Platespin POWERCONVERT User Manual

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PlateSpin PowerConvert

User Guide

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Table of Contents

Introduction .................................................................................................. 3

Terminology .................................................................................................. 4

PowerConvert Overview .................................................................................. 5

PowerConvert Server Requirements ............................................................... 5

PowerConvert Client Requirements ................................................................ 5

Source Server Requirements ............................................................................. 6

PowerConvert Image Server Requirements ..................................................... 6

Target Virtual Server Requirements ............................................................... 6

The PowerConvert Server................................................................................ 7

PowerConvert Server Installation Instructions.......................................................... 7

The PowerConvert Client ................................................................................. 8

PowerConvert Client Installation Instructions........................................................... 8

Product Activation and License Management ................................................... 9

Customer Experience Improvement Program ....................................................11

The Server View ...........................................................................................12

The Jobs View ..............................................................................................13

Server Discovery ..........................................................................................14

Discovering Source Servers, Target Virtual Servers and Target Image Servers ....15

Discovering Servers Through Automatic Network Discovery..............................16

Discovering target physical servers ...............................................................17

Server Analysis.............................................................................................19

Analyzing Discovered Servers ......................................................................20

Peer to Peer Conversion Jobs..........................................................................21

Converting to Virtual Servers .......................................................................22

Converting to Physical Servers..........................................................................35

PlateSpin Flexible Image Jobs .........................................................................42

Creating a PlateSpin Image Server .....................................................................43

Capturing a PlateSpin Flexible Image ............................................................44

Creating Images Using Existing Volume Data .................................................46

Using Raw Volume Data ..............................................................................49

Deploying a PlateSpin Flexible Image..................................................................51

Running Jobs................................................................................................53

Saving Jobs ...............................................................................................53

Manually Starting Saved Jobs.......................................................................53

Scheduling Saved Jobs................................................................................54

Reports .......................................................................................................55

APPENDIX A: Adding Drivers for Physical Target Servers.....................................56

APPENDIX B: Troubleshooting.........................................................................57

Installation................................................................................................57

Discovery..................................................................................................57

Peer-to-Peer Conversions ............................................................................58

Using Images ............................................................................................59

APPENDIX C: FAQ .........................................................................................60

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Introduction

Welcome to the PlateSpin® PowerConvert™ User Guide.

PlateSpin PowerConvert is a powerful, fully automated Operating System Portability™ solution that enables the complete interchange of data, applications, and operating systems (the software layer) across Intel infrastructure in the data center, breaking the dependency between hardware infrastructure and server software.

PlateSpin PowerConvert's OS Portability technology provides you with the flexibility to best match software and applications with the hardware infrastructure unique to your data center, all from a single point of control. Freely move the software layer in any direction, between any physical server, virtual server, or image, without ever having to be in physical contact with the source or target machines.

This guide contains step-by-step instructions to get you converting in no time at all.

Please contact our support team at [email protected] regarding any questions or feedback.

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Terminology

PowerConvert Server The central server which controls all server discovery,

image capture and conversion jobs. The PowerConvert Server also hosts the database for which all information regarding discovered servers and jobs is stored.

PowerConvert Client An interface to the PowerConvert Server. It is

through the PowerConvert Client where the user will perform their work.

PlateSpin Image Server An image repository for PlateSpin Images. Images

can be captured to or deployed from an Image Server. A PlateSpin Image Server is comprised of a PlateSpin “Controller” and an image list file. While any discovered Windows server can be configured as a PlateSpin Image Server, a simple way to get started is to designate the PowerConvert Server as a PlateSpin Image Server.

Source Server A server which will be converted to a virtual machine,

moved to a physical server or used to create a flexible image.

Target Server The server which will host the result of the source

server’s conversion. This can be a virtual server (VMware GSX Server, VMware ESX Server, Microsoft Virtual Server), a PlateSpin Image Server or a physical server.

Server Discovery By discovering a server, PowerConvert gathers

configuration data for use during the conversion process. The collected data can be seen through a properties dialog in the PowerConvert Client.

PlateSpin Controller A small service allowing communication between the

systems involved during the conversion process. The controller is automatically deployed as required and is removed automatically when a server is undiscovered.

Volume Data A resource that contains a set of files that makes up a

volume. Currently PowerConvert supports Acronis True Image, Symantec LiveState and PlateSpin Packages as volume data

Raw Volume Data A directory containing a set of file that makes up a

volume. Raw volume data sources can be created by extracting data from an image or backup archive such as Ghost, a LUN on a SAN or simply a file system on a local hard drive.

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PowerConvert Overview

There are three main steps to performing a server conversion:

1) Discover the source and target servers

2) Configure and create the conversion job

3) Execute the conversion job

When the conversion completes, a fully functional server will have been created. Configurable options provide full customization of settings for the converted server. Files on the original source server are left untouched, allowing it to continue working in the environment if desired.

Volume data can also be captured and deployed, allowing for easy provisioning of physical and virtual servers.

PowerConvert Server Requirements

IIS and the .NET Framework 1.1 SP1 (including ASP.NET) must be installed prior to installing the PowerConvert Server.

The PowerConvert Server can be installed on the following platforms.

• Windows 2000 Server (SP4)

• Windows 2000 Advanced Server (SP4)

• Windows 2003 Server

Disk requirements: 1.5 GB of free disk space Memory requirements: Minimum 512 MB of RAM

PowerConvert can be installed within a virtual machine that meets the above specifications.

For more information about installing IIS and .NET refer to KB article 20008

PowerConvert Client Requirements

The .NET Framework 1.1 SP1 must be installed on servers running the PowerConvert Client. This can be obtained from the Microsoft website.

The PowerConvert Client can be installed on the following platforms.

• Windows 2000 Server (SP4)

• Windows 2000 Advanced Server (SP4)

• Windows XP

• Windows 2003 Server

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Source Server Requirements

The following source operating systems are supported when performing conversions to virtual servers, or capturing images.

• Windows NT Server (SP4, SP6a)

• Windows 2000 Server

• Windows 2000 Advanced Server

• Windows 2003 Server

• Redhat Linux (7, 8, AS 3.0, ES 3.0)

The following source operating systems are supported when performing conversions to physical servers.

• Windows 2000 Server

• Windows 2000 Advanced Server

• Windows 2003 Server

Windows based source servers require that WMI be installed. Windows NT Server does not include WMI as part of the default installation. The WMI Core distributable can be obtained through the Microsoft website. If WMI is not installed, discovery of the server will fail.

Linux based source servers must be running SSHD.

PowerConvert Image Server Requirements

The .NET Framework 1.1 SP1 must be installed prior to installing the PowerConvert Image Server.

The PowerConvert Image Server can be installed on the following platforms.

• Windows 2000 Server (SP4)

• Windows 2000 Advanced Server (SP4)

• Windows 2003 Server

Target Virtual Server Requirements

The following virtual infrastructure platforms are supported by PowerConvert.

• VMware GSX Server for Windows 3.0 and higher

• VMware ESX Server 2.1 and higher

• Microsoft Virtual Server

Please see knowledge base article #20002 for the most recent list of supported virtual infrastructure platforms.

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The PowerConvert Server

PlateSpin PowerConvert ships as a single executable. This executable will install the PowerConvert Server and make the PowerConvert Client installer available.

PowerConvert Server Installation Instructions

1. Double-click PowerConvertServerSetup-####.EXE as downloaded from the PlateSpin website to begin the installation

2. If this is the first time PowerConvert has been installed, the MSDE installation will begin

NOTE: It is required to reboot after the MSDE installation if prompted.

3. When prompted, select the directory where the PowerConvert Server will be installed (default: C:\Program Files\PlateSpin PowerConvert Server)

4. Click ‘Finish’ when prompted, to complete the installation

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The PowerConvert Client

Once the PlateSpin PowerConvert Server is installed, the PowerConvert Client will be available.

PowerConvert Client Installation Instructions

1. Open a web-browser and go to http://localhost/powerconvert

NOTE: If installing the PowerConvert Client on a remote system, replace ‘localhost’ with the hostname or IP address of the PowerConvert Server

2. Click the link to download the PlateSpin PowerConvert Client and choose “Open” to begin the installation

3. When prompted, select the directory where the PowerConvert Client will be installed (default: C:\Program Files\PlateSpin PowerConvert Client) and choose whether the PowerConvert Client will be installed for all users on the system or only the current user

4. Click ‘Finish’ when prompted, to complete the installation

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Product Activation and License Management

When the PowerConvert Client is launched for the first time, the License Wizard is displayed.

Online Activation

Using online activation will obtain a PowerConvert license over the internet.

1. Select the ‘Online Activation’ option and click ‘Next’

2. Enter the e-mail address and activation code and click ‘Next’ to obtain the PowerConvert License

3. The PowerConvert Client will now obtain the required license from the internet and activate the PowerConvert Server

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Offline Activation

Using offline activation requires the use of a PowerConvert license file.

1. Select the ‘Offline Activation’ option and click ‘Next’

2. When prompted, enter the path to the PowerConvert license file

3. The PowerConvert Client will activate the PowerConvert Server based on the provided license file

Information regarding product activation can be found at the PlateSpin website

Managing Licenses

The License Manager can be accessed by selecting TOOLS -> LICENSE MANAGER from the PowerConvert Client toolbar. From here, all applied PowerConvert licenses will be shown, along with the functionality provided by each.

Additional licenses can be added at any time by clicking the ‘Add’ button.

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Customer Experience Improvement Program

When starting the PowerConvert Client for the first time, a prompt will appear to participate in the Customer Experience Improvement Program.

By participating in this program, anonymous usage statistics regarding PowerConvert will be periodically sent to PlateSpin in order to assist in the continual improvement of the product.

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The Server View

The server view allows for easy management of servers to be used with PowerConvert. Two panes make up the main portion of the view. The left pane lists all discovered source servers, while the right pane lists all discovered target servers. Image servers and virtual infrastructure servers are shown on both panes, as they can be used as both source and as a target.

Each pane can be filtered by using the ‘Group By’ and ‘Sort’ pull-down menus. Within seconds the lists can be filtered based on operating system, domain, machine name and machine type.

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The Jobs View

The jobs view displays all discovery, conversion and image capture jobs run by the PowerConvert Server.

Using the ‘Show’ pull-down menu the jobs view can be easily filtered to display the desired information. Within seconds, jobs can be filtered based on their current state.

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Server Discovery

A server discovery must be performed to gather information regarding the source and target servers prior to performing a conversion. The discovery process gathers detailed information about the servers, which is used by PowerConvert to perform the conversion.

WMI must be available on Windows based servers prior to performing a server discovery. PowerConvert uses WMI to obtain information about the server.

For Linux and VMware ESX Servers, sshd must be installed and running.

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Discovering Source Servers, Target Virtual Servers and Target Image Servers

1. Select Discover | Server Details on the tool bar

2. Enter the host name or IP address of the source server

NOTE: Multiple servers can be discovered by entering multiple host names or IP addresses, separated with a comma

3. Select the Operating System of the source server

4. Enter administrator credentials for the server being discovered and click OK

5. After discovery is complete, the server will be available as a source for conversions

ALTERNATE METHOD

1. In the right pane of the server view, right-click the desired source server

NOTE: Undiscovered servers will only appear in the right pane if ‘Network Discovery’ is turned enabled. To do this, double click Network Discovery in the bottom right corner of the client. If a large number of servers exist on the network, enabling this option may take a long time and will not be practical in the environment.

2. In the context menu, select Discover Server Details

3. Select the Operating System of the source server

4. Enter administrator credentials for the server being discovered and click OK

5. After discovery is complete, the server will be available as a source for conversions

Enable “Save (Encrypted Locally)” for PowerConvert to store the entered credentials for use at during conversions.

For more information about discovering source server details, please see the PowerConvert Knowledge Base article 20042

NOTE: Prior to discovering VMware GSX Servers, the VMware GSX Server API must be installed on the PowerConvert Server and the target server. The API can be obtained from the VMware GSX Server download site.

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Discovering Servers Through Automatic Network Discovery

The PowerConvert Client’s automatic Network Discovery option allows for easy browsing of all servers within a given domain or workgroup. Details are not gathered during this process, requiring a full discovery prior to performing conversions.

The Network Discovery feature can be enabled or disabled by right-clicking the bottom-right corner of the PowerConvert Client.

There are two methods for discovering servers which are seen through the automatic network discovery.

Discovering Individual Servers

1. Right-click the server to be discovered and select Discover

2. Enter administrator credentials for the server being discovered and click OK

3. After discovery is complete, the server will be available as a source for conversions

Discovering All Servers in a Domain

1. Expand the domain listing which contains the servers to be discovered

2. Once the servers are seen in the PowerConvert Client, right-click the domain name and select Discover All Servers

3. Enter administrator credentials which are valid for all servers in the domain and click OK

4. After discovery is complete, the servers will be available as a sources for conversions

NOTE: The DISCOVER ALL SERVERS option is only available if there are no previously discovered servers in the domain.

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Discovering target physical servers

Different steps must be performed to discover target physical servers.

To begin the discovery process, download WINPE.ISO from the PlateSpin website and burn it to a CD. Use this CD to boot the physical server which will be used as the destination for the conversion.

Follow these steps to perform the discovery process for a physical target server.

1. Once the server boots from the CD, a command prompt window will appear stating the registration process is about to begin. Press any key to start the process.

2. A second command prompt window will appear, prompting for the PowerConvert URL. It must be entered using the following syntax

HTTP://<POWERCONVERTSERVER>/PowerConvert Replace <POWERCONVERTSERVER> with the IP address of the server where PowerConvert is installed.

3. Enter administrator credentials for the PowerConvert server (be sure to specify an authority, for example domain\admin or hostname\admin)

4. Enter the password for the provided credentials

5. Available network cards will be detected and displayed by their MAC address. If DHCP is available on the NIC to be used, simply press ENTER to continue.

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If DHCP is not available, select the desired NIC to configure with a static IP address

a. Enter the desired IP address b. Enter the desired subnet mask c. Enter the desired gateway

6. Enter a host name for the physical server, or press ENTER to accept the default

7. Enter the PowerConvert network where the discovered server should be placed. If unsure what to value to use, keep the default setting by pressing ENTER

The network configuration will initialize and the server registration process will complete. Once the second command prompt window has closed, click the ‘Refresh’ button within the PowerConvert Client to see the discovered server. It will be available in the Target Server pane.

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Server Analysis

After discovering source and target servers, an analysis can be performed to find potential causes of failure. Doing so can be beneficial when beginning any large scale conversion project.

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Analyzing Discovered Servers

To analyze all currently discovered servers, select ‘Analyze Servers’ from the TOOLS menu in the PowerConvert Client.

Enter the network path to the PowerConvert Server and click the ANALYZE button. The analysis may take a few minutes to complete, depending on the number of discovered servers.

Analyzed servers will be listed in the left pane. By highlighting each server, test results can be viewed in the right pane.

NOTE: ‘Take Control Hardware Support’ checks for source machine hardware compatibility, while ‘Target Hardware Support’ checks hardware compatibility for use as a target physical server

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Peer to Peer Conversion Jobs

Peer to peer conversions are performed from physical or virtual source servers, to physical or virtual target servers without the use of an intermediary data store.

While physical to virtual conversions are most common, PowerConvert also supports virtual to virtual, physical to physical and virtual to physical conversions. This functionality allows for full OS portability within a data center. Server upgrades, consolidation and disaster recovery scenarios can all be fully automated through a single user interface.

The following table illustrates the configurable options for different types of conversions.

Virtual

Targets RAM Assignment X Disk layout X X Services and Daemons X X Volume selection X X Volume Resizing X X Number of processors X Host name X X TCP/IP Settings X X SID Generation X X Services/Daemons X X Domain/Workgroup Joining

X X

Physical

Targets

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Converting to Virtual Servers

The configuration screen provides customizable parameters for the conversion job.

Simply drag-and-drop the discovered source server to the discovered physical target server to configure the conversion job

1. Set the Job Configuration options to specify settings for use during the conversion job

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KEEP SOURCE SERVER OFFLINE – Enabling this option keeps the source server offline to guarantee no hostname or IP address conflicts after the conversion has completed

RUN IMMEDIATELY – Select to start the conversion job when executed RUN AT A LATER TIME – Enable to select a specific date and time for the

conversion to run

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USER NAME – Enter valid administrator or root credentials for the source and target servers

PASSWORD – Enter a valid password for the administrator or root account TEST – Click this button to test the entered credentials SAVE (ENCRYPTED LOCALLY) – Enable to save the entered credentials for

use during future conversions

RECEIVE EVENT NOTIFICATIONS – Enable to be sent e-mail notifications when the job enters a completed, recoverable error or failed state RECEIVE PROGRESS NOTIFICATIONS – Enable to be sent regular e-mail notifications for a specified interval of time INTERVAL TIME – Enter the time in minutes for e-mail notifications to be sent

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E-MAIL FORMAT– Select to receive e-mail notifications in HTML or plain text format SEND TO ADDRESSES – Use the ADD and REMOVE buttons to build a list of e-mail address which will receive the notifications.

CONFIGURE – Click this button to configure TCP/IP settings for use during the conversion process on both the source server and target virtual machine

2. Virtual machine settings can be configured, specific to the virtual platform being used.

Microsoft Virtual Server

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VIRTUAL MACHINE NAME – Enter the display name for the new virtual machine CONFIGURATION FOLDER– Select the directory where the configuration files will be stored for the virtual machine VIRTUAL MACHINE MEMORY ALLOCATION– Enter a value for the amount of RAM to be assigned to the virtual machine INSTALL VIRTUAL MACHINE ADDITIONS – Enable this option to install VM Additions during the conversion process

VMware GSX Server

VIRTUAL MACHINE NAME – Enter the display name for the new virtual

machine CONFIGURATION FILE PATH– Select the directory where the configuration files will be stored for the virtual machine VIRTUAL MACHINE MEMORY ALLOCATION– Enter a value for the amount of RAM to be assigned to the virtual machine INSTALL VMWARE TOOLS– Enable this option to install VMware Tools during the conversion process

VMware ESX Server

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VIRTUAL MACHINE NAME – Enter the display name for the new virtual machine CONFIGURATION FILE PATH– Select the path where the configuration files will be stored for the virtual machine VIRTUAL MACHINE MEMORY ALLOCATION– Enter a value for the amount of RAM to be assigned to the virtual machine INSTALL VMWARE TOOLS– Enable this option to install VMware Tools during the conversion process

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MEMORY ALLOCATION

MAXIMUM – Enter the maximum RAM to be used by the virtual

machine MINIMUM– Enter the minimum RAM to be used by the virtual machine SHARES– Use this pull-down menu to select the memory share allocation for the virtual machine

CPU ALLOCATION

MAXIMUM – Enter the maximum CPU utilization for the virtual

machine

MINIMUM– Enter the minimum CPU allocation for the virtual machine SHARES– Use this pull-down menu to select the CPU share allocation

for the virtual machine

NUMBER OF CPUS– Select the number of processors to be assigned to the virtual machine

CPU SCHEDULING AFFINITY

DEFAULT – Select to allow VMware ESX Server to control CPU

scheduling RUN ON PROCESSORS– Select to choose the processors used by the virtual machine

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3. A conversion job is auto configured so the created target server will be created with the same settings as the original source. The network configuration can be modified to meet the requirements for the converted server

a. Modify the Network Identification settings to configure the host name

and domain/workgroup registration of the created target server

Windows Source Servers

HOST NAME – Enter the desired host name for the target

server GENERATE NEW SYSTEM IDENTIFER (SID) – Enable this option for the create target server to be assigned a new SID during the conversion DOMAIN / WORKGROUP - Enter the domain or workgroup the target server will be part of DOMAIN CREDENTIALS – If the target server will be part of a domain, enter valid credentials which have permission to add machines to the domain

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Linux Source Servers

HOST NAME – Enter the desired host name for the target server

DNS SERVER ADDRESS IN RESOLV.CONF – Use the ADD, EDIT and

REMOVE buttons to manage DNS server entries for the new virtual machine

b. Modify the Network Connection settings to configure the TCP/IP

properties for the network adapters on the created target server

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MAP TO VIRTUAL ADAPTER – Select the virtual adapter which will be used on the target virtual machine CONNECTED – Enable this option to connect the VMnic when starting the target virtual machine

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OBTAIN AN IP ADDRESS AUTOMATICALLY – Select this option to use DHCP for this connection USE THE FOLLOWING IP ADDRESS – Select this option to assign a static IP address for this connection

c. Installed services (Windows) and daemons (Linux) can be enabled or

disabled as part of the conversion process

Windows Source Servers

START MODE – Click this column for the desired service to determine its

startup mode in the new virtual machine

RESTORE ORIGINAL SETTING AFTER THE CONVERSION IS COMPLETE – Enable this option if the change should only be made to the

service during the conversion process, returning to the original state when the conversion has completed

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Linux Source Servers

RUN LEVEL – Click this column for the desired daemon to select the run

levels it will be used

d. Modify the Drive Configuration settings to select the volumes to copy

during the conversion.

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COPY – Select the volumes to be copied during the conversion NEW FREE SPACE – To resize the volume during the

4. Review the conversion job for any errors – marked by

. Error markers show what needs to be resolved before the conversion job can start. Position the mouse cursor over the error markers for detailed information.

5. Review the order for any warnings – marked by

. Warning markers show configurations options which should be confirmed prior to starting the conversion. Position the mouse cursor over the warning markers for detailed information.

6. Click Start to schedule the conversion job.

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Converting to Physical Servers

The configuration screen provides customizable parameters for the conversion job.

PlateSpin PowerConvert contains hardware support for most common datacenter hardware. Please see APPENDIX A for information on adding drivers for target physical servers.

Simply drag-and-drop the discovered source server to the discovered physical target server to configure the conversion job

1. Set the Job Configuration options to specify settings for use during the conversion job

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KEEP SOURCE SERVER OFFLINE – Enabling this option keeps the source server offline to guarantee no hostname or IP address conflicts after the conversion has completed

RUN IMMEDIATELY – Select to start the conversion job when executed RUN AT A LATER TIME – Enable to select a specific date and time for the

conversion to run

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USER NAME – Enter valid administrator credentials for the source server PASSWORD – Enter a valid password for the administrator account TEST – Click this button to test the entered credentials SAVE (ENCRYPTED LOCALLY) – Enable to save the entered credentials for

use during future conversions

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SEND TO ADDRESSES – Use the ADD and REMOVE buttons to build a list of e-mail address which will receive the notifications.

CONFIGURE – Click this button to configure TCP/IP settings for use during the conversion process on both the source server and target virtual machine

2. A conversion job is auto configured so the created target server will be created with the same settings as the original source. The network configuration can be modified to meet the requirements for the converted server

a. Modify the Network Identification settings to configure the host name

and domain/workgroup registration of the created target server

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HOST NAME – Enter the desired host name for the target server GENERATE NEW SYSTEM IDENTIFER (SID) – Enable this option for the create target server to be assigned a new SID during the conversion DOMAIN / WORKGROUP - Enter the domain or workgroup the target server will be part of DOMAIN CREDENTIALS – If the target server will be part of a domain, enter valid credentials which have permission to add machines to the domain

b. Modify the Network Connection settings to configure the TCP/IP

properties for the network adapters on the created target server

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CONNECT USING – Select the network adapter of the physical source server to use for this connection

OBTAIN AN IP ADDRESS AUTOMATICALLY – Select this option to use DHCP for this connection USE THE FOLLOWING IP ADDRESS – Select this option to assign a static IP address for this connection

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c. Modify the Drive Configuration settings to select the volumes to copy

during the conversion.

COPY – Select the volumes to be copied during the conversion NEW FREE SPACE – To resize the volume during the

conversion, enter the desired amount of free space (Will automatically adjust NEW SIZE) NEW SIZE – To resize the volume during the conversion, enter the desired size (Will automatically adjust NEW FREE SPACE) TO DISK – Select which hard drive the volume will be copied to on the physical target server PRESERVED PARTITIONS –Click this column to determine if an existing vendor partition should remain intact during the conversion. Deselecting the partition will permanently remove it from the server.

3. Review the conversion job for any errors – marked by

. Error markers show what needs to be resolved before the conversion job can start. Position the mouse cursor over the error markers for detailed information.

4. Review the order for any warnings – marked by

. Warning markers show configurations options which should be confirmed prior to starting the conversion. Position the mouse cursor over the warning markers for detailed information.

5. Click Start to schedule the conversion job.

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PlateSpin Flexible Image Jobs

PlateSpin Flexible Images are a powerful tool for provisioning and data recovery requirements. Data can be captured from a source server and later deployed to virtual or physical target servers.

A PlateSpin Flexible Image is made up of an XML file containing configuration data from the source machine being imaged, along with one or more sets of volume data. PlateSpin PowerConvert supports multiple types of volume data as part of a PlateSpin Flexible Image: PlateSpin package, Acronis True Image, Symantec LiveState and raw volume data.

Using a PlateSpin Flexible Image is as simple as capturing the source data and importing it to a PlateSpin Image Server.

Like peer to peer conversions, image deployment allows for multiple configurable options based on the target platform.

Virtual

Targets RAM Assignment X Disk layout X X Volume selection X X Volume Resizing X X Number of processors X Host name X X TCP/IP Settings X X SID Generation X X Domain/Workgroup Joining

X X

Physical

Targets

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Creating a PlateSpin Image Server

Follow these steps to create a PlateSpin Image Server from the PowerConvert client:

1. Perform a server discovery for the system which will host the PlateSpin Image Server

2. In the source server pane of the PowerConvert Client, right click the discovered server and select Install PlateSpin Image Server

3. Enter administrator credentials for the selected server, along with the desired directory for the PlateSpin Image Server installation

4. PowerConvert will now push a PlateSpin Controller to the server and configure it to run a PlateSpin Image Server

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Capturing a PlateSpin Flexible Image

1. Using the PowerConvert Client, drag-and-drop the source server to the PlateSpin Image Server

2. Select ‘Create Image’

3. The job configuration window will appear

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4. Edit the Image Configuration properties to set the image name and choose the path where the image will be stored

5. Edit the Drive Configuration settings to select which volumes will be included in the image

6. Edit the Job Configuration settings as desired to control how the image creation job will run

7. Click START to begin the image capture

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Creating Images Using Existing Volume Data

PowerConvert can use existing images created with Acronis True Image or Symantec LiveState as volume data for a PlateSpin Image. Acronis True Image or Symantec LiveState must be installed on the PlateSpin Image Server to use this functionality.

Importing Images from Acronis True Image and Symantec LiveState

1. Using the PowerConvert Client, discover the source server for which corresponds to the existing Acronis True Image or Symantec LiveState image

2. Drag and drop the source server to the target PlateSpin Image Server

3. Select ‘Use Existing Volume Data’

4. Open the ‘Volumes’ configuration screen to select the image(s)

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5. Highlight each volume and enter the full path of the image, located on the local HD of the image server, in the text box at the bottom of the window

NOTE: If using an incremental LiveState image, the .iv2i and .v2i files must exist in the same directory. Enter the path to the .iv2i file in the volume configuration for PowerConvert

6. For each image, further options can be configured by clicking the ‘Advanced’ button

Raw Volume Data

REPACKAGE – Enable this option to create a PlateSpin Image from the

provided image file

Symantec LiveState

REPACKAGE – Enable this option to create a PlateSpin Image from the

provided image file SECURITY –If the provided image is password protected, enter the required password USE INCREMENTAL BACKUP –Enable if the provided image is part of an incremental backup set

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Acronis True Image

REPACKAGE – Enable this option to create a PlateSpin Image from the

provided image file SECURITY –If the provided image is password protected, enter the required password USE INCREMENTAL BACKUP –Enable if the provided image is part of an incremental backup set INDEX (Acronis only) – Enter the index number for the volume contained in the provided image. The following table shows the index numbers for each volume.

Volume: A B C D E F G H I J K L M Index: 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Volume: N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Index: 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25

For example, if the image contains data from the E: volume on the source server, the index should be set to 4.

7. Once suitable images have been provided for each volume to be included, confirm the settings for the Job Configuration and Image Configuration sections

8. Click ‘Start’ to begin the image creation process.

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Using Raw Volume Data

PowerConvert can also use raw volume data when deploying an image. Raw volume data is simply a directory which contains files that make up a volume. The following steps will explain how to use raw volume data with PowerConvert.

Importing RAW Data

1. Using the PowerConvert Client, open the server view and select the source machine to be captured.

2. Drag and drop the source server on to the target PlateSpin Image Server

3. Select ‘Use Existing Image’

4. Open the ‘Volumes’ configuration screen to select the image(s)

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5. Highlight each volume and enter the full path to the directory containing the raw volume data in the text box at the bottom of the window

6. For each image, click the ‘Advanced’ button to configure further options

REPACKAGE – Enable this option to have PowerConvert create a PlateSpin Image from the provided image file. This removes the requirement to use the original image for each deployment.

7. Once the raw volume data has been provided for each volume to be included, confirm the settings for the Job Configuration and Image Configuration sections

8. Click ‘Start’ to begin the image creation process.

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Deploying a PlateSpin Flexible Image

1. Simply drag-and-drop the desired image to a discovered target server to configure the conversion job

2. A conversion job is auto configured so the created target server will be created with the same settings as the original source. The network configuration can be modified with the desired settings

a. Modify the Network Identification settings to configure the host name

and domain/workgroup registration of the created target server

b. Modify the Guest NIC settings to configure the TCP/IP properties for

the network adapters on the created target server

c. Modify the Drive Configuration settings to select the volumes to copy

during the conversion.

3. If the intended target is a virtual server, modify the Virtual Machine properties to configure parameters such as assigned RAM and installation of VMware Tools / VMAdditions

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4. Review the conversion job for any errors – marked by show what needs to be resolved before the conversion job can start. Position the mouse cursor over the error markers for detailed information.

5. Review the order for any warnings – marked by configurations options which should be confirmed prior to starting the conversion. Position the mouse cursor over the warning markers for detailed information.

6. Click Start to deploy the image

. Warning markers show

. Error markers

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Running Jobs

After the desired options are configured, clicking ‘START’ will begin the conversion job. PowerConvert also allows jobs to be saved for execution at a later time. Saved jobs can be manually started from the PowerConvert Client or be scheduled to automatically run at a specified time.

Saving Jobs

1. Once all options have been configured for the job, click the SAVE button and choose the desired option

SAVE (DEBUG) – Selecting this option will save each step of the conversion as a separately executable job. This option should only be used for troubleshooting purposes. SAVE AS – Selecting this option will save the conversion job to be run at a later time.

Manually Starting Saved Jobs

1. In the PowerConvert Client, change to the Jobs View

2. Locate the saved job in the view

3. Right-click the saved job and select START

The saved job will now run with all the configured settings.

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Scheduling Saved Jobs

Once a job has been saved using the steps listed above, it can be scheduled using the following steps.

1. Located the saved job in C:\Documents and Settings\<USERNAME>\Local Settings\Application Data\PlateSpin Ltd\PlateSpin PowerConvert\%PowerConvert Version Number%\jobs\

The job will have its own unique alphanumeric folder name and file name (for example: \jobs\4f035cda-5c2b-4b73-9923-148ba743e560\32025d86-8850-4c798bf3-bb9c22b0ac1d.job)

2. Go to C:\Program Files\PlateSpin PowerConvert Client\CommandLine on the PowerConvert server

3. Using a text editor, create a batch file containing the following line to execute the saved job

PowerConvert.Console.exe run /job=%Full Path to Job in quotations%

For example:

PowerConvert.Console.exe run /job="C:\documents and settings\Administrator\Local Settings\Application Data\PlateSpin Ltd\PlateSpin PowerConvert\5.0.1.2221\jobs\4f035cda-5c2b-4b73-9923148ba743e560\32025d86-8850-4c79-8bf3-bb9c22b0ac1d.job"

4. Using Windows Task Scheduler or AT commands, setup a task to run the batch file at the desired date and time

NOTE: A valid Administrator account must be used to run the scheduled task

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Reports

PowerConvert can generate detailed reports of running and completed jobs. They provide a record of the task performed during the job.

Reports can easily be generated using the following steps.

1. In the PowerConvert Client, change to the Jobs View

2. Locate the desired job in the view

3. Right-click the job and select REPORT

A web browser window will open, displaying the requested report.

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APPENDIX A: Adding Drivers for Physical Target Servers

During the conversion process, PowerConvert will automatically install the required drivers for the physical target server. PowerConvert ships with drivers for the most common hardware found in current datacenters. Should PowerConvert be missing a driver, support can be added using the following steps.

1. Unpack the driver INF, SYS, CAT and other files to a temporary directory (i.e. C:\temp)

NOTE: Drivers which ship in EXE format must be unpacked before adding them to PowerConvert.

2. From a command prompt window, enter the ‘temp’ subdirectory within the PowerConvert installation directory

3. Use ‘PlateSpin.Athens.UploadDeviceDriver.exe’ to add the required driver

PlateSpin.Athens.UploadDeviceDriver.exe Usage: /path=c:\drv /operatingsystem=x /servicepack=0 /athens_name=PowerConvert [/language=...]

Where:

/path - Path to driver(s) /operatingsystem - Operating System the drivers are for. Must be one of: Windows 2000, WindowsXP, Windows2003 /servicepack - Service pack for operating system selected /athens_name - The URL of the PowerX Server where the drivers should be uploaded to - if the job is running on the PowerConvert server please type powerconvert /language - The driver language. (Default = Language independent)

The following syntax would be used to upload drivers which have been unpacked to C:\temp\scsi and PowerConvert is installed on a server with an IP address of

192.168.1.100. The drivers are to be used for conversions of source machines

running Windows 2000 Server with SP4.

PlateSpin.Athens.UploadDeviceDriver.exe /path=c:\temp\scsi /operatingsystem=Windows2000 /servicepack=4 /athens_name=powerconvert

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APPENDIX B: Troubleshooting

Installation

An unexpected error occurs when trying to install PowerConvert to a non default location

When installing PowerConvert to a custom directory, the ASPNET account must have full access to the root of the drive where the directory exists. For example, if PowerConvert was being installed to D:\PC, the ASPNET account must have full control of D:\.

HTTP 403 Error

PlateSpin PowerConvert makes use of ASP.NET for its web services. If ASP.NET in not installed on the server, the web services will not function correctly and the installation will fail with this error. ASP.NET is included as part of the .NET Framework. When installing the .NET Framework, IIS must already be installed on the server for ASP.NET to be configured. If the .NET Framework was installed prior to IIS, simply uninstall and reinstall the .NET Framework.

Discovery

“Application has generated an error” during registration of physical server

This error will occur if the physical server was unable to contact the PowerConvert Server. A common cause is incorrect information entered during the registration process. Simply type ‘registermachine’ to restart the registration process. Commands such as ‘ping’ can be used to confirm basic connectivity with the PowerConvert Server.

My physical server has completed the registration process, but is not seen in the PowerConvert Client

The full registration process can take a couple of minutes to complete. Once the second command prompt window has closed on the physical server, wait a few minutes before clicking the ‘Refresh’ button in the PowerConvert Client.

“Package <…> Not Found” during discovery of existing Windows servers

The PlateSpin PowerConvert Server requires .NET 1.1 SP1. This error message will occur during the discovery process if the service pack has not been installed.

‘Could not find file "\\{servername}\admin$\{servername_randomID}.xml"’

During the discovery process, PlateSpin PowerConvert places a small executable on the source server and a remote execute request is sent via WMI. If WMI rejects the execution request, the server discovery will fail.

The following steps will allow PowerConvert to attempt an alternate method of remotely executing the file.

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1. Navigate to the C:\Program Files\PlateSpin PowerConvert Server\Web directory

2. Using a text editor, open the web.config file

3. In the web.config file, the following entry is located near the end of the file:

Change the value in this line so that it is set to "true" instead:

4. Save the changes to the web.config file

5. Retry the discovery

Peer-to-Peer Conversions

Conversion failed while ‘Waiting for Controller to Start’

A failure while waiting for a controller to start is generally caused by one of the

following problems.

1. The network settings for the temporary IP addresses under the Job Configuration -> Advanced section were not properly configured

2. There was a possible network outage that prevented the source/target machine from communicating with the PowerConvert Server

3. The source/target machine was not able to fully boot up under PlateSpin control

To diagnose the exact cause of failure, check the state of the system whose controller has failed to start. Commands such as ‘ipconfig’ and ‘ping’ are available to verify basic network connectivity.

File transfer hangs at 1% or progresses at a slow pace

By default, a link type of AUTO is used on the source server during a conversion. If the source server is connected to a switch port which is forced to 100/FULL, the ‘Force Full Duplex’ option must be enabled when configuring the conversion. Should this option be set incorrectly, a duplex mismatch will occur on the network.

Unable to determine suitable boot partition

When converting existing source servers, the boot volume must pass the following checks.

1) It must be on a basic disk

2) It must have 175MB of free space

3) It must be a primary partition If either of these are not true for the system volume, the conversion will fail while attempting to take control of the source server.

Newly created PowerConvert Job remain at a "Scheduled" or "NotStarted" state

This behavior generally indicates that there is a problem with the PlateSpin Operations Framework Controller on the PowerConvert Server. Use the Windows services plug-in to confirm the PlateSpin Operations Framework Controller service is running.

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How to troubleshoot failures at "Configuring Virtual Machine"

Failures during the configuration step generally indicate that a timeout has occurred when attempting to configure the target server. Although the conversion job has failed, the conversion is most likely successful. If the virtual machine can boot and be successfully logged in to, the conversion is complete. Since the configuration did not have an opportunity to finish, it may be necessary to manually configure network settings and install virtual tools.

Using Images

Cannot see Images on Image Server in the PowerConvert Client

If the Server view is configured to group servers by "Machine", discovered image servers cannot be expanded. To display the images, re-configure the Server View so the machines will be grouped by "Domain" instead of "Machine". The images will now be visible.

Failed to mount image: The volume does not contain a recognized file system

When installing a PlateSpin Image Server on Windows 2003, the following error message may appear when importing or deploying volume data. To resolve the error, use the Windows services plug-in on the PlateSpin Image Server. Modify the log-on properties for the ‘PlateSpin Operations Management Controller’ service to use an account with local administrative privileges. Restart the service after making this change.

Security descriptors not intact on deployed server when using volume data from a Symantec Ghost image

When creating a PlateSpin Image using Raw Volume Data that was extracted from a Ghost Image, the security descriptors will not be preserved on the VM. This is due to the extracted files inheriting permissions of their parent folder, without having any knowledge of original source machine's permissions.

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APPENDIX C: FAQ

How long does a conversion take?

A conversion job has three main steps.

1) Take control

2) File transfer

3) Configuration

The majority of time is spent on the file transfer. Speeds of 25 to 30Mbps can be expected during the file transfer process. To calculate a rough time estimate take the total size of all the volumes to be copied in megabytes multiply by 8 to get the size in Megabit divided by 25 to get the total time in seconds, and finally divide by 60 to get the total time in minutes.

The other steps take an estimated 15 to 30 minutes to complete.

Which ports need to be open on my firewall/router to use PowerConvert?

The following ports are used by PowerConvert during the discovery process:

22 (TCP) SSH port for discovering servers running Linux or VMware ESX

Server

135/445 (TCP) DCOM/RPC** port for discovering Windows based servers

80 (TCP) For communication between the PowerConvert Server and the

source/target machines

3725 (TCP) Used for file transfer between the source server and target

machine

**WMI (RPC/DCOM) may use TCP ports 135 and 445 as well as random/dynamically assigned ports above 1024. If problems occur during the discovery process, another alternative is to temporarily place the server in a DMZ (or temporarily open the firewall) for the discovery process only.

Does PowerConvert support source servers with dynamic disks?

Yes. PowerConvert 5.1 now fully supports converting source servers with dynamic disks. The target server will be created with basic disks, enabling removing unnecessary dynamic disk configurations. After a conversion the disk can always be upgraded to dynamic if necessary.

Why didn’t step 2 or 3 run during the conversion?

Step 2 of the conversion process involves installing a controller on a target virtual server. This only occurs during the first conversion to a specific virtual server. Subsequent conversions will skip this step.

Step 3 of the conversion process involves installing a controller on a target PlateSpin Image Server. This only occurs during the first conversion to a specific PlateSpin Image Server. Subsequent conversions will skip this step.

Can multiple conversions be run simultaneously?

PowerConvert has the ability to run multiple simultaneous conversions. When doing so, it is suggested to have 1GB RAM minimum in the PowerConvert Server.

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A maximum of 2 conversions per target server is recommended to ensure sufficient resources are available for the conversion.

Can Linux and VMware ESX Servers with custom SSH ports be used with PowerConvert?

When discovering systems running Linux or VMware ESX Server, the SSH port can be entered using the following syntax.

hostname:portnumber

The port number will be saved by PowerConvert for use during conversions.

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