This document supports the version of each product listed and
supports all subsequent versions until the document is replaced
by a new edition. To check for more recent editions of this
document, see http://www.vmware.com/support/pubs.
EN-000408-00
VMware vCenter Converter Standalone User's Guide
You can find the most up-to-date technical documentation on the VMware Web site at:
http://www.vmware.com/support/
The VMware Web site also provides the latest product updates.
If you have comments about this documentation, submit your feedback to:
VMware is a registered trademark or trademark of VMware, Inc. in the United States and/or other jurisdictions. All other marks
and names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective companies.
VMware, Inc.
3401 Hillview Ave.
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www.vmware.com
2 VMware, Inc.
Contents
About This Book5
Introduction to VMware vCenter Converter Standalone7
1
Migration with Converter Standalone 7
Converter Standalone Components 8
Cloning and System Configuration of Physical Machines 8
Types of Data Cloning Operations 13
Using Converter Standalone with Virtual Machine Sources and System Images 16
System Settings Affected by Conversion 16
Changes to Virtual Hardware 17
System Requirements19
2
Supported Operating Systems 19
Installation Space Requirements 20
Screen Resolution Requirements 21
Supported Source Types 21
Supported Destination Types 23
Restoring VCB Images in Converter Standalone 24
Configuring Permissions for vCenter Users 25
Support for IPv6 in Converter Standalone 25
TCP/IP and UDP Port Requirements for Conversion 26
Requirements for Remote Hot Cloning of Windows Operating Systems 27
Installing and Uninstalling Converter Standalone31
3
Perform a Local Installation on Windows 31
Perform a Client-Server Installation in Windows 32
Perform a Command-Line Installation in Windows 34
Command-Line Options for Windows Installation 34
Modify Converter Standalone in Windows 35
Repair Converter Standalone in Windows 36
Uninstall Converter Standalone in Windows 37
Connect to a Remote Converter Standalone Server 37
VMware, Inc.
Convert a Physical or Virtual Machine39
4
Start the Wizard for a Conversion 40
Select a Source Machine to Convert 40
Select a Destination for the New Virtual Machine 46
Configure the Hardware of the Destination Virtual Machine 49
Configure the Software on the Destination Virtual Machine 61
Configure the Conversion Job 66
Review the Summary and Submit the Conversion Job 71
3
VMware vCenter Converter Standalone User's Guide
Configure Virtual Machines73
5
Save Sysprep Files 73
Start the Configuration Wizard 74
Select a Source Machine to Configure 74
Select the Options to Configure 77
Review and Submit the Configuration Job 81
Manage Conversion and Configuration Jobs and Tasks83
6
Manage Jobs in the Job List 83
Manage Tasks in the Task List 87
Verify Jobs and Tasks Progress and the Log Files 89
Index91
4 VMware, Inc.
About This Book
The VMware vCenter Converter Standalone User's Guide provides information about installing and using
VMware®vCenter Converter Standalone 5.0.
Intended Audience
This book is intended for users who want to perform the following tasks:
n
Install, upgrade, or use Converter Standalone
n
Nonintrusively copy and transform physical machines into VMware virtual machines that VMware
vCenter manages
The material in this book is written for information systems engineers, software developers, QA engineers,
trainers, salespeople who run demonstrations, and anyone who wants to create virtual machines.
VMware Technical Publications Glossary
VMware Technical Publications provides a glossary of terms that might be unfamiliar to you. For definitions
of terms as they are used in VMware technical documentation, go to http://www.vmware.com/support/pubs.
Document Feedback
VMware welcomes your suggestions for improving our documentation. If you have comments, send your
feedback to docfeedback@vmware.com.
VMware, Inc.
5
VMware vCenter Converter Standalone User's Guide
Technical Support and Education Resources
The following technical support resources are available to you. To access the current version of this book and
other books, go to http://www.vmware.com/support/pubs.
Online and Telephone
Support
Support Offerings
VMware Professional
Services
To use online support to submit technical support requests, view your product
and contract information, and register your products, go to
http://www.vmware.com/support.
Customers with appropriate support contracts should use telephone support
for the fastest response on priority 1 issues. Go to
http://www.vmware.com/support/phone_support.html.
To find out how VMware support offerings can help meet your business needs,
go to http://www.vmware.com/support/services.
VMware Education Services courses offer extensive hands-on labs, case study
examples, and course materials designed to be used as on-the-job reference
tools. Courses are available onsite, in the classroom, and live online. For onsite
pilot programs and implementation best practices, VMware Consulting
Services provides offerings to help you assess, plan, build, and manage your
virtual environment. To access information about education classes,
certification programs, and consulting services, go to
http://www.vmware.com/services.
6 VMware, Inc.
Introduction to VMware vCenter
Converter Standalone1
VMware® vCenter Converter Standalone is a scalable solution to convert virtual and physical machines to
VMware virtual machines. You can also configure existing virtual machines in your vCenter Server
environment.
Converter Standalone eases the exchange of virtual machines among the following products.
n
VMware hosted products can be both conversion sources and conversion destinations.
n
VMware Workstation
n
VMware Fusion™
n
VMware Server
n
VMware Player
n
Virtual machines running on an ESX instance that vCenter Server manages can be both conversion sources
and conversion destinations.
n
Virtual machines running on unmanaged ESX hosts can be both conversion sources and conversion
destinations.
You can also use VMware Consolidated Backup (VCB) images to create VMware virtual machines.
This chapter includes the following topics:
n
“Migration with Converter Standalone,” on page 7
n
“Converter Standalone Components,” on page 8
n
“Cloning and System Configuration of Physical Machines,” on page 8
n
“Types of Data Cloning Operations,” on page 13
n
“Using Converter Standalone with Virtual Machine Sources and System Images,” on page 16
n
“System Settings Affected by Conversion,” on page 16
n
“Changes to Virtual Hardware,” on page 17
Migration with Converter Standalone
Migration with Converter Standalone involves converting physical machines, virtual machines, and system
images for use in VMware hosted and managed products.
You can convert virtual machines that vCenter Server manages for use in other VMware products. You can
use Converter Standalone to perform a number of conversion tasks.
n
Import running remote physical and virtual machines as virtual machines to standalone ESX/ESXi or to
ESX/ESXi hosts that vCenter Server manages.
VMware, Inc.
7
VMware vCenter Converter Standalone User's Guide
n
Import virtual machines hosted by VMware Workstation or Microsoft Hyper-V Server to ESX/ESXi hosts
that vCenter Server manages.
n
Import third-party backup or disk images to ESX/ESXi hosts that vCenter Server manages.
n
Export virtual machines managed by vCenter Server hosts to other VMware virtual machine formats.
n
Create VMware virtual machines from VCB images.
n
Configure virtual machines managed by vCenter Server so that they are bootable, and install VMware
Tools or customize their guest operating systems.
n
Customize the guest operating systems of virtual machines in the vCenter Server inventory (for example,
change the host name or network settings).
n
Reduce the time needed to set up new virtual machine environments.
n
Migrate legacy servers to new hardware without reinstalling operating systems or application software.
n
Perform migrations across heterogeneous hardware.
n
Readjust volume sizes and place volumes on separate virtual disks.
Converter Standalone Components
The Converter Standalone application consists of Converter Standalone server, Converter Standalone worker,
Converter Standalone client, and Converter Standalone agent.
Converter Standalone
server
Enables and performs the import and export of virtual machines. The
Converter Standalone server comprises two services, Converter Standalone
server and Converter Standalone worker. The Converter Standalone worker
service is always installed with the Converter Standalone server service.
Converter Standalone
agent
The Converter Standalone server installs the agent on Windows physical
machines to import them as virtual machines. You can choose to remove the
Converter Standalone agent from the physical machine automatically or
manually after the import is complete.
Converter Standalone
client
The Converter Standalone server works with the Converter Standalone client.
The client component consists of the Converter Standalone user interface,
which provides access to the Conversion and the Configuration wizards, and
allows you to manage the conversion and the configuration tasks.
VMware vCenter
Converter Boot CD
The VMware vCenter Converter Boot CD is a separate component that you can
use to perform cold cloning on a physical machine. Converter Standalone 4.3
and later versions do not provide a Boot CD, but you can use previous versions
of the Boot CD to perform cold cloning. See “Prepare for Cold Cloning,” on
page 13.
Cloning and System Configuration of Physical Machines
When you convert a physical machine, Converter Standalone uses cloning and system reconfiguration steps
to create and configure the destination virtual machine so that it works successfully in the vCenter Server
environment. Because the migration process is nondestructive to the source, you can continue to use the
original source machine after the conversion completes.
Cloning is the process of copying the source physical disks or volumes for the destination virtual machine.
Cloning involves copying the data on the source machine’s hard disk and transferring that data to a destination
virtual disk. The destination virtual disk might have a different geometry, size, file layout, and other
characteristics, so the destination virtual disk might not be an exact copy of the source disk.
System reconfiguration adjusts the migrated operating system to enable it to function on virtual hardware.
8 VMware, Inc.
Chapter 1 Introduction to VMware vCenter Converter Standalone
If you plan to run an imported virtual machine on the same network as the source physical machine, you must
modify the network name and IP address on one of the machines, so that the physical and virtual machines
can coexist. Besides, you must make sure that the Windows source machine and the destination virtual machine
have different computer names.
NOTE You cannot move original equipment manufacturer (OEM) licenses between physical machines. The
license is attached to the server when you purchase it from the OEM and cannot be reassigned. You can only
reassign retail and volume licenses to new physical servers. If you migrate an OEM Windows image, you must
have a Windows Server Enterprise or Datacenter Edition license to run multiple virtual machines.
Hot and Cold Cloning of Physical Machines
Although Converter Standalone 4.3 and later versions support only hot cloning, you can still perform cold
cloning by using the VMware Converter 4.1.x Boot CD. Depending on your virtual environment, you can
choose to use hot or cold cloning.
Hot cloning, also called live cloning or online cloning, requires converting the source machine while it is
running its operating system. Hot cloning lets you clone machines without shutting them down.
Because processes continue to run on the source machine during conversion, the resulting virtual machine is
not an exact copy of the source machine.
When converting Windows sources, you can set Converter Standalone to synchronize the destination virtual
machine with the source machine after hot cloning. Synchronization is performed by transferring from the
source to the destination the blocks that were changed during the initial cloning period. To avoid loss of data
on the destination virtual machine, Converter Standalone can shut down certain Windows services before the
synchronization. Based on your settings, Converter Standalone shuts down the selected Windows services so
that no critical changes occur on the source machine while destination is being synchronized.
Converter Standalone can shut down the source machine and power on the destination machine when the
conversion process is complete. When combined with synchronization, this action allows seamless migration
of a physical machine source to a virtual machine destination. The destination machine takes over the source
machine operations with the least possible downtime.
NOTE When you hot clone dual-boot systems, you can clone only the default operating system to which the
boot.ini file points. To clone the nondefault operating system, change the boot.ini file to point to the other
operating system and reboot. After the other operating system is booted, you can hot clone it. If your second
operating system is Linux, you can boot it and clone it using the standard procedure for cloning Linux physical
machine sources.
Cold cloning, also called offline cloning, entails cloning the source machine when it is not running its operating
system. When you cold clone a machine, you reboot the source machine using a CD that has its own operating
system and the vCenter Converter application on it. Cold cloning allows you to create the most consistent copy
of the source machine because nothing changes on the source machine during the conversion. Cold cloning
leaves no footprint on the source machine, but requires direct access to the source machine that is being cloned.
When you cold clone a Linux source, the resulting virtual machine is an exact replica of the source machine
and you cannot configure the destination virtual machine. You must configure the destination virtual machine
after the cloning is complete.
Table 1-1 compares the hot and cold cloning modes.
is required. As part of the cloning
process, Converter Standalone agent is
installed on the source machine
remotely.
Supported sourcesLocal and remote powered-on
physical or virtual machines.
Advantages
n
Does not require direct access to
the source machine.
n
Clones the source machine while
it is running.
Disadvantages
n
Applications that constantly
modify files need to be VSS aware
to allow Converter Standalone to
create a consistent snapshot for
cloning.
n
Dynamic source disks are read but
not preserved during volumebased conversions. Dynamic disks
are converted into basic volumes
on the target virtual machine.
Use
n
To clone running source machines
without shutting them down.
n
To clone unique hardware that the
Boot CD does not recognize.
When to not useWhen you do not want anything to be
installed on the source system.
License file required for Enterprise
features of
VMware Converter Enterprise.
No installation is required. All
components required for the conversion
are on the CD.
Local powered-off physical or virtual
machines.
n
Creates the most consistent copy of
the source machine.
n
Leaves no footprint on the source
machine.
n
Requires that the source machine is
powered off.
n
Requires physical access to the
source machine.
n
Hardware detection and
configuration of the Boot CD.
n
Converter Standalone 4.x features
are not supported.
n
To clone a system that Converter
Standalone does not support.
n
To preserve the exact disk layout in
the target.
n
To preserve logical volumes in
dynamic disks (Windows) or LVM
(Linux).
n
When you want Linux P2V with
automatic reconfiguration.
n
When you do not have physical
access to the source machine.
n
When you cannot afford a long
downtime of the source system.
n
To perform synchronization after
cloning.
Remote Hot Cloning of Physical Machine Sources That Are Running Windows
You can use the Conversion wizard to set up conversion tasks and Converter Standalone components perform
all of the cloning tasks.
The following workflow is an example of remote hot cloning in which the physical machine being cloned
experiences no downtime.
1Converter Standalone prepares the source machine for the conversion.
Converter Standalone installs the agent on the source machine and the agent takes a snapshot of the source
volumes.
10 VMware, Inc.
agent
vCenter Converter Standalone running
on Windows machine
powered-on
physical machine
ESX/ESXi
source
destination
network
snapshot
source
volumes
agent
vCenter Converter Standalone running
on Windows machine
powered-on
physical machine
ESX/ESXi
copied
volumes
source
destination
network
snapshot
VM
source
volumes
agent
vCenter Converter Standalone running
on Windows machine
powered-on
physical machine
ESX/ESXi
source
destination
network
VM
source
volumes
snapshot
reconfiguration
customization (optional)
Chapter 1 Introduction to VMware vCenter Converter Standalone
2Converter Standalone prepares the virtual machine on the destination machine.
Converter Standalone creates a virtual machine on the destination machine and the agent copies volumes
from the source machine to the destination machine.
3Converter Standalone completes the conversion process.
The agent installs the required drivers to allow the operating system to boot in a virtual machine and
personalizes the virtual machine (changes the IP information, for example).
4Optionally, Converter Standalone uninstalls the agent from the source machine.
The virtual machine is ready to run on the destination server.
Remote Hot Cloning of Physical Machine Sources That Are Running Linux
The conversion process of physical machines that are running Linux operating systems differs from that of
Windows machines.
In Windows conversions, the Converter Standalone agent is installed on the source machine and the source
information is pushed to the destination.
In Linux conversions, no agent is deployed on the source machine. Instead, a helper virtual machine is created
and deployed on the destination ESX/ESXi host. The source data is then copied from the source Linux machine
to the helper virtual machine. After the conversion is complete, the helper virtual machine shuts down to
become the destination virtual machine the next time you power it on.
Converter Standalone supports conversion of Linux sources only to managed destinations.
The following workflow demonstrates the principles of hot cloning physical machine sources that run Linux
to managed destinations.
1Converter Standalone uses SSH to connect to the source machine and retrieves source information.
Converter Standalone creates an empty helper virtual machine based on your conversion task settings.
The helper virtual machine serves as a container for the new virtual machine during conversion. Converter
Standalone deploys the helper virtual machine on the managed destination, an ESX/ESXi host. The helper
virtual machine boots from a *.iso file that is located on the Converter Standalone server machine.
2The helper virtual machine powers on, boots from the Linux image, connects to the source machine
through SSH, and starts retrieving the selected data from the source. While you set up the conversion task,
you can select which source volumes to be copied to the destination machine.
3Optionally, after data is copied, the destination virtual machine is reconfigured to allow the operating
system to boot in a virtual machine.
12 VMware, Inc.
Chapter 1 Introduction to VMware vCenter Converter Standalone
4Converter Standalone shuts down the helper virtual machine. The conversion process is complete.
You can configure Converter Standalone to power on the newly created virtual machine after the
conversion is complete.
Prepare for Cold Cloning
Because Converter Standalone 4.3 and later do not support cold cloning, you must use the Boot CD of an earlier
vCenter Converter edition. The features supported on the Boot CD depend on the product version you choose.
When you cold clone a machine, you reboot the source machine from a CD that has its own operating system
and also includes the vCenter Converter application. You can find a detailed description of the cold cloning
process in the documentation of the Boot CD you decide to use.
VMware vCenter Converter 4.1.x is not a free software product.
Procedure
1To obtain a Boot CD, go to the VMware Download Web site and download the vCenter Converter 4.1.x
installation package.
2Extract the Boot CD .iso file from the installation package.
3Write the Boot CD .iso file on a CD.
What to do next
Follow the onscreen instructions to proceed with cold cloning.
Types of Data Cloning Operations
Converter Standalone supports disk-based cloning, volume-based cloning, and linked-cloning modes.
IMPORTANT Converter Standalone cannot detect any source volumes and file systems that are located on
physical disks larger than 2TB.
Table 1-2. Cloning Modes
Data Copy TypesApplicationDescription
Volume basedCopy volumes from the source
machine to the destination machine.
Disk basedCreate copies of the source machines,
for all types of basic and dynamic
disks.
Linked cloneUse to quickly check compatibility of
non-VMware images
Volume-based cloning is relatively
slow. File-level cloning is slower than
block-level cloning. Dynamic disks are
converted into basic volumes on the
target virtual machine.
You cannot select which data to copy.
Disk-based cloning is faster than
volume-based cloning.
For certain third-party sources, the
linked clone is corrupted if you power
on the source machine after the
conversion. Linked cloning is the fastest
(but incomplete) cloning mode that
Converter Standalone supports.
VMware, Inc. 13
VMware vCenter Converter Standalone User's Guide
Volume-Based Cloning
During volume-based cloning, volumes from the source machine are copied to the destination machine.
Converter Standalone supports volume-based cloning for hot and cold cloning, and during the import of
existing virtual machines.
During volume-based cloning, all volumes in the destination virtual machine are converted to basic volumes,
regardless of their type in the corresponding source volume.
Volume-based cloning is performed at the file level or block level, depending on the destination volume size
that you select.
Volume-based cloning at
the file level
Performed when you select a size smaller than the original volume for NTFS
volumes or you choose to resize a FAT volume.
Volume-based cloning at the file level is supported only for FAT, FAT32, NTFS,
ext2, ext3, ext4, and ReiserFS file systems.
Dynamic source disks are read but not preserved during volume-based
conversions. Dynamic disks are converted into basic volumes on the target
virtual machine.
Volume-based cloning at
the block level
Performed when you choose to preserve the size of the source volume or when
you specify a larger volume size for NTFS source volumes.
For certain cloning modes, Converter Standalone might not support some types of source volumes.
Table 1-3 shows the supported and nonsupported source volume types.
Table 1-3. Supported and Nonsupported Source Volumes
All types of source volumes that
Windows recognizes
n
Linux ext2, ext3, and ReiserFS
n
RAID
n
GUID partition table (GPT) disks
n
RAID
n
GUID partition table (GPT) disks
Disk-Based Cloning
Converter Standalone supports disk-based cloning to import existing virtual machines.
Disk-based cloning transfers all sectors from all disks and preserves all volume metadata. The destination
virtual machine receives partitions of the same type, size, and structure, as the partitions of the source virtual
machine. All volumes on the source machine's partitions are copied as they are.
Disk-based cloning supports all types of basic and dynamic disks.
Full and Linked Clones
Clones can be full or linked depending on the amount of data copied from the source to the destination machine.
A full clone is an independent copy of a virtual machine that shares nothing with the parent virtual machine
after the cloning operation. Ongoing operation of a full clone is separate from the parent virtual machine.
Because a full clone does not share virtual disks with the parent virtual machine, full clones generally perform
better than linked clones. Full clones take longer to create than linked clones. Creating a full clone can take
several minutes if the files involved are large.
You can create a full clone by using any disk clone type other than the linked clone type.
14 VMware, Inc.
Chapter 1 Introduction to VMware vCenter Converter Standalone
A linked clone is a copy of a virtual machine that shares virtual disks with the parent virtual machine in an
ongoing manner. A linked clone is a fast way to convert and run a new virtual machine. You can create a linked
clone from the current state, or snapshot, of a powered-off virtual machine. This practice conserves disk space
and allows multiple virtual machines to use the same software installation.
All files available on the source machine at the moment of the snapshot continue to remain available to the
linked clone. Ongoing changes to the virtual disk of the parent do not affect the linked clone, and changes to
the disk of the linked clone do not affect the source machine. If you make changes to a source Virtual PC and
Virtual Server machines, or to LiveState images, the linked clone is corrupted and you cannot use it anymore.
A linked clone must have access to the source. Without access to the source, you cannot use a linked clone at
all.
For more information on how to create a linked clone, see “Create a Linked Clone,” on page 58.
Destination Disk Types
Depending on the destination you select, several destination disk types are available.
For detailed information on destination virtual disks types, see Table 1-4.
Table 1-4. Destination Disk Types
DestinationAvailable Disk Types
VMware Infrastructure virtual machine
VMware Workstation or other VMware virtual machine
Thick
Thin
Preallocated
Not preallocated
2GB Split
preallocated
2GB Split not
preallocated
Copies the entire source disk size to the
destination, regardless of its used and
free space.
For managed destinations that support
thin provisioning through GUI, creates
an expanding disk on the destination.
For example, if the source disk size is
10GB, but only 3GB is used, the created
destination disk is 3GB but can expand
to 10GB.
Copies the entire source disk size to the
destination, regardless of its used and
free space.
Creates an expanding disk on the
destination. For example, if the source
disk size is 20GB, but only 5GB is used,
the created destination disk is 5GB but
can expand to 20GB. Take this expansion
into account when you calculate the free
disk space on the destination datastore.
Splits the source disk into 2GB sections
on the destination.
Creates 2GB sections on the destination
that include only the real used space on
the source disk. As the destination disk
grows, new 2GB sections are created to
accommodate the new data until the size
reaches that of the original source disk.
To support destination virtual disks on FAT file systems, divide the source data into 2GB files.
VMware, Inc. 15
VMware vCenter Converter Standalone User's Guide
Using Converter Standalone with Virtual Machine Sources and System
Images
With Converter Standalone, you can convert virtual machines and system images, and configure VMware
virtual machines.
Converting virtual
machines
Configuring virtual
machines
You can convert VMware virtual machines from and to Workstation,
VMware Player, VMware ACE, VMware Fusion, ESX, ESXi Embedded,
ESXi Installable, and VMware Server. You can also import virtual machines
from Microsoft Virtual Server and Virtual PC.
To be able to run an imported VMware virtual machine and its source virtual
machine on the same network, you must modify the network name and IP
address on one of the virtual machines. Modifying the network name and IP
address allows the original and new virtual machines to coexist on the same
network.
If the VMware virtual machines have disks that are populated by using a
backup of a physical host or by cold cloning, Converter Standalone prepares
the image to run on VMware virtual hardware. If you have used a third-party
virtualization software to create a virtual machine on an ESX host, you can use
Converter Standalone to reconfigure it. You can also reconfigure any operating
system installed on a multiboot machine if you have imported the virtual
machine to an ESX host. Before you reconfigure a multiboot machine, you must
change the boot.ini file.
System Settings Affected by Conversion
A VMware virtual machine that Converter Standalone creates contains a copy of the disk state of the source
physical machine, virtual machine, or system image. Some hardware-dependent drivers and sometimes the
mapped drive letters might not be preserved.
The following source computer settings remain unchanged:
n
Operating system configuration (computer name, security ID, user accounts, profiles, preferences, and so
on)
n
Applications and data files
n
Volume serial number for each disk partition
Because the target and the source virtual machines or system images have the same identities (name, SID, and
so on), running them on the same network might result in conflicts. To redeploy the source virtual machine or
system image, make sure that you do not run the source and target images or virtual machines on the same
network at the same time.
For example, if you use Converter Standalone to test whether you can run a Virtual PC virtual machine as a
VMware virtual machine without first decommissioning the original Virtual PC machine, you must first resolve
the duplicate ID problem. You can resolve this problem by customizing the virtual machines in the
Conversion or the Configuration wizard.
16 VMware, Inc.
Changes to Virtual Hardware
After conversion, most applications function correctly on the VMware virtual machine because their
configuration and data files have the same location as on the source virtual machine. However, applications
might not work if they depend on specific characteristics of the underlying hardware, such as the serial number
or the device manufacturer.
Table 1-5 contains hardware changes that might occur after virtual machine migration.
Table 1-5. Hardware Changes After Virtual Machine Migration
HardwareBehavior
CPU model and serial numbersMight change after migration if they are activated. They correspond to the physical
computer hosting the VMware virtual machine.
Ethernet adaptersMight change (AMD PCNet or VMXnet) and have a different MAC address. The
IP address of each interface must be individually reconfigured.
Graphics cardsMight change after migration (VMware SVGA card).
Disks and partitionsThe number of disks and partitions might change if you rearrange volumes during
the cloning process. Each disk device might have a different model and different
manufacturer strings.
Primary disk controllersMight differ from the source machine.
Chapter 1 Introduction to VMware vCenter Converter Standalone
Applications might not work if they depend on devices that are not available within a virtual machine.
VMware, Inc. 17
VMware vCenter Converter Standalone User's Guide
18 VMware, Inc.
System Requirements2
You must consider the compatibilities and the interoperabilities among the systems on which and with which
the Converter Standalone components work.
This chapter includes the following topics:
n
“Supported Operating Systems,” on page 19
n
“Installation Space Requirements,” on page 20
n
“Screen Resolution Requirements,” on page 21
n
“Supported Source Types,” on page 21
n
“Supported Destination Types,” on page 23
n
“Restoring VCB Images in Converter Standalone,” on page 24
n
“Configuring Permissions for vCenter Users,” on page 25
n
“Support for IPv6 in Converter Standalone,” on page 25
n
“TCP/IP and UDP Port Requirements for Conversion,” on page 26
n
“Requirements for Remote Hot Cloning of Windows Operating Systems,” on page 27
Supported Operating Systems
You can install Converter Standalone components only on Windows operating systems. Converter Standalone
supports Windows and Linux operating systems as sources for powered-on-machine conversions and virtualmachine conversions. You cannot reconfigure Linux distributions.
For a list of operating systems on which you can install Converter Standalone components, see Table 2-1.
NOTE P2V conversion is not supported for UEFI source machines.
Table 2-1. Supported Operating Systems
Converter
Standalone
Supported Operating
Systems
Windows XP
Professional (32-bit and
64-bit) SP3
Windows 2003 (32-bit
and 64-bit) SP2,
Revision 2
VMware, Inc. 19
Server
Support
YesYesYesYesYesYes
YesYesYesYesYesYes
Converter
Standalone
Client
Support
Converter
Standalone
Agent Support
Source for
Powered-On
Machine
Conversions
Source for
Virtual
Machine
Conversions
Configuration
Source
VMware vCenter Converter Standalone User's Guide
Table 2-1. Supported Operating Systems (Continued)
Supported Operating
Systems
Converter
Standalone
Server
Support
Converter
Standalone
Client
Support
Converter
Standalone
Agent Support
Source for
Powered-On
Machine
Conversions
Source for
Virtual
Machine
Conversions
Configuration
Source
Windows Vista (32-bit
and 64-bit) SP2
Windows Server 2008
(32-bit and 64-bit) SP2
Windows Server 2008 R2
(64-bit)
Windows 7 (32-bit and
64-bit)
Red Hat Enterprise
Linux 2.x (32-bit and 64bit)
Red Hat Enterprise
Linux 3.x (32-bit and 64bit)
Red Hat Enterprise
Linux 4.x (32-bit and 64bit)
Red Hat Enterprise
Linux 5.x (32-bit and 64bit)
SUSE Linux Enterprise
Server 8.x (32-bit and 64bit)
SUSE Linux Enterprise
Server 9.x (32-bit and 64bit)
SUSE Linux Enterprise
Server 10.x (32-bit and
64-bit)
SUSE Linux Enterprise
Server 11.x (32-bit and
64-bit)
Ubuntu 8.x (32-bit and
64-bit)
Ubuntu 9.x (32-bit and
64-bit)
Ubuntu 10.x (32-bit and
64-bit)
YesYesYesYesYesYes
YesYesYesYesYesYes
YesYesYesYesYesYes
YesYesYesYesYesYes
NoNoNoYesYesNo
NoNoNoYesYesNo
NoNoNoYesYesNo
NoNoNoYesYesNo
NoNoNoYesYesNo
NoNoNoYesYesNo
NoNoNoYesYesNo
NoNoNoYesYesNo
NoNoNoYesYesNo
NoNoNoYesYesNo
NoNoNoYesYesNo
Installation Space Requirements
During installation, you can select the Converter Standalone components that you want to install. All
components require different amounts of free disk space to install.
Table 2-2 shows the disk space required to install Converter Standalone and its components.
20 VMware, Inc.
Table 2-2. Installation Space Requirements
Installation ComponentDisk Space Required
Installation file100MB100MB
vCenter Converter client25MB25MB
vCenter Converter server120MB300MB
vCenter Converter agent25MB100MB
Screen Resolution Requirements
To display wizards properly, Converter Standalone requires a screen resolution of at least 1024x768 pixels.
Supported Source Types
With Converter Standalone, you can convert remote powered-on machines, powered-off VMware virtual
machines, Hyper-V virtual machines, and other third-party virtual machines and system images.
Table 2-3 shows the sources that Converter Standalone supports.
Table 2-3. Supported Sources
Source TypeSources
Powered-on machines
VMware vCenter virtual
machines
VMware virtual machinesPowered-off hosted virtual machines running on the following VMware products:
n
Remote Windows physical machines
n
Remote Linux physical machines
n
Local Windows physical machines
n
Windows virtual machines running on Hyper-V Server
n
Powered-on VMware virtual machines
n
VMware VCB backup images
Powered-off virtual machines managed by the following servers:
n
VirtualCenter 2.5
n
vCenter Server 4.0, 4.1, and 5.0
n
ESX Server 2.5.x (if VirtualCenter 2.5 or later manages ESX)
n
ESX Server 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, and 4.1
n
ESXi 3.5, 4.0, 4.1, and 5.0
n
VMware Workstation 5.x, 6.x, 7.x, and 8.x
n
VMware Fusion 2.x, 3.x, and 4.x
n
VMware Player 2.x and 3.x
n
VMware Server 2.x
Chapter 2 System Requirements
Disk Space Requirement for Decompressed
Files
VMware, Inc. 21
VMware vCenter Converter Standalone User's Guide
Table 2-3. Supported Sources (Continued)
Source TypeSources
Hyper-V Server virtual
machines
Third-party virtual machines or
system images
Powered-off virtual machines with the following guest operating systems:
n
Windows Server 2003 (x86 and x64), SP1, SP2, and R2
n
Windows Server 2008 (x86 and x64) SP2 and R2 SP2
n
Windows 7 (except Home editions)
n
Windows Vista SP1 and SP2 (except Home editions)
n
Windows XP Professional SP2, SP3, and x64 SP2
n
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10 SP1 and SP2
n
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11
n
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.2, 5.3, and 5.4 (x86 and x64)
n
Acronis True Image Echo 9.1, 9.5, and Acronis True Image Home 10 and 11 (.tib).
n
Symantec Backup Exec System Recovery (formerly LiveState Recovery) 6.5, 7.0, 8.0,
and 8.5, LiveState Recovery 3.0 and 6.0 (only .sv2i).
n
Norton Ghost version 10.0, 12.0, and 14.0 (.sv2i format only).
n
Parallels Desktop 2.5, 3.0, and 4.0 (.pvs and .hdd). Compressed disks are not
supported.
n
Parallels Workstation 2.x (.pvs). Compressed disks are not supported. Parallels
Virtuozzo Containers are not supported.
n
StorageCraft ShadowProtect Desktop, ShadowProtect Server, ShadowProtect Small
Business Server (SBS), ShadowProtect IT Edition, versions 2.0, 2.5, 3.0, 3.1, and 3.2
(.spf).
n
Microsoft VHD format for the following sources:
n
Microsoft Virtual PC 2004 and Microsoft Virtual PC 2007 (.vmc)
n
Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 and 2005 R2 (.vmc)
Sources that run Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 can be converted to ESX 3.5 Update 5, ESX 4.0, or
later destinations. ESX 3.5 Update 4 or earlier versions do not support Windows 7.
Conversion Limitations for Powered-On Machines
When you convert a powered-on machine, some conversion features might not be available for certain source
operating systems.
For a list of limitations dependent on the source operating system, see Table 2-4.
Table 2-4. Limitations for Powered-On Machine Conversion
Source Operating SystemLimitations
Windows XP and later
Linux
n
Synchronization is supported only for volume-based cloning at the block level.
n
Scheduling synchronization is supported only for managed destinations that are ESX
4.0 or later.
n
Only volume-based cloning at the file level is supported.
n
Only managed destinations are supported.
n
Converting multiboot virtual machines is supported only if GRUB is installed as the
boot loader. LILO is not supported.
Conversion Limitations for VMware Virtual Machines
Certain limitations exist when you convert a VMware virtual machine.
You must power off source virtual machines before you convert them. You can convert running virtual
machines if you follow the procedure for converting powered-on machines.
When you convert a virtual machine with VMware snapshots, the snapshots are not transferred to the
destination virtual machine.
22 VMware, Inc.
Chapter 2 System Requirements
Certain limitations are applicable when you convert Linux virtual machine sources.
n
Only disk-based cloning is supported for Linux guest operating systems.
n
Configuration or customization is not supported for Linux guest operating systems.
n
Installing VMware Tools is not supported on Linux guest operating systems.
Conversion Limitations for Third-Party Virtual Machines or System Images
Converter Standalone can convert third-party virtual machines, system images, ShadowProtect images, and
BackupExec System Recovery images. These conversions have limitations.
Third-Party Virtual Machines and System Images
Third-party virtual machines and system images have the following limitations.
n
Virtual machines created with Macintosh versions of Virtual PC are not supported.
n
The operating system on the source Virtual PC or Virtual Server virtual machine must be a Windows guest
operating system supported by the destination VMware platform (for example, Workstation 5 or 6.0.x).
For a list of supported operating systems, see the Guest Operating System Installation Guide.
Converter Standalone supports Virtual PC and Virtual Server virtual machines with most Windows
operating systems earlier than Windows NT 4.0 and with non-Windows operating systems (for example,
Linux and DOS) only for cloning. Converter Standalone does not support configuring for these systems.
n
Parallels Virtuozzo containers are not supported.
ShadowProtect and Backup Exec System Recovery
ShadowProtect and Backup Exec System Recovery have the following limitations.
n
Dynamic disks are not supported.
n
All images for the backup of a machine must be in a single folder. The source folder must not contain
images that are not part of the backup.
n
For volume-based cloning, all volumes in the disk up to the active and system volumes must be backed
up. For example, if a disk has four partitions, 1 through 4, with partition 2 as the active volume and
partition 3 as the system volume, the backup must include partitions 1 through 3.
n
For incremental images, up to 16 incremental backups are supported.
n
ShadowProtect images of systems with logical drives are not supported if the logical drive is also a system
or active volume.
Supported Destination Types
With Converter Standalone, you can create virtual machines compatible with VMware hosted and managed
products.
Table 2-5 shows the destinations that Converter Standalone supports.
NOTE For hosted destinations that reside on SMB or NFS shares, you must use volume-based cloning and
create 2GB disks that are not pre-allocated.
Restoring VCB Images in Converter Standalone
You can use VMware Consolidated Backup to back up all of the virtual machines of an entire ESX installation.
The backup is stored by using Workstation disks, a .vmx file, and a catalog file. Converter Standalone can restore
VCB images to ESX hosts and convert them to VMware standalone virtual machines.
Converter Standalone supports restore operations for VCB images of the source operating systems described
in “Supported Operating Systems,” on page 19.
Converter Standalone does not maintain the .nvram file or the VMware log files.
Converter Standalone does not read the original location settings from the catalog file. To restore to the same
location, find information such as datastore, host name, folder name, and resource pool in the catalog file and
specify it in the Conversion wizard. In addition, Converter Standalone does not read the original display name
from the catalog file. If you want to use the same name but do not remember it, you can look it up in the catalog
file. You can read the catalog file as a plain text file.
Information Not Preserved When Using Converter Standalone for Managed
Product Destinations
When you restore VCB images for managed product destinations (ESX hosts, for example), Converter
Standalone does not preserve certain hardware backing information from the original image, but rather
substitutes default settings.
Table 2-6 shows the areas that are affected.
Table 2-6. Changes to Hardware Information Because of Conversion
Affected AreaBehavior
CD-ROMDefaults to the client device type.
FloppyDefaults to the client device type.
Network adaptersDefaults to the list of network adapters in the GUI. The MAC address is not preserved. The destination
host regenerates the MAC address.
Serial portDefaults to the physical serial port on destination host machine.
Parallel portDefaults to the physical parallel port on destination host machine.
When you restore images, the Converter Standalone GUI does not preserve certain other virtual machine
properties from the original image, but substitutes default settings. Table 2-7 shows the affected areas.
24 VMware, Inc.
Table 2-7. Changes to Properties Because of Conversion
Affected AreaBehavior
Chapter 2 System Requirements
UUIDThe virtual machine's BIOS and location, identified by uuid.bios and uuid.location, are not
Disk resource allocationDefaults to the values available on the host when the virtual machine is created.
preserved. The destination host machine regenerates the BIOS and location.
Information Not Preserved for Hosted Product Destinations
When you import a VCB image to a hosted product destination (Workstation, for example), Converter
Standalone cannot guarantee that virtual machine properties can be preserved. This behavior is because
Converter Standalone handles this import as a migration, and not as a restore.
For more information about VCB images, see the Virtual Machine Backup Guide.
Configuring Permissions for vCenter Users
To convert virtual machines to vCenter machines with Converter Standalone, you must have certain vCenter
permissions set at the datacenter level.
n
Datastore.Allocate Space
n
Virtual machine.Inventory.Create new
n
Virtual machine.Configuration.Add new disk
n
Virtual Machine.Interaction.Power On (needed only if you choose to power on the destination virtual
machine after conversion)
n
Virtual Machine.Provisioning.Allow Disk Access
n
Resource.Assign Virtual Machine To Resource Pool
n
Network.Assign network (needed only if you plan to connect the destination virtual machine to a
network)
For more information about setting permissions, see the vSphere Datacenter Administration Guide.
Support for IPv6 in Converter Standalone
Converter Standalone supports both IPv4 and IPv6 Internet protocols with several limitations.
Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6 or IPng) is the successor to Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4), which is the
currently used protocol for assigning IP addresses to computers on the Internet. IPv6 was adopted to overcome
the expected exhaustion of IPv4 addresses that might be caused by the constantly increasing number of
computers on the Internet.
While IPv4 uses 32bit addresses, IPv6 uses 128bit. IPv6 addresses can have different formats or notations.
n
1040:0:0:0:0:0:0:1
n
1040::1
n
21DA:00D3:0010:2F3B:02AA:00FF:FE28:9C5A
n
[2001:0db8:85a3:08d3:1319:8a2e:0370:7344]:443
Converter Standalone supports all IPv6 notations for all components of the system.
n
Converter Standalone installer
n
Converter Standalone client
n
Converter Standalone agent
VMware, Inc. 25
VMware vCenter Converter Standalone User's Guide
n
All destinations supported in Converter Standalone
Along with the higher security level and much larger address space, IPv6 brings about some compatibility
tasks that have not been resolved yet. For example, IPv4-only nodes cannot communicate directly with IPv6
nodes and need additional routing. This makes the end-to-end support of mixed IPv4 and IPv6 environments
precarious.
To reduce this complexity, Converter Standalone supports only pure IPv6 or IPv4 environments, where the
protection source, the protection destination, and the Converter Standalone server and agent must run the
same version of IP.
NOTE You cannot use IPv6 to customize the guest operating systems of virtual machines.
TCP/IP and UDP Port Requirements for Conversion
To enable conversion, the Converter Standalone server and client must be able to send data to each other, to
remote physical machines, and to vCenter Server. Also, the source and destination hosts must receive data
from each other. Designated ports are reserved for this communication.
If any of these ports is blocked, the corresponding conversion task fails.
Ports Used When Converting a Powered-On Physical Machine Running Windows
Table 2-8 contains a list of the ports that must be open during the conversion of physical machine sources
running Windows.
Table 2-8. Ports Required During Windows P2V
Communication
Communication Paths
Converter Standalone server to
powered-on source machine
Converter Standalone server to
vCenter Server
Converter Standalone client to
vCenter Server
Powered-on source machine to
ESX/ESXi
PortsNotes
TCP - 445, 139,
9089
UDP - 137, 138
TCP - 443Required only if the conversion destination is a vCenter Server.
TCP - 443Required only if the Converter Standalone server and client
TCP - 443, 902If the conversion destination is vCenter Server, only port 902 is
If the source computer uses NetBIOS, port 445 is not required. If
NetBIOS is not being used, ports 137, 138, and 139 are not
required. When in doubt, make sure that none of the ports are
blocked.
NOTE Unless you have installed Converter Standalone server or
agent on the source computer, the account used for
authentication to the source computer must have a password,
network file sharing must be enabled on the source computer,
and Simple File Sharing must not be used.
components are on different machines.
required.
Ports Used When Converting a Powered-On Physical Machine Running Linux
Table 2-9 contains a list of the ports that must be open during the conversion of physical machine sources
running Linux.
Table 2-9. Ports Required During Linux P2V
Communication PathsTCP PortsNotes
Converter Standalone server to
powered-on source machine
Converter Standalone client to Converter
Standalone server
26 VMware, Inc.
22Used to establish an SSH connection between the Converter
Standalone server and the source machine.
443Required only if the Converter Standalone server and client
components are on different machines.
Table 2-9. Ports Required During Linux P2V (Continued)
Communication PathsTCP PortsNotes
Chapter 2 System Requirements
Converter Standalone server to
vCenter Server
Converter Standalone server to
ESX/ESXi
Converter Standalone server to helper
virtual machine
Helper virtual machine to powered-on
source machine
443Required only if the conversion destination is a vCenter Server.
443, 902,
903
443
22Used to establish an SSH connection between the helper virtual
If the conversion destination is a vCenter Server, only ports 902
and 903 are required.
machine and the source machine. By default, the IP address of the
helper virtual machine is assigned by DHCP. If no DHCP server
is available on the destination network, you must manually assign
the target virtual machine an IP address.
Ports Used When Converting Virtual Machine Sources
Table 2-10 contains a list of the ports that must be open during the conversion of virtual machines.
Table 2-10. Ports Required During V2V
Communication
Communication Paths
Converter Standalone server to
Fileshare path
Converter Standalone client to
Converter Standalone server
Converter Standalone server to
vCenter Server
Converter Standalone server to
ESX/ESXi
PortsNotes
TCP - 445, 139
UPD - 137, 138
TCP - 443Required only if the Converter Standalone server and client
TCP - 443Required only if the conversion destination is a
TCP - 443, 902If the conversion destination is a vCenter Server, only port 902
Required only for standalone virtual machine sources or
destinations. If the computer hosting the source or destination
path uses NetBIOS, port 445 is not required. If NetBIOS is not
being used, ports 137, 138, and 139 are not required. When in
doubt, make sure that none of the ports are blocked.
components are on different machines.
vCenter Server.
is required.
Requirements for Remote Hot Cloning of Windows Operating Systems
To avoid problems related to permissions and network access, ensure that simple file sharing is turned off and
that Windows Firewall does not block file and printer sharing. Also, to access file and printer sharing ports,
you might need to change the scope of the IP addresses that the firewall allows.
To ensure successful remote hot cloning of Windows platforms, verify the following items on the source
machine before you start the application:
n
Ensure that simple file sharing is turned off.
n
Ensure that file and printer sharing is not blocked by Windows Firewall.
You must allow incoming file share connections in the following cases:
n
When you use the machine to host standalone images
n
When you use the machine as a standalone destination
n
When you remotely hot clone the machine
To enable customization of the guest operating system, install Sysprep files on the machine where Converter
Standalone server runs.
VMware, Inc. 27
VMware vCenter Converter Standalone User's Guide
Ensure that Windows Firewall Does Not Block File and Printer Sharing
If Converter Standalone fails to connect to a remote Windows XP machine and issues a bad
username/password error message, ensure that file and printer sharing is not blocked by Windows Firewall.
Procedure
1Select Start > Settings > Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Local Security Policy.
2In the Security Settings list on the left, select Local Policies > Security Options.
3In the policies list on the right, select Network access: Sharing and Security model for local accounts.
4Verify that Classic – local users authenticate as themselves is selected.
What to do next
For troubleshooting information about file and printer sharing, search the Microsoft TechNet Web site.
For information about setting file and printer sharing on other Windows systems, see the documentation for
your system.
Turn Off Simple File Sharing on Windows XP Professional
To control permissions for individual users, you must turn off simple file sharing on the source machine.
Turning simple file sharing off does not turn off the Shared Documents feature. Use the simple file sharing UI,
located in the folder’s properties, to configure share and file permissions.
For Windows XP Professional operating systems that are part of a workgroup, the simple file sharing UI is
turned on by default. Windows XP Professional operating systems that are part of a domain use only the classic
file sharing and security interface.
Procedure
1On the source machine, select Start > Settings > Control Panel > Folder Options.
2Click the View tab and deselect Use Simple File Sharing (Recommended).
Simple file sharing is turned off.
What to do next
For more information about turning simple file sharing on or off, see the Microsoft TechNet Web site.
Prepare Guest Operating System for Customization
To customize the guest operating system of a virtual machine that runs Windows Server 2003 or Windows XP,
you must save the Sysprep files to the specified locations on the machine where Converter Standalone server
runs.
If Sysprep files are missing from the server machine, the Customize Guest OS option is not accessible in the
Converter Standalone wizards.
Prerequisites
You must download the Sysprep files that correspond to the operating system of the source machine.
28 VMware, Inc.
Chapter 2 System Requirements
Procedure
u
Save the Sysprep files that correspond to the source operating system to the specified location on the
machine where Converter Standalone server runs.
OptionDescription
Windows Server 2003 (32bit)
Windows Server 2003 (64bit)
Windows XP (32bit)
Windows XP (64bit)
The Sysprep files Location for Windows: %ALLUSERSPROFILE
%\Application Data\VMware\VMware vCenter Converter
Standalone\sysprep\svr2003
The Sysprep files Location for Windows: %ALLUSERSPROFILE
%\Application Data\VMware\VMware vCenter Converter
Standalone\sysprep\svr2003-64
The Sysprep files Location for Windows: %ALLUSERSPROFILE
%\Application Data\VMware\VMware vCenter Converter
Standalone\sysprep\xp
The Sysprep files Location for Windows: %ALLUSERSPROFILE
%\Application Data\VMware\VMware vCenter Converter
Standalone\sysprep\xp-64
What to do next
You can now customize Windows Server 2003 (32bit and 64bit) and Windows XP (32bit and 64bit) guest
operating systems by using the Conversion or the Configuration wizard.
Limitations Related to Creating Snapshots of Windows Sources
Converter Standalone uses VSS snapshots to save the state of source volumes during hot cloning of physical
and virtual machines that run Windows. VSS snapshots are also used to synchronize the destination virtual
machine with the source machine after the initial conversion. Some of the VSS-related issues are inherited in
Converter Standalone and can prevent the proper completion of your conversion tasks.
Read the limitations listed in Table 2-11 before you initiate a conversion task.
If your conversion task fails with an VSS-related error message, you can check the table for possible reasons
and workarounds.
Table 2-11. VSS Snapshotting Limitations
VSS LimitationsError MessagesWorkarounds
For all operating systems that
support volume-based cloning,
you need at least one NTFS
volume for VSS to work.
VSS under Windows Server 2008
does not support FAT and FAT32.
VSS under Windows Server 2008
does not support unformatted or
unrecognized volumes.
Failed to create VSS snapshot of source
volume. Error code :2147754764
(0x8004230C)
There is no workaround for this
limitation.
Deselect all FAT and FAT32
volumes on the View/Edit
Options page of the
vCenter Converter wizards.
n
Format all unformatted or
unrecognized volumes and
try the conversion again.
n
Deselect all unformatted or
unrecognized volumes while
setting up the conversion task
in the Data to copy pane of the
View/Edit Options page.
VMware, Inc. 29
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