains static.

Cold migrations, on the other hand, occur while the source system is offline. Cold migrations are ideal for systems like SQL servers and mail servers that have data that is regularly updated or altered. During cold migrations, the physical computer itself is still running, but the operating system that is being cloned is inactive. Cold migrations are initiated by booting VMware Converter from a disc.


<< Physical-to-Virtual (P2V): Hot Migration >>
1. To perform a P2V migration in vCenter Converter Standalone, click “Convert Machine.” Select “Powered-on Machine” from the drop-down menu on the Source System tab.

2. Select “This Local Machine” if you intend to migrate the physical machine to where VMware vCenter Conversion is installed. Otherwise, click “A Remote Machine” and then enter the IP address and login credentials for the source system. Click “Next.”

3. Select “VMware Infrastructure Virtual Machine” from the drop-down menu. Enter the server address and login credentials for the system running VMware ESX/ESXi. Click “Next.”

4. Review the system parameters on the Options tab. To make changes to a device, network or service option, select the desired setting from the list.

Click “Advanced Options” to synchronize the source system with the destination system immediately after cloning or at a scheduled date and time. If you’re cloning a Windows machine, it’s recommended that you check “Install VMware Tools on the Destination Virtual Machine” and “Remove System Restore Checkpoints on Destination” on the Post-Conversion tab.

Click “Next” after making the desired modifications, if applicable.

5. Review your configuration on the Summary tab; then click “Finish” to perform the migration.


<< Physical-to-Virtual (P2V): Cold Migration >>
1. Boot to VMware Converter, and then click “Import Machine” from the toolbar. Click “Next”; then click “Physical Computer.” Click “Next” again.

2. Select “A Remote Machine” or “This Local Machine” on the Source Login screen. If selecting “A Remote Machine,” enter the name or IP address for the source system; then enter the login credentials. Click “Next.”

3. Select “Automatically Uninstall the Files When Import Succeeds” if prompted, and then click “Yes” to continue. On the Source Data screen, select “Convert All Disks and Maintain Size” to import an identical hard disk configuration to the destination machine. To make modifications to the disk configuration, click “Select Volumes and Resize to Save or Add Space.”

Uncheck a volume to remove it from the migration. To specify a new volume size for a disk, select the drop-down menu below “New Disk Space.” Choose “Maintain Size” to use the original volume size or choose “Min(imum) Size” to import only the part of the disk that has been used. You can also manually specify the size of the disk by typing the desired capacity in GB or MB.

4. Select “VMware Infrastructure Virtual Machine” from the drop-down menu on the Destination Type screen. Click “Next.” Enter the server address and the login credentials for the ESX/ESXi server.

5. Name the destination system. Click “Next.” Select the preferred host to run the virtual machine from. Click “Next” again.

6. Select a datastore for the virtual machine. The datastores should be large enough to hold the data stored to the source system’s hard disks. To assign a datastore to each hard disk, click “Advanced”; then select a datastore for each hard disk and config file. Click “Next.”

7. Select the number of network interface cards (NICs) to import. Check “Connect at Power On,” if preferred. Click “Next.” Check “Install VMware Tools,” “Customize the Identity of the Virtual Machine,” and “Remove All System Restore Checkpoints.” Click “Next.”

8. On the Computer Info screen, enter the computer, owner and organization names. Generate a new security identity (SID), if desired, then type the location where the Sysprep files are stored, if applicable. Click “Next.” If you’re importing a Windows system, enter the licensing information for the machine. Click “Next.”

9. Select a time zone from the drop-down menu. Click “Next.” Select a NIC and then click “Customize,” to alter the network parameters, if preferred; otherwise, use the default settings. Click “Next.”

10. Enter the workgroup or Windows server domain information on the Workgroup or Domain screen. Input the necessary login credentials; then click “Next.”

11. Review your settings on the Summary screen. To power on the destination VM after completing the conversion, check “Power on the New Virtual Machine After Creation.” Click “Finish” to begin importing the source system to the ESX/ESXi server machine.


<< Virtual-to-Virtual (V2V): Hot Migration >>
After installing vCenter Converter Standalone to the virtual machine, launch the Conversion wizard. Select “Powered-On Machine” from the drop-down menu, click “Local Machine,” and then follow the same steps as described in the section Physical-to-Virtual (P2V): Hot Migration.

One thing to keep in mind before performing a hot migration, however, is that, in some instances, vCenter Server can interfere with the migration process. If the source system is inside a Distributed Resource Schedule (DRS) cluster that vCenter Server controls, DRS Power Management (DPM) will turn off the ESX/ESXi host that vCenter Converter is working with. Change DPM to Manual via the cluster’s Settings screen before performing the hot migration. Once the migration is complete, revert Power Management to its previous configuration.

Although hot migrations have their purpose, they’re only needed when a virtual machine is too important to be taken offline. In all other instances, you should perform a cold migration. The following steps detail the offline conversion process.


<< Virtual-to-Virtual (V2V): Cold Migration >>
1. Power down the source machine before proceeding. Select “Convert Machine” from the toolbar to launch the Conversion wizard.

See steps 2a and 2b to import a VM from a hosted virtualization platform; See steps 3a and 3b to import a VM from a bare-metal virtualization platform.

2a. Hosted Virtualization: Choose “VMware Workstation or Other VMware Virtual Machine” or “Backup Image or Third-Party Virtual Machine” from the Source Type drop-down menu, depending on which platform the source machine is using.

2b. Hosted Virtualization: Enter the full file or network path linking to the virtual machine. Supported third-party platforms include Microsoft Virtual PC and Microsoft Virtual Server (.vmc), and Parallels Desktop (.pvs). Use .vmx for virtual machines created in VMware. Note that if you’re importing a VM from Microsoft Virtual PC, you should remove the Virtual PC Additions from the machine, as they can interfere with the conversion process.

Enter the login credentials for the server if accessing a network share, and then click “Next.” Skip to step 4.

3a. Bare-Metal Virtualization: Select “VMware Infrastructure Virtual Machine” or “Hyper-V Server” from the drop-down menu on the Source System screen. If vCenter Converter is not installed to Hyper-V Server, a prompt will appear requesting permission to install the application to the system. Confirm the installation of the software to proceed with the conversion.

Enter the server address and login credentials for the ESX/ESXi or Hyper-V Server. Click “Next” to go to the Source Machine screen.

3b. Bare-Metal Virtualization: Search through the inventory to locate the source system. If you’re accessing ESX/ESXi through vCenter Server, choose “Hosts and Clusters” or “VMs and Templates,” depending on where the source machine is housed.  Select the virtual machine to import into the ESX/ESXi Server, and then click “Next.”

4. Select “VMware Infrastructure Virtual Machine” from the Select Destination Type drop-down menu. Enter the address, user name, and password for ESX/ESXi Server into the required fields. Click “Next” to go to the Destination Virtual Machine screen.

5. Enter a new name for the destination machine or use the default name. Select a destination location for the VM if managing ESX/ESXi through vCenter Server. Click “Next” to go to the Destination Location screen.

6. Select a host, resource pool, or cluster to accommodate the virtual machine; select a datastore where the files associated with the virtual machine should be stored (optional); and then select the virtual hardware version from the drop-down menu (optional). Use Version 4 for machines running ESX/ESXi 3.x, Version 7 for machines running ESX/ESXi 4.x, and Version 8 for machines running ESX/ESXi 5.x. Click “Next” to go to the Options screen.

7. Click “Edit” to make changes to a hardware device. If you’re importing a virtual machine based on the Microsoft Windows operating system, select “Advanced” from the middle pane to view the Post-Conversion tab. Uncheck “Remove System Restore Checkpoints on Destination.” Check “Reconfigure Destination Virtual Machine” to personalize the OS (e.g., create a unique name and password, enter a new product license, or change the workgroup or domain settings). Click “Next” after making the desired changes.

8. Review your selections on the Summary screen; then click “Finish” to begin importing the VM.


Reference:
1. VMware P2V Migration: Importing Virtual Machines into VMware ESXi Part 1
http://blog.pluralsight.com/vmware-p2v-migration

2. VMware V2V Migration: Importing Virtual Machines into VMware ESXi Part 2
http://blog.pluralsight.com/vmware-v2v-migration