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vCenter Converter Standalone - 5.1
User’s Guide
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VMware vCenter Converter Standalone - 5.1 User’s Guide

VMware vCenter Converter Standalone
User's Guide
vCenter Converter Standalone 5.1
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-001039-00
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:
docfeedback@vmware.com
Copyright © 1998–2013 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. This product is protected by U.S. and international copyright and intellectual property laws. VMware products are covered by one or more patents listed at
http://www.vmware.com/go/patents.
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. Palo Alto, CA 94304 www.vmware.com
2 VMware, Inc.

Contents

About This Book 7
Introduction to VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 9
1
Migration with Converter Standalone 9
Converter Standalone Components 10
Cloning and System Configuration of Physical Machines 10
Hot Cloning of Physical Machines 11
Remote Hot Cloning of Physical Machine Sources That Are Running Windows 11
Remote Hot Cloning of Physical Machine Sources That Are Running Linux 12
Types of Data Cloning Operations 13
Volume-Based Cloning 14
Disk-Based Cloning 14
Full and Linked Clones 14
Using Converter Standalone with Virtual Machine Sources and System Images 15
System Settings Affected by Conversion 15
Changes to Virtual Hardware 16
System Requirements 17
2
Supported Operating Systems 17
Supported Firmware Interfaces 18
Supported Source Types 19
Supported Destination Types 20
Supported Source Disk Types 21
Supported Destination Disk Types 22
Support for IPv6 in Converter Standalone 22
Installation Space Requirements 23
Screen Resolution Requirements 23
Configuring Permissions for vCenter Users 23
TCP/IP and UDP Port Requirements for Conversion 24
Requirements for Remote Hot Cloning of Windows Operating Systems 25
Ensure that Windows Firewall Does Not Block File and Printer Sharing 26
Turn Off Simple File Sharing on Windows XP Professional 26
Prepare the Guest Operating System for Customization 26
VMware, Inc.
Conversion Limitations 29
3
Conversion Limitations for Powered On Machines 29
Conversion Limitations for VMware Virtual Machines 29
Conversion Limitations for Third-Party Virtual Machines or System Images 30
Limitations Related to Creating Snapshots of Windows Sources 30
3
Installing and Uninstalling Converter Standalone 33
4
Perform a Local Installation on Windows 33
Perform a Client-Server Installation in Windows 34
Perform a Command-Line Installation in Windows 36
Command-Line Options for Windows Installation 36
Modify Converter Standalone in Windows 37
Repair Converter Standalone in Windows 38
Uninstall Converter Standalone in Windows 39
Connect to a Remote Converter Standalone Server 39
Convert a Physical or Virtual Machine 41
5
Start the Wizard for a Conversion 42
Select a Source Machine to Convert 42
Select a Powered On Windows Machine to Convert 43
Select a Powered On Linux Machine to Convert 44
Select an ESX/ ESXi or vCenter Server Virtual Machine to Convert 44
Select a VMware Hosted Virtual Machine to Convert 46
Select a Backup Image or a Third-Party Virtual Machine to Convert 46
Select a Hyper-V Server Virtual Machine to Convert 47
Select a Destination for the New Virtual Machine 48
Select a Managed Destination 48
Select a Hosted Destination 50
Configure the Hardware of the Destination Virtual Machine 51
Organize the Data to Copy on the Destination Machine 51
Edit the Number of Processor Sockets and Cores 60
Allocate Memory for the Destination Virtual Machine 61
Select a Disk Controller for the Destination Virtual Machine 62
Configure the Network Settings of the Destination Virtual Machine 62
Configure the Network for the Helper Virtual Machine 63
Configure the Software on the Destination Virtual Machine 63
Customize the Windows Guest Operating System 64
Install VMware Tools on the Destination Virtual Machine 67
Remove System Restore Checkpoints 68
Configure the Conversion Job 69
Set the Startup Mode for Destination Services 69
Stop Services Running on the Source Machine 70
Synchronize the Destination Machine with Changes Made to the Source Machine 71
Power Off the Source Machine After Conversion 72
Power On the Destination Virtual Machine After Conversion 72
Limit the Amount of Resources Used by the Conversion Job 73
Uninstall Converter Standalone Agent from the Source Machine 73
Review the Summary and Submit the Conversion Job 74
Configure Virtual Machines 75
6
Save Sysprep Files 75
Start the Configuration Wizard 76
Select a Source Machine to Configure 76
Select a vSphere Virtual Machine to Configure 77
4 VMware, Inc.
Select a VMware Desktop Virtual Machine to Configure 78
Select the Options to Configure 79
Install VMware Tools on a Virtual Machine 79
Customize the Windows Guest Operating System 79
Remove System Restore Checkpoints 83
Reconfiguring a Virtual Machine To Boot Properly 83
Review and Submit the Configuration Job 83
Contents
Manage Conversion and Configuration Jobs and Tasks 85
7
Manage Jobs in the Job List 85
Add a Job to the Job List 86
View the Running Task of a Job 86
Deactivate a Job 86
Delete a Job 87
Create a Job by Copying an Existing Job 87
Filter the Jobs in the Jobs List 87
Add a Synchronization Task to a Conversion Job 88
Manage Tasks in the Task List 89
Control the Number of Tasks Running Concurrently 89
View the Job to Which a Task Belongs 90
Cancel a Task 90
Filter the Tasks in the Task List 90
Verify Jobs and Tasks Progress and the Log Files 91
View Task Progress 91
Export the Log Files for Jobs 92
Export the Log Files for a Task 92
Back-End and Client Log Files Locations 92
Index 95
VMware, Inc. 5
6 VMware, Inc.

About This Book

The VMware vCenter Converter Standalone User's Guide provides information about installing and using VMware®vCenter Converter Standalone 5.1.
Intended Audience
This book is intended for users who want to perform the following tasks:
n
Install, upgrade, or use Converter Standalone
n
Convert physical and virtual machines into VMware virtual machines
The material 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, Inc.
VMware welcomes your suggestions for improving our documentation. If you have comments, send your feedback to docfeedback@vmware.com.
7
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.
8 VMware, Inc.
Introduction to VMware vCenter Converter
Standalone 1
VMware® vCenter Converter Standalone is a product 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 Player
n
Virtual machines running on an ESX or ESXi instance that vCenter Server manages can be both conversion sources and conversion destinations.
n
Virtual machines running on unmanaged ESX or ESXi hosts can be both conversion sources and conversion destinations.
This chapter includes the following topics:
n
“Migration with Converter Standalone,” on page 9
n
“Converter Standalone Components,” on page 10
n
“Cloning and System Configuration of Physical Machines,” on page 10
n
“Types of Data Cloning Operations,” on page 13
n
“Using Converter Standalone with Virtual Machine Sources and System Images,” on page 15
n
“System Settings Affected by Conversion,” on page 15
n
“Changes to Virtual Hardware,” on page 16

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.
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.
VMware, Inc.
9
n
Export virtual machines managed by vCenter Server hosts to other VMware virtual machine formats.
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 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 lets you to manage the conversion and the configuration tasks.

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.
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.
10 VMware, Inc.
agent
vCenter Converter Standalone running on Windows machine
powered-on
physical machine
ESX/ESXi
source
destination
network
snapshot
source
volumes
Chapter 1 Introduction to VMware vCenter Converter Standalone

Hot Cloning of Physical Machines

With Converter Standalone 5.1, you can only perform hot 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 or the BCD points. To clone the nondefault operating system, change the boot.ini file or the BCD
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.

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.
1 Converter 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.
2 Converter Standalone prepares the virtual machine on the destination machine.
VMware, Inc. 11
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)
Converter Standalone creates a virtual machine on the destination machine and the agent copies volumes from the source machine to the destination machine.
3 Converter 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).
4 Optionally, 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.
12 VMware, Inc.
vCenter Converter Standalone agent and server
Converter Standalone agent deploys helper virtual machine
powered-on Linux
machine
ESX/ESXi
source
destination
network
Helper
VM
source
volumes
vCenter Converter Standalone agent and server
powered-on Linux
machine
data copied to the
helper virtual machine
ESX/ESXi
source
destination
network
Helper
VM
source
volumes
Chapter 1 Introduction to VMware vCenter Converter Standalone
The following workflow demonstrates the principles of hot cloning physical machine sources that run Linux to managed destinations.
1 Converter 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.
2 The 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.
3 Optionally, after data is copied, the destination virtual machine is reconfigured to allow the operating
system to boot in a virtual machine.
4 Converter 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.

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.
VMware, Inc. 13
Table 1-1. Cloning Modes
Data Copy Types Application Description
Volume based Copy volumes from the source
machine to the destination machine.
Disk based Create copies of the source machines,
for all types of basic and dynamic disks.
Linked clone Use 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.

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 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.
For FAT, FAT32, NTFS, ext2, ext3, ext4, and ReiserFS file systems, Converter Standalone preserves the file system type during a volume-based cloning at the file level.
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.

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.
14 VMware, Inc.
Chapter 1 Introduction to VMware vCenter Converter Standalone
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.
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 lets multiple virtual machines 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 cannot be used anymore.
A linked clone must have access to the source. Without access to the source, you cannot use a linked clone.
For more information about how to create a linked clone, see “Create a Linked Clone,” on page 60.

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 Fusion, ESX, ESXi Embedded, and ESXi Installable. 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 lets the original and new virtual machines to coexist on the same network.
If the VMware virtual machines have disks that have been populated by using a backup of a physical host, Converter Standalone prepares the image to run on VMware virtual hardware. If you have used 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 or the BCD.

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
VMware, Inc. 15
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.

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 1-2 contains hardware changes that might occur after virtual machine migration.
Table 1-2. Hardware Changes After Virtual Machine Migration
Hardware Behavior
CPU model and serial numbers Might change after migration if they are activated. They correspond to the physical
computer hosting the VMware virtual machine.
Ethernet adapters Might change (AMD PCNet or VMXnet) and have a different MAC address. The
IP address of each interface must be individually reconfigured.
Graphics cards Might change after migration (VMware SVGA card).
Disks and partitions The 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 controllers Might differ from the source machine.
Applications might not work if they depend on devices that are not available within a virtual machine.
16 VMware, Inc.

System Requirements 2

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 17
n
“Supported Firmware Interfaces,” on page 18
n
“Supported Source Types,” on page 19
n
“Supported Destination Types,” on page 20
n
“Supported Source Disk Types,” on page 21
n
“Supported Destination Disk Types,” on page 22
n
“Support for IPv6 in Converter Standalone,” on page 22
n
“Installation Space Requirements,” on page 23
n
“Screen Resolution Requirements,” on page 23
n
“Configuring Permissions for vCenter Users,” on page 23
n
“TCP/IP and UDP Port Requirements for Conversion,” on page 24
n
“Requirements for Remote Hot Cloning of Windows Operating Systems,” on page 25

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 virtual-machine conversions. You cannot reconfigure Linux distributions.
Table 2-1. Supported Operating Systems
Converter
Standalone Supported Operating Systems
Windows XP Professional (32-bit and 64-bit) SP3
Windows Server 2003 R2 (32-bit and 64-bit) SP2
Windows Vista (32-bit and 64-bit) SP2
VMware, Inc. 17
Server
Support
Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Converter Standalone Client Support
Converter Standalone Agent Support
Source for Powered On Machine Conversions
Source for Virtual Machine Conversions
Configuration Source
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 Server 2008 (32-bit and 64-bit) SP2
Windows Server 2008 R2 (64-bit)
Windows 7 (32-bit and 64-bit)
Windows 8 (32-bit and 64-bit)
Windows Server 2012 (64-bit)
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)
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.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 10.x (32-bit and 64-bit)
Ubuntu 11.x (32-bit and 64-bit)
Ubuntu 12.04 (32-bit and 64-bit)
Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
No No No Yes Yes No
No No No Yes Yes No
No No No Yes Yes No
No No No Yes Yes No
No No No Yes Yes No
No No No Yes Yes No
No No No Yes Yes No
No No No Yes Yes No
No No No Yes Yes No
No No No Yes Yes No

Supported Firmware Interfaces

With Converter Standalone you can perform conversions from BIOS and UEFI sources.
Converter Standalone preserves the firmware interface during the conversion. You cannot convert BIOS sources to UEFI destinations and the reverse.
For UEFI sources, the supported destination types are Workstation 8.0 and later, ESXi 5.0 and later, and vCenter Server 5.0 and later.
18 VMware, Inc.
Chapter 2 System Requirements
Table 2-2. Supported Sources Based on Operating System and Firmware Interface
Operating System BIOS 32-Bit UEFI 64-Bit UEFI
Windows XP
Yes No No
Professional SP3
Windows Server 2003
Yes No No
R2 SP2
Windows Vista SP2 Yes No Yes
Windows Server 2008
Yes No Yes
SP2
Windows Server 2008R2Yes No Yes
Windows 7 Yes No Yes
Windows 8 Yes No Yes
Windows Server 2012 Yes No Yes
Red Hat Enterprise
Yes No No
Linux 3.x
Red Hat Enterprise
Yes No No
Linux 4.x
Red Hat Enterprise
Yes No No
Linux 5.x
Red Hat Enterprise
Yes No Yes
Linux 6.x
SUSE Linux Enterprise
Yes No No
Server 9.x
SUSE Linux Enterprise
Yes No No
Server 10.x
SUSE Linux Enterprise
Yes No No
Server 11.x
Ubuntu 10.x Yes No No
Ubuntu 11.x Yes No Yes
Ubuntu 12.04 Yes No Yes

Supported Source Types

With Converter Standalone, you can convert remote powered on machines, powered off VMware virtual machines, Hyper-V Server virtual machines, and other third-party virtual machines and system images.
Table 2-3. Supported Sources
Source Type Sources
Powered on machines
VMware vCenter virtual machines
VMware, Inc. 19
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
Powered on Hyper-V Server 2012 virtual machines
Powered off virtual machines managed by the following servers:
n
vCenter Server 4.0, 4.1, 5.0, and 5.1
n
ESX 4.0 and 4.1
n
ESXi 4.0, 4.1, 5.0, and 5.1
Table 2-3. Supported Sources (Continued)
Source Type Sources
VMware virtual machines Powered off hosted virtual machines running on the following VMware products:
Hyper-V Server virtual machines
Third-party virtual machines or system images
n
VMware Workstation 7.x, 8.x, and 9.0
n
VMware Fusion 3.x, 4.x, and 5.0
n
VMware Player 3.x, 4.x, and 5.0
For Hyper-V Server versions distributed with Windows Server 2008 R2, 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)
For other Hyper-V Server sources, perform the procedure for powered on physical machines.
n
Acronis True Image Echo 9.1 and 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, and LiveState Recovery 3.0 and 6.0 (.sv2i format only).
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
The 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 4.0 or later destinations.

Supported Destination Types

With Converter Standalone, you can create virtual machines compatible with VMware hosted and managed products.
Table 2-4. Supported Destinations
Destination Type Supported Versions
VMware vCenter virtual machines Managed destinations
n
ESX 4.0 and 4.1
n
ESXi 4.0, 4.1, 5.0, and 5.1
n
vCenter Server 4.0, 4.1, 5.0, and 5.1
VMware hosted virtual machines Hosted destinations
n
VMware Workstation 7.x, 8.x, and 9.0
n
VMware Fusion 3.x, 4.x, and 5.0
n
VMware Player 3.x, 4x, and 5.0
For UEFI sources, the supported destination types are Workstation 8.0 and later, ESXi 5.0 and later, and vCenter Server 5.0 and later.
20 VMware, Inc.

Supported Source Disk Types

Converter Standalone supports conversions from master boot record (MBR) and GUID partition table (GPT) disks with some limitations that depend on the selected data cloning mode.
NOTE Converter Standalone preserves the partitioning scheme during the conversion. You cannot convert an MBR source disk to a GPT destination disk and the reverse.
Converter Standalone supports all types of basic and dynamic disks for disk-based conversions with the exception of GPT/MBR hybrid disks.
Table 2-5. Supported and Nonsupported Source Volumes and Disks
Source Supported Volumes and Disks Nonsupported Volumes and Disks
Virtual machine
Powered on machine
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
Basic volumes
All types of dynamic volumes
Master boot record (MBR) disks
GUID partition table (GPT) disks
All types of source volumes that the operating system recognizes
GUID partition table (GPT) disks
Master boot record (MBR) disks
Chapter 2 System Requirements
n
RAID
n
GPT/MBR hybrid disks
n
RAID
n
GPT/MBR hybrid disks
VMware, Inc. 21

Supported Destination Disk Types

Depending on the destination you select, several destination disk types are available.
Table 2-6. Destination Disk Types
Destination Available Disk Types
VMware vSphere 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.

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
22 VMware, Inc.
Converter Standalone supports all IPv6 notations for all components of the system.
n
Converter Standalone installer
n
Converter Standalone client
n
Converter Standalone agent
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.

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.
Chapter 2 System Requirements
Table 2-7 shows the disk space required to install Converter Standalone and its components.
Table 2-7. Installation Space Requirements
Installation Component Disk Space Required
Installation file 100MB 100MB
vCenter Converter client 25MB 25MB
vCenter Converter server 120MB 300MB
vCenter Converter agent 25MB 100MB

Screen Resolution Requirements

To display wizards properly, Converter Standalone requires a screen resolution of at least 1024x768 pixels.

Configuring Permissions for vCenter Users

To convert virtual machines to vCenter Server machines with Converter Standalone, you must have certain vCenter Server permissions set at the datacenter level.
To start using Converter Standalone, you need to set a number of minimum privileges at the datacenter level.
n
Datastore.Allocate space
n
Datastore.Browse datastore
Disk Space Requirement for Decompressed Files
n
Host.Local operations.Create virtual machine
n
Host.Local operations.Delete virtual machine
n
Host.Local operations.Reconfigure virtual machine
n
Network.Assign network (required only if you plan to connect the destination virtual machine to a network)
VMware, Inc. 23
n
Resource.Assign virtual machine to resource pool
n
Virtual machine.Configuration
n
Virtual machine.Interaction.Power On (required only if you choose to power on the destination virtual machine after conversion)
n
Virtual machine.Inventory
n
Virtual machine.Provisioning.Allow disk access
n
Virtual machine.Provisioning.Allow read-only disk access
Converting Linux and powered on Windows machines might require a number of additional vCenter Server privileges.
n
Virtual machine.Interaction.Configure CD media (required only if you need to boot a converted Linux virtual machine to install media after the conversion)
n
Virtual machine.Snapshot management.Create snapshot (required only if you want to synchronize changes between the source and destination Windows virtual machine)
n
Virtual machine.Snapshot management.Remove Snapshot (required only if you want to synchronize changes between the source and destination Windows virtual machine)
For more information about setting permissions, see the vSphere Datacenter Administration Guide.

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
Converter Standalone server to the destination ESX/ESXi
Powered on source machine to ESX/ESXi
Ports Notes
TCP - 445, 139, 9089
UDP - 137, 138
TCP - 443 Required only if the conversion destination is a vCenter Server.
TCP - 443 Required only if the Converter Standalone server and client
TCP - 902
TCP - 443, 902 If 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.
24 VMware, Inc.
Chapter 2 System Requirements
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 Paths TCP Ports Notes
Converter Standalone server to powered on source machine
Converter Standalone client to Converter Standalone server
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
22 Used to establish an SSH connection between the
Converter Standalone server and the source machine.
443 Required only if the Converter Standalone server and client
components are on different machines.
443 Required only if the conversion destination is a vCenter Server.
443, 902, 903
443
22 Used 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
Ports Notes
TCP - 445, 139
UPD - 137, 138
TCP - 443 Required only if the Converter Standalone server and client
TCP - 443 Required only if the conversion destination is a
TCP - 443, 902 If 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.
VMware, Inc. 25
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.

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
1 Select Start > Settings > Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Local Security Policy.
2 In the Security Settings list on the left, select Local Policies > Security Options.
3 In the policies list on the right, select Network access: Sharing and Security model for local accounts.
4 Verify 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
1 On the source machine, select Start > Settings > Control Panel > Folder Options.
2 Click 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 the 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.
26 VMware, Inc.
Chapter 2 System Requirements
Prerequisites
Make sure you have obtained the Sysprep files that correspond to the source operating system. You can download the Sysprep files from the Microsoft Download Center.
Procedure
u
Save the Sysprep files that correspond to the source operating system on the machine where Converter Standalone server runs.
If you have downloaded a .cab file, you need to extract its contents. If you have downloaded an .exe file, double-click the downloaded file to start the Sysprep installation.
Operating System Action
Windows Server 2003 (32bit)
Windows Server 2003 (64bit)
Windows XP (32bit)
Windows XP (64bit)
Save the Sysprep files in %ALLUSERSPROFILE %\Application Data\VMware\VMware vCenter Converter Standalone\sysprep\svr2003
Save the Sysprep files in %ALLUSERSPROFILE %\Application Data\VMware\VMware vCenter Converter Standalone\sysprep\svr2003-64
Save the Sysprep files in %ALLUSERSPROFILE %\Application Data\VMware\VMware vCenter Converter Standalone\sysprep\xp
Save the Sysprep files in %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.
VMware, Inc. 27
28 VMware, Inc.

Conversion Limitations 3

When you are aware of the conversion limitations of Converter Standalone, you might be able to avoid conversion and post-conversion problems, and handle them more easily.
This chapter includes the following topics:
n
“Conversion Limitations for Powered On Machines,” on page 29
n
“Conversion Limitations for VMware Virtual Machines,” on page 29
n
“Conversion Limitations for Third-Party Virtual Machines or System Images,” on page 30
n
“Limitations Related to Creating Snapshots of Windows Sources,” on page 30

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.
Table 3-1. Limitations for Powered On Machine Conversion
Source Operating System Limitations
Windows XP and later
Linux
n
When you convert UEFI sources, Converter Standalone does not copy any UEFI variables to the destination.
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.
n
When you convert UEFI sources, Converter Standalone copies only the current UEFI boot entry option to the destination.

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.
For volume-based conversions of virtual machine sources that run Windows 8 or Windows Server 2012, Converter Standalone does not preserve storage pools on the destination.
For volume-based conversions of UEFI sources, Converter Standalone does not preserve the UEFI settings. The UEFI settings are preserved during disk-based conversions.
VMware, Inc.
29
When you convert a virtual machine with snapshots, the snapshots are not transferred to the destination virtual machine.
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 8.x or 9.0). 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 these systems as configuration sources.
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.

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 3-2 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.
30 VMware, Inc.
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