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VMware vCenter Converter Standalone
User's Guide
vCenter Converter Standalone 5.5
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-001279-00
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: 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 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
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Contents
About This Book 7 |
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1 Introduction to VMware vCenter Converter Standalone |
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Migration with Converter Standalone |
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Converter Standalone Components |
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Cloning and System Configuration of Physical Machines 10 |
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Hot Cloning of Physical Machines |
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Remote Hot Cloning of Physical Machine Sources That Are Running Windows 11 |
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Remote Hot Cloning of Physical Machine Sources That Are Running Linux |
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Types of Data Cloning Operations |
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Volume-Based Cloning |
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Disk-Based Cloning 14 |
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Full and Linked Clones |
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Using Converter Standalone with Virtual Machine Sources and System Images |
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System Settings Affected by Conversion 16 |
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Changes to Virtual Hardware After Virtual Machine Migration |
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2 System Requirements |
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Supported Operating Systems |
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Supported Firmware Interfaces |
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Supported Source Types |
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Supported Destination Types |
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Supported Source Disk Types |
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Supported Destination Disk Types |
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Support for IPv6 in Converter Standalone |
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Installation Space Requirements 23 |
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Screen Resolution Requirements |
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Configuring Permissions for vCenter Users |
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TCP/IP and UDP Port Requirements for Conversion 25
Requirements for Remote Hot Cloning of Windows Operating Systems 26 Ensure that Windows Firewall Does Not Block File and Printer Sharing 27 Turn Off Simple File Sharing on Windows XP Professional 27
Prepare the Guest Operating System for Customization 27
3 Conversion Limitations 29
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 31
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4 Installing and Uninstalling Converter Standalone 33 |
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Perform a Local Installation on Windows |
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Perform a Client-Server Installation in Windows 34 |
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Perform a Command-Line Installation in Windows |
36 |
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Command-Line Options for Windows Installation |
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Modify Converter Standalone in Windows |
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Repair Converter Standalone in Windows |
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Uninstall Converter Standalone in Windows 39 |
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Connect to a Remote Converter Standalone Server |
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5 Convert a Physical or Virtual Machine 41 |
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Start the Wizard for a Conversion |
42 |
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Select a Source Machine to Convert |
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Select a Powered On Windows Machine to Convert |
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Select a Powered On Linux Machine to Convert |
44 |
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Select an ESX/ ESXi or vCenter Server Virtual Machine to Convert |
44 |
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Select a VMware Hosted Virtual Machine to Convert |
46 |
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Select a Backup Image or a Third-Party Virtual Machine to Convert |
46 |
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Select a Hyper-V Server Virtual Machine to Convert |
47 |
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Select a Destination for the New Virtual Machine |
48 |
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Select a Managed Destination |
48 |
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Select a Hosted Destination 50 |
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Configure the Hardware of the Destination Virtual Machine |
51 |
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Organize the Data to Be Copied on the Destination Machine |
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Edit the Number of Processor Sockets and Cores |
61 |
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Allocate Memory for the Destination Virtual Machine 61 |
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Select a Disk Controller for the Destination Virtual Machine |
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Configure the Network Settings of the Destination Virtual Machine 63 |
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Configure the Network for the Helper Virtual Machine |
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Configure the Software on the Destination Virtual Machine |
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Customize the Windows Guest Operating System |
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Install VMware Tools on the Destination Virtual Machine 68 |
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Remove System Restore Checkpoints 68 |
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Configure the Conversion Job 69 |
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Set the Startup Mode for Destination Services |
70 |
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Stop Services Running on the Source Machine |
71 |
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Synchronize the Destination Machine with Changes Made to the Source Machine 71 |
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Power Off the Source Machine After Conversion |
72 |
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Power On the Destination Virtual Machine After Conversion |
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Limit the Amount of Resources Used by the Conversion Job |
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Uninstall Converter Standalone Agent from the Source Machine 74 |
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Review the Summary and Submit the Conversion Job |
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6 Configure Virtual Machines |
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Save Sysprep Files 77 |
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Start the Configuration Wizard |
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Select a Source Machine to Configure 78
Select a vSphere Virtual Machine to Configure 79
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Contents
Select a VMware Desktop Virtual Machine to Configure 80
Select the Options to Configure 81 |
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Install VMware Tools on a Virtual Machine 81 |
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Customize the Windows Guest Operating System |
81 |
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Remove System Restore Checkpoints |
85 |
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Reconfiguring a Virtual Machine To Boot Properly |
85 |
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Review and Submit the Configuration Job |
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7 Manage Conversion and Configuration Jobs and Tasks 87
Manage Jobs in the Job List |
87 |
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Add a Job to the Job List |
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View the Running Task of a Job |
88 |
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Deactivate a Job 88 |
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Delete a Job |
89 |
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Create a Job by Copying an Existing Job |
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Filter the Jobs in the Jobs List |
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Add a Synchronization Task to a Conversion Job 90 |
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Manage Tasks in the Task List 91 |
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Control the Number of Tasks Running Concurrently 91 |
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Set the Number of Data Connections per Task |
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View the Job to Which a Task Belongs 92 |
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Cancel a Task |
93 |
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Filter the Tasks in the Task List |
93 |
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Verify Jobs and Tasks Progress and the Log Files |
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View Task Progress 94 |
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Export the Log Files for Jobs |
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Export the Log Files for a Task |
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Back-End and Client Log Files Locations |
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Index 97
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VMware vCenter Converter Standalone User's Guide
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About This Book
The VMware vCenter Converter Standalone User's Guide provides information about installing and using VMware®vCenter Converter Standalone.
Intended Audience
This book is intended for users who want to perform the following tasks:
nInstall, upgrade, or use Converter Standalone
nConvert 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 welcomes your suggestions for improving our documentation. If you have comments, send your feedback to docfeedback@vmware.com.
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 To use online support to submit technical support requests, view your Support product and contract information, and register your products, go to
http://www.vmware.com/support.
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VMware vCenter Converter Standalone User's Guide
Support Offerings
VMware Professional
Services
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.
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Introduction to
VMware vCenter Converter 1 Standalone
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.
nVMware hosted products can be both conversion sources and conversion destinations. n VMware Workstation
n VMware Fusion™ n VMware Player
nVirtual machines running on an ESX or ESXi instance that vCenter Server manages can be conversion sources and the corresponding ESX, ESXi, and vCenter Server instances can be conversion destinations.
nVirtual machines running on unmanaged ESX or ESXi hosts can be conversion sources and the corresponding ESX or ESXi hosts can be 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 14
n“Using Converter Standalone with Virtual Machine Sources and System Images,” on page 15
n“System Settings Affected by Conversion,” on page 16
n“Changes to Virtual Hardware After Virtual Machine Migration,” 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.
nImport running remote physical and virtual machines as virtual machines to standalone ESX/ESXi or to ESX/ESXi hosts that vCenter Server manages.
nImport virtual machines hosted by VMware Workstation or Microsoft Hyper-V Server to ESX/ESXi hosts that vCenter Server manages.
nImport third-party backup or disk images to ESX/ESXi hosts that vCenter Server manages.
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VMware vCenter Converter Standalone User's Guide
nExport virtual machines managed by vCenter Server hosts to other VMware virtual machine formats.
nConfigure virtual machines managed by vCenter Server so that they are bootable, and install VMware Tools or customize their guest operating systems.
nCustomize guest operating systems of virtual machines in the vCenter Server inventory (for example, change the host name or network settings).
nReduce the time needed to set up new virtual machine environments.
nMigrate legacy servers to new hardware without reinstalling operating systems or application software.
nPerform migrations across heterogeneous hardware.
nReadjust 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
Converter Standalone agent
Converter Standalone client
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.
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.
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 vCenter Server and hosted environments. Because the migration process does not delete or modify 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 size, file layout, and other characteristics, and thus might not be an exact copy of the source disk.
System reconfiguration adjusts the migrated operating system so that it to functions on the new 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 Before converting a physical machine, verify that you have the proper Windows license.
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Chapter 1 Introduction to VMware vCenter Converter Standalone
Hot Cloning of Physical Machines
With Converter Standalone, you can 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.
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.
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.
vCenter Converter Standalone running on Windows machine
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source 
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snapshot
2Converter Standalone prepares the virtual machine on the destination machine.
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Converter Standalone creates a virtual machine on the destination machine and the agent copies volumes from the source machine to the destination machine.
vCenter Converter Standalone running on Windows machine
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copied volumes
source 
snapshot volumes
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).
vCenter Converter Standalone running on Windows machine
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agent |
reconfiguration |
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customization (optional) |
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snapshot |
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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.
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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.
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.
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vCenter Converter Standalone |
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agent and server |
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Converter Standalone |
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agent deploys helper |
powered-on Linux |
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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.
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agent and server |
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3Optionally, after data is copied, the destination virtual machine is reconfigured to allow the operating system to boot in a virtual machine.
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.
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VMware vCenter Converter Standalone User's Guide
Types of Data Cloning Operations
Converter Standalone supports disk-based cloning, volume-based cloning, and linked-cloning modes.
Table 1 1. Cloning Modes
Data Copy Types |
Application |
Description |
Volume based |
Copy volumes from the source |
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machine to the destination machine. |
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.
Disk based |
Create copies of the source machines, |
You cannot select which data to copy. |
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for all types of basic and dynamic |
Disk-based cloning is faster than |
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disks. |
volume-based cloning. |
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Linked clone |
Use to quickly check compatibility of |
For certain third-party sources, the |
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non-VMware images |
linked clone is corrupted if you power |
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on the source machine after the |
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conversion. Linked cloning is the |
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fastest (but incomplete) cloning mode |
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that Converter Standalone supports. |
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Volume-Based Cloning
During volume-based cloning, volumes from the source machine are copied to the destination machine. Converter Standalone supports volume-based cloning during hot cloning, and during the import of existing virtual machines .
During volume-based cloning, all volumes in the destination virtual machine, except LVM2 logical volumes, are converted to basic volumes, regardless of their type in the corresponding source volume. LVM2 logical volumes can be preserved as logical volumes during conversion.
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
Volume-based cloning at the block 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.
Performed when you choose to preserve the size of the source volume or when you specify a larger volume size for NTFS source volumes . Volumebased cloning at the block level is supported only for Windows.
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.
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Chapter 1 Introduction to VMware vCenter Converter Standalone
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.
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, Hyper-V, 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.
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VMware vCenter Converter Standalone User's Guide
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:
nOperating system configuration (computer name, security ID, user accounts, profiles, preferences, and so on)
nApplications and data files
nVolume 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.
Changes to Virtual Hardware After Virtual Machine Migration
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.
Several hardware changes might occur after you migrate a virtual machine.
Table 1 2. Hardware Changes After Virtual Machine Migration
Hardware |
Behavior |
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CPU model and serial numbers |
Might change after migration. They correspond to the physical computer |
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hosting the VMware virtual machine. |
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Ethernet adapters |
Might change for AMD PCNet or VMXnet and get different MAC addresses. |
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The IP address of each interface must be individually reconfigured. |
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USB adapters |
Might be updated during the cloning process. |
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Graphics cards |
Might change after migration (VMware SVGA card). |
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Disks and partitions |
The number of disks and partitions might change during the cloning process. |
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Each disk device might have a different model and different manufacturer |
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strings. |
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Primary disk controllers |
Might differ from the source machine. |
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Applications that depend on devices that are not available within a virtual machine might not work after you migrate the virtual machine.
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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 23
n“Installation Space Requirements,” on page 23
n“Screen Resolution Requirements,” on page 24
n“Configuring Permissions for vCenter Users,” on page 24
n“TCP/IP and UDP Port Requirements for Conversion,” on page 25
n“Requirements for Remote Hot Cloning of Windows Operating Systems,” on page 26
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 |
Source for Powered |
Source for Virtual |
|
|
Standalone |
On Machine |
Machine |
Configuration |
Supported Operating Systems |
Support |
Conversions |
Conversions |
Source |
|
|
|
|
|
Windows XP Professional (32-bit |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
and 64-bit) SP3 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Windows Server 2003 R2 (32-bit |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
and 64-bit) SP2 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Windows Vista (32-bit and 64-bit) |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
SP2 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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Table 2 1. Supported Operating Systems (Continued)
|
Converter |
Source for Powered |
Source for Virtual |
|
|
Standalone |
On Machine |
Machine |
Configuration |
Supported Operating Systems |
Support |
Conversions |
Conversions |
Source |
|
|
|
|
|
Windows Server 2008 (32-bit and |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
64-bit) SP2 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Windows Server 2008 R2 (64-bit) |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
|
|
|
|
Windows 7 (32-bit and 64-bit) |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
|
|
|
|
Windows 8 (32-bit and 64-bit) |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
|
|
|
|
Windows Server 2012 (64-bit) |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
|
|
|
|
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3.x (32- |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
bit and 64-bit) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4.x (32- |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
bit and 64-bit) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.x (32- |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
bit and 64-bit) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.x (32- |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
bit and 64-bit) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9.x |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
(32-bit and 64-bit) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10.x |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
(32-bit and 64-bit) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11.x |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
(32-bit and 64-bit) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ubuntu 10.04 LTS (32-bit and 64- |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
bit) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ubuntu 12.x (32-bit and 64-bit) |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
|
|
|
|
|
Ubuntu 13.04 (32-bit and 64-bit) |
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.
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 2008 |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
R2 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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|
|
|
Chapter 2 System Requirements |
Table 2 2. Supported Sources Based on Operating System and Firmware Interface (Continued) |
|||
|
|
|
|
Operating System |
BIOS |
32-Bit UEFI |
64-Bit UEFI |
|
|
|
|
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.x |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
|
|
|
|
Ubuntu 13.04 |
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 |
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 |
|
n Powered on virtual machines running under Red Hat KVM or RHEL XEN |
VMware vCenter virtual machines
Powered off virtual machines managed by the following servers:
nvCenter Server 4.0, 4.1, 5.0, 5.1, and 5.5
nESX 4.0 and 4.1
nESXi 4.0, 4.1, 5.0, 5.1, and 5.5
VMware virtual machines |
Powered off hosted virtual machines running on the following VMware products: |
|
|
n VMware Workstation 7.x, 8.x, 9.x, and 10.x |
|
|
n |
VMware Fusion 3.x, 4.x, 5.x, and 6.x |
|
n |
VMware Player 3.x, 4.x, 5.x, and 6.x |
|
|
|
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VMware vCenter Converter Standalone User's Guide
Table 2 3. Supported Sources (Continued)
Source Type |
Sources |
|
|
Hyper-V Server virtual |
For Hyper-V Server versions distributed with Windows Server 2008 R2, powered off |
machines |
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 |
|
For other Hyper-V Server sources, perform the procedure for powered on physical |
|
machines. |
|
|
Third-party virtual machines |
n Acronis True Image Echo 9.1 and 9.5, and Acronis True Image Home 10 and 11 |
or system images |
(.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, 5.1, and 5.5 |
|
n vCenter Server 4.0, 4.1, 5.0, 5.1, and 5.5 |
|
|
VMware hosted virtual machines |
Hosted destinations |
|
n VMware Workstation 7.x, 8.x, 9.x, and 10.x |
|
n VMware Fusion 3.x, 4.x, 5.x, and 6.x |
|
n VMware Player 3.x, 4x, 5.x, and 6.x |
|
|
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.
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Chapter 2 System Requirements
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 |
n Basic volumes |
n |
RAID |
|
n All types of dynamic volumes |
n |
GPT/MBR hybrid disks |
|
n Master boot record (MBR) disks |
|
|
|
n GUID partition table (GPT) disks |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Powered on machine |
n All types of source volumes that |
n |
RAID |
|
the operating system recognizes |
n |
GPT/MBR hybrid disks |
|
n GUID partition table (GPT) disks |
|
|
n Master boot record (MBR) disks
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Supported Destination Disk Types
Several destination disk types might be available for the selected destination.
Table 2 6. Destination Disk Types
Destination |
Available Disk Types |
|
|
|
|
VMware vSphere virtual machine |
Thick |
Copies the entire source disk size to the |
|
||
|
|
destination, regardless of its used and |
|
|
free space. |
|
Thin |
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. |
|
Managed destinations of virtual machine version 10 and |
|
|
later support disks up to 62TB in size. Earlier virtual |
|
|
machine versions support up to 2TB disks. |
|
|
|
|
VMware Workstation or other VMware virtual machine |
Pre- |
Copies the entire source disk size to the |
|
||
|
allocated |
destination, regardless of its used and |
|
|
free space. |
Not preallocated
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.
Split preallocated
Split not preallocated
For disks smaller than 2TB, splits the source disk into 2GB sections on the destination.
For disks larger than 2TB, splits the source disk into 2TB sections on the destination.
For disks smaller than 2TB, 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.
For disks larger than 2TB, creates 2TB sections on the destination that include only the real used space on the source disk. As the destination disk grows, new 2TB sections are created to accommodate the new data until the size reaches that of the original source disk.
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Chapter 2 System Requirements
Table 2 6. Destination Disk Types (Continued)
Destination |
Available Disk Types |
Hosted destinations of virtual machine version 10 and later support up to 8TB disks. Earlier virtual machine versions support up to 2040GB disks.
Hosted destinations support disks sizes larger than 2040GB only if the Split not pre-allocated disk type is selected.
To support destination virtual disks on FAT file systems, split 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.
n1040:0:0:0:0:0:0:1
n1040::1
n21DA: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.
nConverter Standalone installer
nConverter Standalone client
nConverter Standalone agent
nAll 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 conversion source, the conversion 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.
Table 2-7 shows the disk space required to install Converter Standalone and its components.
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VMware vCenter Converter Standalone User's Guide
Table 2 7. Installation Space Requirements
|
|
Disk Space Requirement for Decompressed |
Installation Component |
Disk Space Required |
Files |
|
|
|
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.
nDatastore.Allocate space
nDatastore.Browse datastore
nHost.Local operations.Create virtual machine
nHost.Local operations.Delete virtual machine
nHost.Local operations.Reconfigure virtual machine
nNetwork.Assign network (required only if you plan to connect the destination virtual machine to a network)
nResource.Assign virtual machine to resource pool
nVirtual machine.Configuration
nVirtual machine.Interaction.Power On (required only if you choose to power on the destination virtual machine after conversion)
nVirtual machine.Inventory
nVirtual machine.Provisioning.Allow disk access
nVirtual machine.Provisioning.Allow read-only disk access
Converting Linux and powered on Windows machines might require a number of additional vCenter Server privileges.
nVirtual machine.Interaction.Configure CD media (required only if you need to boot a converted Linux virtual machine to install media after the conversion)
nVirtual machine.Snapshot management.Create snapshot (required only if you want to synchronize changes between the source and destination Windows virtual machine)
nVirtual 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.
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VMware, Inc. |
Chapter 2 System Requirements
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 |
Ports |
Notes |
|
|
|
Converter Standalone server to |
TCP - 445, 139, |
If the source computer uses NetBIOS, port 445 is not required. |
powered on source machine |
9089 |
If NetBIOS is not being used, ports 137, 138, and 139 are not |
|
UDP - 137, 138 |
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. |
|
|
|
Converter Standalone server to |
TCP - 443 |
Required only if the conversion destination is a |
vCenter Server |
|
vCenter Server. |
|
|
|
Converter Standalone client to |
TCP - 443 |
Required only if the Converter Standalone server and client |
vCenter Server |
|
components are on different machines. |
|
|
|
Converter Standalone server to the |
TCP - 902 |
Converter server always requires access to ESX/ESXi at port |
destination ESX/ESXi |
|
902. |
|
|
|
Powered on source machine to |
TCP - 443, 902 |
If the conversion destination is vCenter Server, only port 902 is |
ESX/ESXi |
|
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 Paths |
TCP Ports |
Notes |
|
|
|
Converter Standalone server to |
22 |
Used to establish an SSH connection between the |
powered on source machine |
|
Converter Standalone server and the source machine. |
|
|
|
Converter Standalone client to |
443 |
Required only if the Converter Standalone server and client |
Converter Standalone server |
|
components are on different machines. |
|
|
|
Converter Standalone server to |
443 |
Required only if the conversion destination is a vCenter Server. |
vCenter Server |
|
|
|
|
|
Converter Standalone server to |
443, 902 |
If the conversion destination is a vCenter Server, only ports 902 |
ESX/ESXi |
|
and 903 are required. |
|
|
|
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VMware vCenter Converter Standalone User's Guide
Table 2 9. Ports Required During Linux P2V (Continued)
Communication Paths |
TCP Ports |
Notes |
|
|
|
Converter Standalone server to helper |
443 |
|
virtual machine |
|
|
|
|
|
Helper virtual machine to powered on |
22 |
Used to establish an SSH connection between the helper virtual |
source machine |
|
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 |
Ports |
Notes |
Converter Standalone server to |
TCP - 445, 139 |
Fileshare path |
UPD - 137, 138 |
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.
Converter Standalone client to |
TCP - 443 |
Required only if the Converter Standalone server and client |
Converter Standalone server |
|
components are on different machines. |
|
|
|
Converter Standalone server to |
TCP - 443 |
Required only if the conversion destination is a |
vCenter Server |
|
vCenter Server. |
|
|
|
Converter Standalone server to |
TCP - 443, 902 |
If the conversion destination is a vCenter Server, only port |
ESX/ESXi |
|
902 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 conditions on the source machine before you start the application:
nEnsure that simple file sharing is turned off.
nEnsure that file and printer sharing is not blocked by Windows Firewall. You must allow incoming file share connections in the following situations:
nWhen you use the machine to host standalone images
nWhen you use the machine as a standalone destination
nWhen you hot clone the machine remotely
For Windows Vista and later, you must either use an administrator account for Converter Standalone when logging to the source machine, or disable UAC on the source machine.
To enable customization of the guest operating system, install Sysprep files on the machine where Converter Standalone server runs.
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Chapter 2 System Requirements
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.
2In 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.
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
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.
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.
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VMware vCenter Converter Standalone User's Guide
Procedure
uSave 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) |
Save the Sysprep files in %ALLUSERSPROFILE |
|
%\Application Data\VMware\VMware vCenter Converter |
|
Standalone\sysprep\svr2003 |
|
|
Windows Server 2003 (64bit) |
Save the Sysprep files in %ALLUSERSPROFILE |
|
%\Application Data\VMware\VMware vCenter Converter |
|
Standalone\sysprep\svr2003-64 |
|
|
Windows XP (32bit) |
Save the Sysprep files in %ALLUSERSPROFILE |
|
%\Application Data\VMware\VMware vCenter Converter |
|
Standalone\sysprep\xp |
|
|
Windows XP (64bit) |
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.
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VMware, Inc. |
Conversion Limitations |
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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 31
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 |
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. |
|
|
Linux |
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. |
|
n Simultaneous cloning of multiple disks and volumes is supported only when |
|
converting a virtual Linux source. |
|
n Converting machines with boot directory located on a LVM logical volume is not |
|
supported. The boot directory must be located on a basic volume. |
|
n Installing VMware Tools on Linux guest operating systems 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.
VMware, Inc. |
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VMware vCenter Converter Standalone User's Guide
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.
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.
nOnly disk-based cloning is supported for Linux guest operating systems.
nConfiguration or customization is not supported for Linux guest operating systems.
nInstalling 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.
nVirtual machines created with Macintosh versions of Virtual PC are not supported.
nThe 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.
nParallels Virtuozzo containers are not supported.
ShadowProtect and Backup Exec System Recovery
ShadowProtect and Backup Exec System Recovery have the following limitations.
nDynamic disks are not supported.
nAll 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.
nFor 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.
nFor incremental images, up to 16 incremental backups are supported.
nShadowProtect images of systems with logical drives are not supported if the logical drive is also a system or active volume.
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