Virtual Machine Mobility Planning Guide
Contents
1. G generations moving to generation 2 27 moving to generation 3 25 moving to generation 4 20 moving to generation 5 16 moving to generation 6 13 of particular VMware products 10 GSX Server product generations 10 H hardware abstraction layer SMP virtual machines 11 host system requirements 8 I IDE virtual hard drives not supported in ESX Server 9 VMware Inc importing for ESX Server and snapshots 8 virtual disks for ESX Server 7 21 23 24 26 29 interoperable configurations generation 2 28 generation 3 26 generation 4 22 generation 5 17 K kernel SMP virtual machines 10 L legacy virtual machine creating in Workstation 5 21 multiprocessor virtual machines mobility 10 O operating system VMware Converter can run on 8 R redo log files ESX Server 8 S SMP symmetric multiprocessing ESX Server mobility 10 in Workstation 5 virtual machines 17 moving guest to uniprocessor virtual machine 14 18 22 snapshots and imports for ESX Server 8 suspended virtual machines importing for ESX Server 8 system requirements 8 U undoable mode ESX Server disks 8 uniprocessor guest in SMP virtual machines 21 22 23 upgrading four generation move 15 one way for two generation jump 11 15 19 24 one way from ESX Server 1 5 to 2 23 one way from generation 2 to 3 27 one way from generation 3 to 4 24 three generation move 20 virtual hardware 11 31 Virtual Machine Mobility Planning Guide2. Using VMware Converter 3 to Move Virtual Machines on page 8 and the VMware Converter User s Manual If you are not using VMware Converter you can move a virtual machine from one host to another by copying all the files in the virtual machine folder from the source computer to the destination computer NOTE Workstation 5 5 VMware Server 1 and ESX Server 3 supports two key capabilities that are not supported in Workstation 5 0 64 bit guest operating systems and Virtual SMP A virtual machine that uses either or both of these capabilities cannot be moved to Workstation 5 0 For more details see the Workstation 5 User s Manual and the VMware Server 1 x User s Manual NOTE To take advantage of the experimental 3 D capabilities of Workstation 5 0 and higher the virtual machine must be running the version of VMware Tools that corresponds to the version of Workstation you are using to run it So a virtual machine running on Workstation 5 0 must be running the version of VMware Tools provided with Workstation 5 0 A virtual machine running on Workstation 5 5 must be running the version of VMware Tools provided with Workstation 5 5 If you move the virtual machine and want to use the 3 D capabilities be sure you have the correct version of VMware Tools installed Exporting an ESX Server Virtual Machine to a Hosted Product ESX Server has its own file format for storing virtual disk files The hosted products Workstation VMware Playe
3. Generation 2 to Generation 3 Moving virtual machines from ESX Server 1 0 x to ESX Server 1 5 x should work smoothly Some special steps are needed to move virtual machines from generation 2 hosted products to generation 3 hosted products as shown in Table 17 Moving virtual machines from generation 2 hosted products to ESX Server 1 5 x or from ESX Server 1 0 x to generation 3 hosted products is not supported Table 17 Moving Virtual Machines from Generation 2 to Generation 3 Products Moved to Host System Running GSX Server 2 x or ESX Server 1 5 x Workstation 3 x ESX Server 1 0 x OK Not supported Not supported Upgrade virtual hardware or run in legacy mode GSX Server 1 x or Workstation 2 x Virtual Machine Created Under Moving ESX Server 1 0 x Virtual Machines to ESX Server 1 5 x In general ESX Server 1 0 x virtual machines can be used interoperably under ESX Server 1 5 x For details on using ESX Server 1 0 x virtual machines under ESX Server 1 5 x see the ESX Server 1 5 User s Manual 26 VMware Inc Virtual Machine Mobility Moving from Generation 2 Hosted Products to Generation 3 Hosted Products Before making the move from GSX Server 1 x or Workstation 2 x to GSX Server 2 x or Workstation 3 x you should decide whether you want to be able to move back to the previous product again If you do want to be able to move the virtual machine back to run it under the previous product at some later time you shoul
4. Virtual Machine Created Under ESX Server 2 x with Virtual SMP Moved to Host System Running Workstation 6 x Export virtual disks Use the Workstation 6 Change Version wizard to upgrade the virtual hardware version of the virtual machine or run in legacy mode VMware Fusion 1 x Export virtual disks Use the Upgrade Virtual Machine facility in Fusion to upgrade the virtual hardware version of the virtual machine ESX Server 2 x GSX Server 3 x or Workstation 4 x Export virtual disks Use the Workstation 6 Change Version wizard to upgrade the virtual hardware version of the virtual machine or run in legacy mode Use the Workstation 6 Change Version wizard to upgrade the virtual hardware version of the virtual machine or run in legacy mode Export virtual disks Use the Upgrade Virtual Machine facility in Fusion to upgrade the virtual hardware version of the virtual machine Use the Upgrade Virtual Machine facility in Fusion to upgrade the virtual hardware version of the virtual machine SMP Guest Operating Systems in Uniprocessor Virtual Machines When you install a guest operating system in a multiprocessor virtual machine the installer typically configures the guest operating system with a kernel or hardware abstraction layer that provides special support for using multiple processors A guest operating system installed in this way generally cannot run in a uniprocessor virtual machine As a re
5. 2 Interoperable Configurations Otherwise import virtual disks Virtual machines created on generation 4 hosted products Workstation 4 and GSX Server 3 are interoperable You can move them freely from one product to another In general moving a virtual machine from one host to another means copying all the files in the virtual machine s folder from the source computer to the destination computer For more details see the manuals for Workstation and GSX Server Similarly you can freely move virtual machines between servers running ESX Server 2 with Virtual SMP You can also freely move virtual machines between servers running the standard version of ESX Server 2 For details see the ESX Server 2 x Administration Guide SMP Guest Operating Systems in Uniprocessor Virtual Machines When you install a guest operating system in a multiprocessor virtual machine the installer typically configures the guest operating system with a kernel or hardware abstraction layer that provides special support for using multiple processors A guest operating system installed in this way generally cannot run in a uniprocessor virtual machine As a result VMware supports moving virtual machines from ESX Server with Virtual SMP only to other VMware products that support Virtual SMP Workstation 5 5 or higher and VMware Server Uniprocessor Guest Operating Systems in SMP Virtual Machines Some operating systems installed in a uniprocessor virtual ma
6. V virtual disk file format ESX Server 7 virtual hardware one way upgrade 11 15 19 23 24 27 Virtual SMP ESX Server 10 VirtualCenter capabilities 10 VMotion capabilities 10 VMware ACE using virtual machines from other products 12 VMware Converter generation 5 to generation 5 17 source and destination machines supported 8 VMware Fusion product generations 10 VMware Player using virtual machines created by other products 12 W Windows operating systems on which VMware Converter can run 8 Workstation Converter Import wizard 9 product generations 10 32 VMware Inc
7. and SCSI Hard Disk Types 9 Using VirtualCenter to Move Virtual Machines 10 Moving Virtual Machines of the Same Product and Version 10 Understanding Product Generations 10 Cross Generation Mobility 11 VMware ACE 12 VMware Player 12 Moving to Generation 6 Products 13 Generation 6 to Generation6 13 Generation 5 to Generation6 13 Exporting an ESX Server Virtual Machine to a Hosted Product 13 Generation 4 to Generation6 14 SMP Guest Operating Systems in Uniprocessor Virtual Machines 14 Exporting an ESX Server Virtual Machine to a Hosted Product 14 Generation 3 to Generation6 15 Moving from Generation 3 Hosted Products to Generation 6 Hosted Products Exporting an ESX Server Virtual Machine to Workstation 15 Generation 2 to Generation6 15 Moving to Generation 5 Products 16 Generation 6 to Generation5 16 Generation 5 to Generation5 16 Interoperable Configurations 17 Exporting an ESX Server Virtual Machine to a Hosted Product 17 Generation 4 to Generation5 18 SMP Guest Operating Systems in Uniprocessor Virtual Machines 18 Moving ESX Server 2 x Virtual Machines to ESX Server 3 19 Exporting an ESX Server Virtual Machine to a Hosted Product 19 Generation 3 to Generation5 19 Moving from Generation 3 Hosted Products to Generation 5 Hosted Products Exporting an ESX Server Virtual Machine to Workstation 19 Generation 2 to Generation5 20 Moving to Generation 4 Products 20 Generation 6 to Generation 4 20 Generation 5 to Generation4 21 Uniprocessor Guest Opera
8. in VMware ACE 1 x projects m You can use virtual machines created with Workstation 6 x and VMware Fusion 1 x in VMware ACE 2 x projects m You can use virtual machines created with Workstation 5 x and VMware Server 1 x in ACE 2 0 projects by using the Workstation 6 Change Version wizard to upgrade the virtual machine to generation 6 m You can use virtual machines created With ESX 3 x in ACE 2 0 projects by using VMware Converter to convert the virtual machine to be compatible with Workstation 5 and then using the Workstation 6 Change Version wizard to upgrade the virtual machine to generation 6 However because of the security features in VMware ACE you can move a virtual machine created in VMware ACE to other VMware products only if the virtual machine has not been added to a package and does not have any policies set NOTE To run ESX Server virtual machines under hosted products including VMware ACE you must export the virtual disk files For details on exporting the virtual disk files see the ESX Server 2 x Administration Guide or Virtual Infrastructure 3 Basic System Administration or the VMware Converter User s Manual depending on your product VMware Player 12 VMware Player runs virtual machines created by other VMware products It cannot create virtual machines VMware Player 1 x runs virtual machines created in generation 4 and 5 products VMware Player 2 x runs virtual machines created in Generation 6 products If
9. is one way You cannot move back to the previous product again After you move the virtual machine you must upgrade the virtual hardware You can then use the Workstation 6 Change Version wizard or VMware Converter to upgrade the virtual machine to generation 6 For details see the Workstation 5 User s Manual the Workstation 6 User s Manual and the VMware Converter User s Manual Exporting an ESX Server Virtual Machine to Workstation ESX Server has its own file format for storing virtual disk files Workstation typically stores virtual disk files on the host computer s file system or on a network server that can be accessed by the host operating system When you move a virtual machine from ESX Server to Workstation you must export the virtual disks so they are in a format that can be used by the hosted product For details on exporting the virtual disk files see the ESX Server 1 5 User s Manual Generation 2 to Generation 6 Moving virtual machines from generation 2 products directly to generation 6 products is not supported You can use intermediate products to move the virtual machines in a three stage process For example if you have a generation 3 product first move each virtual machine to the generation 3 product and upgrade the virtual hardware Then move each virtual machine to the generation 4 or 5 product and upgrade the virtual hardware again Finally use the Workstation 6 Change Version wizard or VMware Fusion 1 x
10. mode ESX Server 3 OK in most cases with VMware Converter if ESX Server is 2 5 x and is managed in VirtualCenter 2 Otherwise upgrade virtual hardware one way or run in legacy mode Export virtual disks Upgrade virtual hardware one way or run in legacy mode OK in most cases with VMware Converter if ESX Server is 2 5 x and is managed in VirtualCenter 2 OK in most cases with VMware Converter if ESX Server is 2 5 x and is managed in VirtualCenter 2 OK in most cases with VMware Converter if ESX Server is 2 5 x and is managed in VirtualCenter 2 D es Otherwise export Otherwise export Otherwise upgrade virtual disks virtual disks virtual hardware Upgrade virtual Upgrade virtual one way or run in hardware one way hardware one way legacy mode or run in legacy or run in legacy mode mode Upgrade virtual OK in most cases OK in most cases OK in most cases hardware one way with VMware with VMware with VMware or run in legacy Converter Converter Converter mode Otherwise upgrade Otherwise upgrade Otherwise import virtual hardware virtual hardware virtual disks and one way orrunin one way orrunin create anew virtual legacy mode legacy mode machine in ESX Server 3 using the GSX Server 3 x imported virtual or disks Workstation 4 x Upgrade virtual hardware one way Note that ESX Server 3 does not support copying hosted configuration files to ESX Server 3 and regist
11. need to take some special steps as shown in Table 14 Table 14 Moving Virtual Machines from Generation 3 to Generation 4 Products Moved to Host System Running or Workstation 3 x ESX Server 2 x GSX Server 3 x or with Virtual SMP ESX Server 2 x Workstation 4 x 7 Upgrade virtual Upgrade virtual Export virtual disks S hardware one way or hardware one way or 5 ESX Server 1 5 x run in legacy mode run in legacy mode a Cannot add second d CPU lt Not supported Import virtual disks Upgrade virtual hardware one way or GSX Server 2 x run in legacy mode 5 E gt Generation 3 Virtual Machines and ESX Server with Virtual SMP Importing generation 3 virtual machines into ESX Server with Virtual SMP is not supported Among the problems with such an import guest operating systems installed in a uniprocessor virtual machine might not run correctly in an SMP virtual machine Moving ESX Server 1 5 x Virtual Machines to ESX Server 2 x Before making the move from ESX Server 1 5 x to ESX Server 2 x you should decide whether you want to be able to move back to ESX Server 1 5 x again If you do want to be able to move the virtual machine back to run it under ESX Server 1 5 x at some later time you should run the virtual machine in legacy mode under ESX Server 2 x If you are making a one way move and don t need to run the virtual machine under ESX Server 1 5 x at a later time you should upgrade the virtual hard
12. on page 13 on page 16 on page 20 on page 25 on page 27 Easy in most cases Easy in most cases Easy in most cases Not supported Not supported See Generation 5 See Generation 5 with VMware See Generation 5 See Generation 5 to Generation 6 to Generation 5 Converter to Generation 3 to Generation 2 Generation5 0 Page 13 on page 16 otherwise special on page 25 on page 27 steps needed See Generation 5 to Generation 4 on page 21 Easy inmost cases Easy in most cases Easy in most cases Special steps Not supported Generation 4 Generation 3 with VMware Converter otherwise special steps needed or not supported See Generation 4 to Generation 6 on page 14 Not supported See Generation 3 to Generation 6 with VMware Converter otherwise special steps needed or not supported See Generation 4 to Generation 5 on page 18 One way or not supported See Generation 3 See Generation 4 to Generation 4 on page 22 Special steps needed or not supported needed in most cases See Generation 4 to Generation 3 on page 25 Easy in most cases See Generation 3 to Generation 3 See Generation 4 to Generation 2 on page 27 Not supported in most cases See Generation 3 Generation 2 on page 15 to Generation 5 See Generation3 on page 25 to Generation 2 on page 19 to Generation 4 on page 27 on p
13. special steps when moving a virtual machine from one product to another One example is Symmetric Multiprocessing SMP a capability available only under ESX Server with Virtual SMP VMware Server and Workstation 5 5 and higher When you install a guest operating system in a multiprocessor virtual machine the installer typically configures the guest operating system with a kernel or VMware Inc Virtual Machine Mobility hardware abstraction layer that provides special support for using multiple processors A guest operating system installed in this way generally cannot run in a uniprocessor virtual machine Cross Generation Mobility Table 2 gives a high level view of the effort required to move virtual machines from one generation of products to another The references in each table cell point you to more detailed information on special steps that might be needed to move virtual machines between particular generations of products Table 2 Cross Generation Mobility Virtual Machine Created Under Generation 6 Moved to Host System Running Generation 6 Easy in most cases See Generation 6 to Generation 6 Generation 5 Easy in most cases See Generation 6 to Generation 5 Generation 4 Easy in most cases See Generation 6 to Generation 4 Generation 3 Not supported See Generation 6 to Generation 3 Generation 2 Not supported See Generation 6 to Generation 2
14. to Generation 6 Moving virtual machines from generation 5 to generation 6 products requires no special steps as shown in Table 4 Table 4 Moving Virtual Machines from Generation 5 to Generation 6 Products Virtual Machine Created Under Workstation 5 x Moved to Host System Running Workstation 6 x OK in most cases Use the Workstation 6 Change Version wizard to upgrade the virtual hardware version of the virtual machine or run in legacy mode VMware Fusion 1 x OK in most cases Use the Upgrade Virtual Machine facility in Fusion to upgrade the virtual hardware version of the virtual machine VMware Server 1 x OK in most cases Use the Workstation 6 Change Version wizard to upgrade the virtual hardware version of the virtual machine or run in legacy mode OK in most cases Use the Upgrade Virtual Machine facility in Fusion to upgrade the virtual hardware version of the virtual machine ESX Server 3 x Export virtual disks Use the Workstation 6 Change Version wizard to upgrade the virtual hardware version of the virtual machine or run in legacy mode Export virtual disks Use the Upgrade Virtual Machine facility in Fusion to upgrade the virtual hardware version of the virtual machine Exporting an ESX Server Virtual Machine to a Hosted Product ESX Server has its own file format for storing virtual disk files The hosted products Workstation VMware Player VMware Server GSX Server and
15. to move virtual machines from generation 3 to generation 6 products as shown in Table 6 Moving a virtual machine from a generation 3 product to the generation 6 VMware Fusion 1 x product requires using Workstation as an intermediate step Table 6 Moving Virtual Machines from Generation 3 to Generation 6 Products Virtual Machine Created Under ESX Server 1 5 x Moved to Host System Running Workstation 6 x Export virtual disks Use Workstation 4 or 5 to upgrade virtual hardware one way to generation 4 or 5 then use Workstation 6 Change Version wizard to upgrade virtual hardware to generation 6 VMware Fusion 1 x Export virtual disks Use Workstation 4 or 5 to upgrade virtual hardware one way to generation 4 or 5 then use the Upgrade Virtual Machine facility in Fusion to upgrade virtual hardware to generation 6 GSX Server 2 x or Workstation 3 x Use Workstation 4 or 5 to upgrade virtual hardware one way to generation 4 or 5 then use Workstation 6 Change Version wizard to upgrade virtual hardware to generation 6 Use Workstation 4 or 5 to upgrade virtual hardware one way to generation 4 or 5 then use the Upgrade Virtual Machine facility in Fusion to upgrade virtual hardware to generation 6 Moving from Generation 3 Hosted Products to Generation 6 Hosted Products If you move a virtual machine from GSX Server 2 or Workstation 3 to Workstation 5 ESX Server 3 or VMware Server 1 the process
16. x to GSX Server 3 x or Workstation 4 x the process is one way You cannot move back to the previous product again After you move the virtual machine you must upgrade the virtual hardware This gives you access to improvements in the virtual hardware that were introduced in GSX Server 3 x and Workstation 4 x For details see the manual for the generation 4 product to which you are moving the virtual machine VMware Inc Virtual Machine Mobility Exporting an ESX Server Virtual Machine to a Hosted Product ESX Server has its own file format for storing virtual disk files The hosted products Workstation and GSX Server typically store virtual disk files on the host computer s file system or on a network server that can be accessed by the host operating system When you move a virtual machine from ESX Server to one of the hosted products you must export the virtual disks so they are in a format that can be used by the hosted product For details on exporting the virtual disk files see the ESX Server User s Manual Moving to Generation 3 Products This section summarizes the points you need to consider when moving virtual machines to a generation 3 product Generation 6 to Generation 3 Although you cannot move virtual machines from generation 6 products to generation 3 products you can move virtual machines in the opposite direction Create the virtual machine under the generation 3 product and import it so it will run under
17. you want to use VMware Player to run a virtual machine created by a VMware product from generation 3 or earlier you must first upgrade that virtual machine using a generation 4 5 or 6 product capable of creating virtual machines NOTE To run ESX Server virtual machines under hosted products including VMware Player you must export the virtual disk files For details on exporting the virtual disk files see the ESX Server 2 x Administration Guide or Virtual Infrastructure 3 Basic System Administration or the VMware Converter User s Manual depending on your product VMware Inc Moving to Generation 6 Products Virtual Machine Mobility This section summarizes the points you need to consider when moving virtual machines to a generation 6 product Generation 6 to Generation 6 Moving virtual machines between generation 6 products requires no special steps as shown in Table 3 moving a virtual machine from one host to another simply means copying all the files in the virtual machine s folder from the source computer to the destination computer Table 3 Moving Virtual Machines between Generation 6 Products Virtual Machine Created Under Workstation 6 x Moved to Host System Running Workstation 6 x OK in most cases VMware Fusion 1 x OK in most cases VMware Fusion 1 x OK in most cases OK in most cases For more details see the Workstation 6 User s Manual and the VMware Fusion Help Generation 5
18. Mware format to that using another For example you can copy a VMware Server virtual machine and use it to create an ESX virtual machine This Converter Import wizard functionality is included with Workstation 6 but to use other features of VMware Converter such as its task manager or the ability to import more than one virtual machine at a time you need to download VMware Converter Enterprise Edition and have a Support and Subscription license for VirtualCenter Virtual IDE and SCSI Hard Disk Types Hosted products support emulation of IDE hard disks as well as SCSI hard disks using virtual BusLogic and LSI Logic HBAs ESX Server supports only SCSI This means that without some form of reconfiguration or change you cannot migrate a virtual machine from a hosted product any generation to ESX Server any generation if the virtual machine uses IDE virtual disks For some guest operating system types the New Virtual Machine Wizard in hosted products configures IDE disks by default In order to create an VMware Inc 9 Virtual Machine Mobility Planning Guide ESX Server compatible virtual machine you must deliberately override the default and choose to create SCSI virtual disks If you use VMware Converter to migrate a hosted product virtual machine to ESX Server the process is much simpler for generation 4 and generation 5 products For virtual machines with IDE disks and Windows NT Windows 2000 Windows XP or Windows 2003 guest oper
19. Upgrade Virtual Machine facility For details see the Workstation 5 User s Manual the Workstation 6 User s Manual and the VMware Fusion Help VMware Inc 15 Virtual Machine Mobility Planning Guide Moving to Generation 5 Products This section summarizes the points you need to consider when moving virtual machines to a generation 5 product Generation 6 to Generation 5 Workstation 6 provides a Change Version wizard you can use to downgrade the virtual hardware version of a Workstation 6 virtual machine from generation 6 to generation 5 as shown in Table 7 Table 7 Moving Virtual Machines from Generation 6 to Generation 5 Products Virtual Machine Created Under Workstation 6 x Moved to Host System Running Workstation 5 x OK in most cases use the Workstation 6 Converter Import wizard Or use the Workstation 6 Change Version wizard to downgrade the virtual hardware version of the virtual machine VMware Server 1 OK in most cases use the Workstation 6 Converter Import wizard Or use the Workstation 6 Change Version wizard to downgrade the virtual hardware version of the virtual machine ESX Server 3 OK in most cases use the Workstation 6 Converter Import wizard Or use the Workstation 6 Change Version wizard to downgrade the virtual hardware version of the virtual machine then use VMware Converter 3 or import virtual disks VMware Fusion 1 x Move the virtual
20. VMware Fusion typically store virtual disk files on the host computer s file system or on a network server that can be accessed by the host operating system When VMware Inc 13 Virtual Machine Mobility Planning Guide 14 you move a virtual machine from ESX Server to one of the hosted products you must export the virtual disks so they are in a format that can be used by the hosted product For details on moving virtual machines using VMware Converter see the VMware Converter User s Guide For details on moving virtual machines using the VMware Converter Import Wizard in Workstation 6 0 see the Workstation 6 User s Manual For details on exporting the virtual disk files without using VMware Converter see Virtual Infrastructure 3 Basic System Administration If you have exported virtual disks create a virtual machine in Workstation 6 and select the Custom option in the New Virtual Machine Wizard Set the Hardware compatibility to Workstation 5 and select the option ESX Server Compatible In the Select a Disk panel of the wizard select Use an existing virtual disk and browse to the exported disks For more information on creating a virtual machine in Workstation 6 see the Workstation 6 User s Manual Generation 4 to Generation 6 Special steps are needed to move virtual machines from generation 4 to generation 6 products as shown in Table 5 Table 5 Moving Virtual Machines from Generation 4 to Generation 6 Products
21. Virtual Machine ctober 2007 Virtual Machine Mobility Planning Guide Virtual Machine Mobility Planning Guide Revision 20071018 Item VM ENG Q407 056 You can find the most up to date technical documentation on our 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 1998 2007 VMware Inc All rights reserved Protected by one or more of U S Patent Nos 6 397 242 6 496 847 6 704 925 6 711 672 6 725 289 6 735 601 6 785 886 6 789 156 6 795 966 6 880 022 6 944 699 6 961 806 6 961 941 7 069 413 7 082 598 7 089 377 7 111 086 7 111 145 7 117 481 7 149 843 7 155 558 7 222 221 7 260 815 7 260 820 7 269 683 7 275 136 7 277 998 7 277 999 7 278 030 and 7 281 102 patents pending VMware the VMware boxes logo and design Virtual SMP and VMotion are registered trademarks or trademarks 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 5 Virtual Machine Mobility 7 Mobility Basics 7 Moving Virtual Machines to or from ESX Server 7 Using VMware Converter 3 to Move Virtual Machines 8 The Converter Import Wizard in Workstation6 9 Virtual IDE
22. age 23 Not supported Not supported One way or not Varies Easy in most cases See Generation 2 to Generation 6 on page 15 See Generation 2 to Generation 5 on page 20 supported See Generation 2 to Generation 4 on page 24 See Generation 2 to Generation 3 on page 26 See Generation 2 to Generation 2 on page 28 In general you can set up a working environment with products from the same generation or from two adjacent generations 5 and 6 for example or 4 and 5 If you make appropriate choices you can move virtual machines back and forth between VMware products of the two generations In general you cannot set up a working environment that allows you to move virtual machines around freely if you skip a generation from generation 2 to generation 4 for example In such an environment you need to upgrade the virtual hardware so it will run under the generation 4 product This is a one way move in most cases After you upgrade the virtual hardware you can no longer run the virtual machine under the generation 2 product VMware Inc 11 Virtual Machine Mobility Planning Guide VMware ACE VMware ACE has special characteristics that affect your ability to move virtual machines between VMware ACE and other VMware products You can use VMware virtual machines in VMware ACE projects as follows m You can use virtual machines created with Workstation 4 x or GSX Server 3 x
23. ate anew virtual machine in ESX Server 3 using the imported virtual disks Upgrade virtual hardware one way Moving from Generation 3 Hosted Products to Generation 5 Hosted Products If you move a virtual machine from GSX Server 2 or Workstation 3 to Workstation 5 ESX Server 3 or VMware Server 1 the process is one way You cannot move back to the previous product again After you move the virtual machine you must upgrade the virtual hardware This gives you access to improvements in the virtual hardware that were introduced in Workstation 5 For details see the Workstation 5 User s Manual Exporting an ESX Server Virtual Machine to Workstation ESX Server has its own file format for storing virtual disk files Workstation typically stores virtual disk files on the host computer s file system or on a network server that can be accessed by the host operating system VMware Inc 19 Virtual Machine Mobility Planning Guide When you move a virtual machine from ESX Server to Workstation you must export the virtual disks so they are in a format that can be used by the hosted product For details on exporting the virtual disk files see the ESX Server 1 5 User s Manual Generation 2 to Generation 5 Moving virtual machines from generation 2 products directly to generation 5 products is not supported You can use an intermediate product to move the virtual machines in a two stage process For example if you have a generat
24. ating systems VMware Converter reconfigures them into SCSI disks if you designate ESX Server as the virtual machine destination Because VMware Converter does not reconfigure certain guest operating systems Linux Windows 95 Windows 98 Windows Me IDE virtual machines running these guest operating systems might import successfully but will not work without modification such as that described in VMware knowledge base article 1881 Converting a Virtual IDE Disk to a Virtual SCSI Disk http kb vmware com kb 1881 Using VirtualCenter to Move Virtual Machines If you need to move virtual machines between host systems running ESX Server GSX Server VMware Server or some combination of these products you should investigate the capabilities of VMware VirtualCenter VirtualCenter significantly simplifies the tasks involved in moving virtual machines For host systems running ESX Server the VirtualCenter enhancement known as VMotion makes it possible to move virtual machines while they are powered on and performing transactions NOTE VirtualCenter 1 x supports ESX Server VMware Server and GSX Server VirtualCenter 2 x supports only ESX Server Moving Virtual Machines of the Same Product and Version The simplest environments as far as mobility is concerned are those in which all users are running the same VMware product and version In such an environment moving a virtual machine is primarily a matter of moving its files to the new l
25. chine will run successfully in an SMP virtual machine Check the documentation for your guest operating system to see whether it supports such a move 22 VMware Inc Virtual Machine Mobility Exporting an ESX Server Virtual Machine to a Hosted Product ESX Server has its own file format for storing virtual disk files The hosted products Workstation and GSX Server typically store virtual disk files on the host computer s file system or on a network server that can be accessed by the host operating system When you move a virtual machine from ESX Server to one of the hosted products you must export the virtual disks so they are in a format that can be used by the hosted product For details on exporting the virtual disk files see the ESX Server 2 x Administration Guide For details on exporting a virtual machine from ESX Server managed with VirtualCenter 2 see the VMware Converter User s Manual Importing a Virtual Machine from a Hosted Product to ESX Server The considerations for this case are the inverse of those for exporting an ESX Server virtual machine For details on importing virtual disk files into ESX Server see the ESX Server 2 x Administration Guide For details on importing a virtual machine into ESX Server managed with VirtualCenter 2 see the VMware Converter User s Manual Generation 3 to Generation 4 Moving virtual machines between generation 3 and generation 4 products is possible in most cases You might
26. d run the virtual machine in legacy mode under GSX Server 2 x or Workstation 3 x If you are making a one way move and don t need to run the virtual machine under GSX Server 1 x or Workstation 2 x at a later time you should upgrade the virtual hardware after you move the virtual machine This gives you access to improvements in the virtual hardware that were introduced in GSX Server 2 x and Workstation 3 x For details see the manual for the generation 3 product to which you are moving the virtual machine GSX Server 2 x or Workstation 3 x Moving to Generation 2 Products This section summarizes the points you need to consider when moving virtual machines to a generation 2 product Generation 6 to Generation 2 You cannot move virtual machines from a generation 6 product to a generation 2 product and you cannot create virtual machines that run under products of both generations You can move virtual machines in the opposite direction with the help of an intermediate product For details see Generation 2 to Generation 6 on page 15 Generation 5 to Generation 2 You cannot move virtual machines from a generation 5 product to a generation 2 product and you cannot create virtual machines that run under products of both generations You can move virtual machines in the opposite direction with the help of an intermediate product For details see Generation 2 to Generation 5 on page 20 Generation 4 to Generation 2 Altho
27. dows 2000 m Windows 2003 32 bit and 64 bit m Windows XP Professional 32 bit and 64 bit m Windows Vista 32 bit and 64 bit experimental support only VMware Converter can run in virtual machines that use the above as guest operating systems NOTE Although VMware Converter operates on Windows only after the migration you can transfer the virtual machine to the VMware supported host platform of your choice You can download VMware Converter at http www vmware com products converter VMware Converter documentation is available at http www vmware com support pubs converter_pubs html 8 VMware Inc Virtual Machine Mobility Table 1 Source and Destination Machines Supported by VMware Converter 3 Import from VMware Products or Third Party Virtual Machines Source VMware Products VMware Workstation 6 x virtual machine compatible with VMware Player 2 x VMware Fusion 1 x and VMware Server 1 x VMware Workstation 5 x virtual machine compatible with VMware Player 1 x and VMware Server 1 x VMware Workstation 4 x virtual machine compatible with Export to VMware Products Destination VMware Workstation 6 x virtual machine compatible with VMware Player 2 x VMware ACE 2 x VMware Fusion 1 x and VMware Server 1 x VMware Workstation 5 x virtual machine compatible with VMware Player 1 x and VMware Server 1 x VMware Workstation 4 x virtual machine compatible with GSX Server 3 x ESX Server 2 x and ACE 1 x GSX Serve
28. erably under ESX Server 1 0 x For details on using ESX Server 1 5 x virtual machines under ESX Server 1 0 x see the ESX Server 1 5 User s Manual Generation 2 to Generation 2 Moving virtual machines between generation 2 products requires relatively few special steps as shown in Table 19 Table 19 Moving Virtual Machines between Generation 2 Products Moved to Host System Running GSX Server 1 x or ESX Server 1 0 x Workstation 2 x ESX Server 1 0 x OK Export virtual disks Import virtual disks OK GSX Server 1 x or Workstation 2 x Virtual Machine Created Under Interoperable Configurations Virtual machines created on generation 2 hosted products Workstation 2 x and GSX Server 1 x are interoperable You can move them freely from one product to another In general moving a virtual machine from one host to another means copying all the files in the virtual machine s folder from the source computer to the destination computer For more details see the manuals for Workstation and GSX Server Similarly you can freely move virtual machines between servers running ESX Server 1 0 x For details see the ESX Server 1 0 User s Manual 28 VMware Inc Virtual Machine Mobility Exporting an ESX Server Virtual Machine to a Hosted Product ESX Server has its own file format for storing virtual disk files The hosted products Workstation VMware Fusion and GSX Server typically store virtual disk files on the
29. ering the virtual machine SMP Guest Operating Systems in Uniprocessor Virtual Machines When you install a guest operating system in a multiprocessor virtual machine the installer typically configures the guest operating system with a kernel or hardware abstraction layer that provides special support for using multiple processors A guest operating system installed in this way generally cannot run in a uniprocessor virtual machine As a result VMware supports moving virtual machines from ESX Server with Virtual SMP only to other VMware products that support Virtual SMP Workstation 5 5 and later and VMware Server VMware Inc Virtual Machine Mobility Moving ESX Server 2 x Virtual Machines to ESX Server 3 Before moving a virtual machine from ESX Server 2 x to ESX Server 3 you should decide whether you want to be able to move back to ESX Server 2 x again If you want to run the virtual machine under ESX Server 2 x at some later time you should run the virtual machine in legacy mode under ESX Server 3 without upgrading the virtual hardware If you are making a one way move and don t need to run the virtual machine under ESX Server 2 x at a later time you should upgrade the virtual hardware after you move the virtual machine This approach gives you access to improvements in the virtual hardware that were introduced in ESX Server 3 For details see the Virtual Infrastructure 3 Basic System Administration If you manage ESX Se
30. host computer s file system or on a network server that can be accessed by the host operating system When you move a virtual machine from ESX Server to one of the hosted products you must export the virtual disks so they are in a format that can be used by the hosted product For details on exporting the virtual disk files see the ESX Server 1 0 User s Manual Importing a Virtual Machine from a Hosted Product to ESX Server The considerations for this case are the inverse of those for exporting an ESX Server virtual machine For details on importing virtual disk files into ESX Server see the ESX Server 1 0 User s Manual VMware Inc 29 Virtual Machine Mobility Planning Guide 30 VMware Inc Index Numerics 3 D capability in Workstation 5 and higher virtual machines 17 64 bit guests operating systems in Workstation 5 17 A append mode ESX Server disks 8 C Converter Import wizard in Workstation 6 9 E ESX Server append mode disks 8 exporting virtual disks 7 exporting virtual machine to a hosted product 13 17 26 29 exporting virtual machines to a hosted product 14 15 19 23 24 25 importing suspended virtual machine 8 importing virtual disks 7 21 23 24 26 29 product generations 10 redo log files 8 SMP 10 undoable mode disks 8 virtual disk file format 7 exporting ESX Server virtual machines to a hosted product 13 14 15 17 19 23 24 25 26 29 virtual disks from ESX Server 7
31. ine from an ESX Server system to a system running a different VMware product you must export the disks VMware Inc T Virtual Machine Mobility Planning Guide Keep the following points in mind m If the virtual disks on the ESX Server system are in undoable or append mode you must either discard or commit the redo log files when you export the disks If you plan to import disks from a Workstation or GSX Server virtual machine that has a snapshot you must first remove the snapshot See your product manual for details on how to ensure that the virtual machine is in the desired state before you remove the snapshot You cannot import a suspended virtual machine Be sure the virtual machine is powered off before you import it into ESX Server Using VMware Converter 3 to Move Virtual Machines VMware Converter 3 is a freely available product that you can use to move virtual machines between certain generation 6 5 and 4 products see Understanding Product Generations on page 10 for descriptions of the generations VMware Converter lets you move VMware virtual machines between Workstation VMware Player VMware ACE ESX Server GSX Server and VMware Server It also imports virtual machines from Microsoft Virtual Server and Virtual PC Table 1 lists the sources and destinations VMware Converter supports m VMware Converter runs on the following Microsoft Windows operating systems m Windows NT SP6 with IES or higher m Win
32. ion 3 product first move each virtual machine to the generation 3 product and upgrade the virtual hardware Then move each virtual machine to the generation 5 product and upgrade the virtual hardware again You can follow the same procedure using a generation 4 product as the intermediate product Moving to Generation 4 Products This section summarizes the points you need to consider when moving virtual machines to a generation 4 product Generation 6 to Generation 4 Workstation 6 provides a Change Version wizard you can use to downgrade the virtual hardware version of a Workstation 6 virtual machine from generation 6 to generation 4 as shown in Table 11 Table 11 Moving Virtual Machines from Generation 6 to Generation 4 Products Virtual Machine Created Under Workstation 6 x Moved to Host System Running ESX Server 2 x with Virtual SMP OK in most cases use the Workstation 6 Converter Import wizard Or use the Workstation 6 Change Version wizard to downgrade the virtual hardware version of the virtual machine Import virtual disks ESX Server 2 x OK in most cases use the Workstation 6 Converter Import wizard Or use the Workstation 6 Change Version wizard to downgrade the virtual hardware version of the virtual machine Import virtual disks GSX Server 3 x or Workstation 4 x OK in most cases use the Workstation 6 Converter Import wizard Or use the Workstation 6 Change Ve
33. le system or on a network server that can be accessed by the host operating system When you move a virtual machine from ESX Server to one of the hosted products you must export the virtual disks so they are in a format that can be used by the hosted product For details on exporting the virtual disk files see the ESX Server 1 5 User s Manual Importing a Virtual Machine from a Hosted Product to ESX Server 2 x The considerations for this case are the inverse of those for exporting an ESX Server virtual machine For details on importing virtual disk files into ESX Server see the ESX Server 2 x Administration Guide Generation 2 to Generation 4 Special steps are needed to move virtual machines from generation 2 products to GSX Server 3 x or Workstation 4 x as shown in Table 15 Moving virtual machines from generation 2 products to ESX Server 2 x or to ESX Server 2 x with Virtual SMP is not supported Table 15 Moving Virtual Machines from Generation 2 to Generation 4 Products Moved to Host System Running ESX Server 2 x GSX Server 3 x or with Virtual SMP ESX Server 2 x Workstation 4 x ESX Server 1 0 x Not supported Not supported Export virtual disks Not supported Not supported Upgrade virtual hardware one way GSX Server 1 x or Workstation 2 x Virtual Machine Created Under Moving from Generation 2 Hosted Products to Generation 4 Hosted Products If you move a virtual machine from GSX Server 1 x or Workstation 2
34. machine to a computer running Workstation 6 and use the Change Version wizard to downgrade the virtual hardware version Move the virtual machine to a computer running Workstation 6 and use the Change Version wizard to downgrade the virtual hardware version Move the virtual machine to a computer running Workstation 6 and use the Change Version wizard to downgrade the virtual hardware version Then use VMware Converter 3 or import virtual disks Generation 5 to Generation 5 Moving virtual machines from generation 5 to generation 5 products requires no special steps as shown in Table 8 Table 8 Moving Virtual Machines between Generation 5 Products Virtual Machine Created Under Workstation 5 x VMware Server 1 ESX Server 3 Moved to Host System Running Workstation 5 x OK in most cases OK in most cases OK in most cases with VMware Converter Otherwise export virtual disks VMware Server 1 OK in most cases OK in most cases OK in most cases with VMware Converter Otherwise export virtual disks ESX Server 3 OK in most cases with VMware Converter Otherwise import virtual disks OK in most cases with VMware Converter Otherwise import virtual disks OK in most cases 16 VMware Inc Virtual Machine Mobility Interoperable Configurations In most cases VMware Converter 3 is the easiest way to move virtual machines between generation 5 products See
35. obility Planning Guide Interoperable Configurations Virtual machines created on generation 3 hosted products Workstation 3 x and GSX Server 2 x are interoperable You can move them freely from one product to another In general moving a virtual machine from one host to another means copying all the files in the virtual machine s folder from the source computer to the destination computer For details see the manuals for Workstation and GSX Server Similarly you can freely move virtual machines between servers running ESX Server 1 5 x For details see the ESX Server 1 5 User s Manual Exporting an ESX Server Virtual Machine to a Hosted Product ESX Server has its own file format for storing virtual disk files The hosted products Workstation and GSX Server typically store virtual disk files on the host computer s file system or on a network server that can be accessed by the host operating system When you move a virtual machine from ESX Server to one of the hosted products you must export the virtual disks so they are in a format that can be used by the hosted product For details on exporting the virtual disk files see the ESX Server 1 5 User s Manual Importing a Virtual Machine from a Hosted Product to ESX Server The considerations for this case are the inverse of those for exporting an ESX Server virtual machine For details on importing virtual disk files into ESX Server see the ESX Server 1 5 User s Manual
36. ocation For details on how to perform these simple moves see the documentation for your VMware product Understanding Product Generations 10 If you are moving virtual machines between different VMware products the simplest working environment uses VMware products of the same generation And in general cross product mobility is best in the most recent generations Because different products were launched at different times you cannot determine corresponding generations by matching product version numbers The following list provides a quick guide to the generations of currently supported products Earlier products are no longer supported Generation 2 GSX Server 1 x ESX Server 1 0 and 1 1 Generation 3 Workstation 3 x GSX Server 2 x ESX Server 1 5 m Generation 4 Workstation 4 x VMware ACE 1 x GSX Server 3 x ESX Server 2 x uniprocessor and SMP m Generation 5 Workstation 5 x VMware Player 1 x VMware Server 1 x ESX Server 3 x m Generation 6 Workstation 6 x VMware ACE 2 x VMware Player 2 x VMware Fusion 1 x Products in the same generation provide similar capabilities and similar virtual hardware making it easier to move virtual machines from one product to another In the simplest cases the virtual machines are interoperable they can be moved back and forth without modification and they run without problems However even within the same generation there might be differences that require you to take some
37. pubs Online and Telephone Support 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 Support Offerings Find out how VMware support offerings can help meet your business needs Go to http www vmware com support services VMware Education Services VMware courses offer extensive hands on labs case study examples and course materials designed to be used as on the job reference tools For more information about VMware Education Services go to http mylearnl vmware com megrreg index cfm VMware Inc 5 Virtual Machine Mobility Planning Guide 6 VMware Inc Virtual Machine Mobility You might need to move virtual machines around for a variety of reasons to move them from one host computer to another to run them under different VMware products or to run them under different versions of the same VMware product This guide helps you plan a virtual computing environment that allows maximum mobility for your virtual machines It also covers key issues you must address when moving virtual machines that must be modified to run in the new environment Topics include m Mobility Basics on page 7 m Moving Virtual Machines of the Same Produc
38. r VMware Server and GSX Server typically store virtual disk files on the host computer s file system or on a network server that can be accessed by the host operating system When you move a virtual machine from ESX Server to one of the hosted products you must export the virtual disks so they are ina format that can be used by the hosted product For details on moving virtual machines using VMware Converter 3 see the VMware Converter User s Manual For details on exporting the virtual disk files without using VMware Converter 3 see the Virtual Infrastructure 3 Basic System Administration VMware Inc 17 Virtual Machine Mobility Planning Guide 18 Generation 4 to Generation 5 Special steps are needed to move virtual machines from generation 4 to generation 5 products as shown inTable 9 Table 9 Moving Virtual Machines from Generation 4 to Generation 5 Products Virtual Machine Created Under ESX Server 2 x with Virtual SMP Moved to Host System Running Workstation 5 0 x Not supported Workstation 5 5 x OK in most cases with VMware Converter if ESX Server is 2 5 x and is managed in VirtualCenter 2 Otherwise export virtual disks Upgrade virtual hardware one way or run in legacy mode VMware Server 1 OK in most cases with VMware Converter if ESX Server is 2 5 x and is managed in VirtualCenter 2 Otherwise export virtual disks Upgrade virtual hardware one way or run in legacy
39. r you must import the virtual disks so they are in a format that can be used by ESX Server For details on importing virtual disk files into ESX Server see the ESX Server 2 x Administration Guide For details on importing a virtual machine into ESX Server managed with VirtualCenter 2 see the VMware Converter User s Manual VMware Inc 21 Virtual Machine Mobility Planning Guide Generation 4 to Generation 4 Moving virtual machines between generation 4 products requires relatively few special steps as shown in Table 13 Table 13 Moving Virtual Machines between Generation 4 Products Virtual Machine Created Under ESX Server 2 x with Virtual SMP Moved to Host System Running ESX Server 2 x with Virtual SMP OK Maybe depending on guest operating system ESX Server 2 x OK in most cases with VMware Converter if ESX Server is 2 5 x and is managed in VirtualCenter 2 Otherwise not supported OK GSX Server 3 x or Workstation 4 x OK in most cases with VMware Converter if ESX Server is 2 5 x and is managed in VirtualCenter 2 Otherwise not supported OK in most cases with VMware Converter if ESX Server is 2 5 x and ESX Server 2 x is managed in VirtualCenter 2 Otherwise export virtual disks Maybe depending on OK in most cases with OK guest operating system VMware Converter if GSX Server 3 x Import virtual disks ESX Server is 2 5 x and or is managed in Workstation 4 x VirtualCenter
40. r 3 x ESX Server 2 x and ACE 1 x VMware ESX Server 3 x MMAR PoS VMware ESX Server 2 5 x when managed by VMware ESX Server 2 5 x when managed by VirtualCenter 2 x Varte e peA VMware VirtualCenter 2 x VMwareVirtualCenter 2 x VMware CSX See VMware GSX Server 3 x Third Party Virtual Machines Microsoft Virtual PC version 7 and later Microsoft Virtual Server any version Symantec Backup Exec System Recovery images StorageCraft ShadowProtect images Acronis True Image NOTE VMware Converter 3 does more than import virtual machines It clones physical machines restores or imports VMware Consolidated Backup images and migrates certain third party images from Symantec Backup Exec System Recovery Norton Ghost StorageCraft Shadow Protect and Acronis True Image See the VMware Converter Users s Manual for specific information on Converter 3 support for these images and any limitations The Converter Import Wizard in Workstation 6 Workstation 6 incorporates the Converter Import wizard from the VMware Converter 3 product with the additional ability to work with generation 6 products along with generations 4 and 5 The Converter Import wizard included with Workstation 6 enables you to create VMware virtual machines from a local or remote physical machine or from virtual machines and system images that were originally created by using other products than VMware products You can also use the wizard to change a virtual machine using one V
41. rom Generation 2 Hosted Products to Generation 3 Hosted Products 27 Moving to Generation 2 Products 27 Generation 6 to Generation 2 27 Generation 5 to Generation 2 27 Generation 4 to Generation 2 27 Generation 3 to Generation 2 27 Moving ESX Server 1 5 x Virtual Machines to ESX Server 1 0 x 28 Generation 2 to Generation 2 28 Interoperable Configurations 28 Exporting an ESX Server Virtual Machine to a Hosted Product 29 Importing a Virtual Machine from a Hosted Product to ESX Server 29 Index 31 VMware Inc About This Book This manual the Virtual Machine Mobility Planning Guide provides users and administrators of VMware ESX Server VMware GSX Server VMware Server VMware Fusion VMware ACE and VMware Workstation with information about moving virtual machines between VMware products Intended Audience This manual is intended for anyone who uses VMware products and wants to move a virtual machine from one VMware product to another or move a virtual machine from one version of a VMware product to different version of that product 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 sections describe the technical support resources available to you You can access the most current versions of this manual and other books by going to http www vmware com support
42. rsion wizard to downgrade the virtual hardware version of the virtual machine VMware Fusion 1 x Move the virtual machine to a computer running Workstation 6 and use the Change Version wizard to downgrade the virtual hardware version Import virtual disks Move the virtual machine to a computer running Workstation 6 and use the Change Version wizard to downgrade the virtual hardware version Import virtual disks Move the virtual machine to a computer running Workstation 6 and use the Change Version wizard to downgrade the virtual hardware version 20 VMware Inc Virtual Machine Mobility Generation 5 to Generation 4 If you do not use VMware Converter for instance if you are moving the virtual machine to a 2 x ESX Server not managed by VirtualCenter 2 you can use Workstation 5 to create a legacy virtual machine a generation 4 virtual machine You can use this capability to create virtual machines for use on most generation 4 products as shown in Table 12 Table 12 Moving Virtual Machines from Generation 5 to Generation 4 Products Virtual Machine Created Under Workstation 5 x VMware Server 1 Moved to Host System Running ESX Server 2 x with Virtual SMP OK in most cases with VMware Converter if ESX Server is 2 5 x and is managed in VirtualCenter 2 Otherwise possible only if you create a legacy virtual machine Import virtual disks OK in most cases with VMware Conve
43. rter if ESX Server is 2 5 x and is managed in VirtualCenter 2 ESX Server 2 x OK in most cases with VMware Converter if ESX Server is 2 5 x and is managed in VirtualCenter 2 Otherwise possible only if you create a legacy virtual machine Import virtual disks OK in most cases with VMware Converter if ESX Server is 2 5 x and is managed in VirtualCenter 2 GSX Server 3 x or Workstation 4 x OK in most cases with VMware Converter OK in most cases with VMware Converter ESX Server 3 OK in most cases with VMware Converter if ESX Server is 2 5 x and is managed in VirtualCenter 2 OK in most cases with VMware Converter if ESX Server is 2 5 x and is managed in VirtualCenter 2 OK in most cases with VMware Converter Uniprocessor Guest Operating Systems in SMP Virtual Machines Some operating systems installed in a uniprocessor virtual machine will run successfully in an SMP virtual machine Check the documentation for your guest operating system to see whether it supports such a move Importing a Virtual Machine from a Hosted Product to ESX Server ESX Server has its own file format for storing virtual disk files The hosted products Workstation VMware Server and GSX Server typically store virtual disk files on the host computer s file system or on a network server that can be accessed by the host operating system When you move a virtual machine from one of the hosted products to ESX Serve
44. rver 2 5 x using VirtualCenter 2 you can use VMware Converter 3 to move virtual machines Exporting an ESX Server Virtual Machine to a Hosted Product ESX Server has its own file format for storing virtual disk files The hosted products Workstation and GSX Server typically store virtual disk files on the host computer s file system or on a network server that can be accessed by the host operating system When you move a virtual machine from ESX Server to one of the hosted products you must export the virtual disks so they are in a format that can be used by the hosted product For details on exporting the virtual disk files see the ESX Server 2 x Administration Guide If you manage ESX Server 2 x using VirtualCenter 2 you can use Virtual Machine Importer 2 to move virtual machines Generation 3 to Generation 5 Special steps are needed to move virtual machines from generation 3 to generation 5 products as shown in Table 10 Table 10 Moving Virtual Machines from Generation 3 to Generation 5 Products Moved to Host System Running Virtual Machine Created Under Workstation 5 x VMware Server 1 ESX Server 3 Export virtual disks Export virtual disks Upgrade virtual ESX Server 1 5 x Upgrade virtual Upgrade virtual hardware one way GSX Server 2 x or Workstation 3 x hardware one way Upgrade virtual hardware one way hardware one way Upgrade virtual hardware one way Import virtual disks and cre
45. sult VMware supports moving virtual machines from ESX Server with Virtual SMP only to other VMware products that support Virtual SMP Workstation 5 5 and higher VMware Fusion and VMware Server Exporting an ESX Server Virtual Machine to a Hosted Product ESX Server has its own file format for storing virtual disk files The hosted products Workstation and GSX Server typically store virtual disk files on the host computer s file system or on a network server that can be accessed by the host operating system When you move a virtual machine from ESX Server to one of the hosted products you must export the virtual disks so they are in a format that can be used by the hosted product For details on exporting the virtual disk files see the ESX Server 2 x Administration Guide If you have exported virtual disks create a virtual machine in Workstation 6 and select the Custom option in the New Virtual Machine Wizard Set the Hardware compatibility to Workstation 4 and select the option VMware Inc Virtual Machine Mobility ESX Server Compatible In the Select a Disk panel of the wizard select Use an existing virtual disk and browse to the exported disks For more information on creating a virtual machine in Workstation 6 see the Workstation 6 User s Manual If you manage ESX Server 2 5 x using VirtualCenter 2 you can use VMware Converter 3 to move virtual machines Generation 3 to Generation 6 Special steps are needed
46. t and Version on page 10 m Understanding Product Generations on page 10 m Cross Generation Mobility on page 11 m VMware ACE on page 12 m VMware Player on page 12 m Moving to Generation 6 Products on page 13 m Moving to Generation 5 Products on page 16 m Moving to Generation 4 Products on page 20 m Moving to Generation 3 Products on page 25 m Moving to Generation 2 Products on page 27 Mobility Basics There are two approaches to virtual machine mobility with VMware products m Move your virtual machines manually by copying the files that make up a virtual machine from one location to another or by using a different VMware product to run the virtual machine m Use the VMware Converter utility to import virtual machines from different source formats into the VMware product you are using Moving Virtual Machines to or from ESX Server VMware ESX Server uses a virtual disk file format different from the format used by VMware products that run on a host operating system such as VMware GSX Server VMware Server VMware Player VMware Workstation and VMware Fusion As a result when you move a virtual machine from a system running a different VMware product to an ESX Server host system you must import the virtual disks following the instructions in the ESX Server documentation or you can use VMware Converter in those instances when it is applicable And when you move a virtual mach
47. the generation 6 product For details see Generation 3 to Generation 6 on page 15 Generation 5 to Generation 3 Although you cannot move virtual machines from generation 5 products to generation 3 products you can move virtual machines in the opposite direction The general rule is to create the virtual machine under the generation 3 product and import it so it will run under the generation 5 product For details see Generation 3 to Generation 5 on page 19 Generation 4 to Generation 3 Although you cannot move virtual machines from generation 4 products to generation 3 products you can create virtual machines that run under products of both generations The general rule is to create the virtual machine under the generation 3 product and run it in legacy mode under the generation 4 product For more information on creating virtual machines so they can be used under both generation 3 and generation 4 products see Generation 3 to Generation 4 on page 23 Generation 3 to Generation 3 Moving virtual machines between generation 3 products requires relatively few special steps as shown in Table 16 Table 16 Moving Virtual Machines between Generation 3 Products Moved to Host System Running GSX Server 2 x or ESX Server 1 5 x Workstation 3 x ESX Server 1 5 x OK Export virtual disks Import virtual disks OK GSX Server 2 x or Workstation 3 x Virtual Machine Created Under VMware Inc 25 Virtual Machine M
48. ting Systems in SMP Virtual Machines 21 Importing a Virtual Machine from a Hosted Product to ESX Server 21 Generation 4 to Generation 4 22 Interoperable Configurations 22 SMP Guest Operating Systems in Uniprocessor Virtual Machines 22 Uniprocessor Guest Operating Systems in SMP Virtual Machines 22 VMware Inc 15 19 Virtual Machine Mobility Planning Guide Exporting an ESX Server Virtual Machine to a Hosted Product 23 Importing a Virtual Machine from a Hosted Product to ESX Server 23 Generation 3 to Generation 4 23 Generation 3 Virtual Machines and ESX Server with Virtual SMP 23 Moving ESX Server 1 5 x Virtual Machines to ESX Server 2 x 23 Moving from Generation 3 Hosted Products to Generation 4 Hosted Products 24 Exporting an ESX Server 1 5 x Virtual Machine to a Hosted Product 24 Importing a Virtual Machine from a Hosted Product to ESX Server 2 x 24 Generation 2 to Generation 4 24 Moving from Generation 2 Hosted Products to Generation 4 Hosted Products 24 Exporting an ESX Server Virtual Machine to a Hosted Product 25 Moving to Generation 3 Products 25 Generation 6 to Generation3 25 Generation 5 to Generation3 25 Generation 4 to Generation 3 25 Generation 3 to Generation3 25 Interoperable Configurations 26 Exporting an ESX Server Virtual Machine to a Hosted Product 26 Importing a Virtual Machine from a Hosted Product to ESX Server 26 Generation 2 to Generation3 26 Moving ESX Server 1 0 x Virtual Machines to ESX Server 1 5 x 26 Moving f
49. ugh you cannot move virtual machines from generation 4 products to generation 2 products you can move virtual machines in the opposite direction The general rule is that you should create the virtual machine under the generation 2 product and then upgrade it so it will run under the generation 4 product For details see Generation 2 to Generation 4 on page 24 SMP virtual machines cannot be moved to generation 2 products Generation 3 to Generation 2 Although you cannot move virtual machines from generation 3 hosted products to generation 2 products you can create virtual machines that run under products of both generations The general rule is that you should create the virtual machine under the generation 2 product and then run it in legacy mode under the generation 3 product For details see Generation 2 to Generation 3 on page 26 ESX Server 1 5 x virtual machines are not supported under generation 2 hosted products as shown in Table 18 VMware Inc 27 Virtual Machine Mobility Planning Guide Table 18 Moving Virtual Machines from Generation 3 to Generation 2 Products Moved to Host System Running GSX Server 1 x or ESX Server 1 0 x Workstation 2 x ESX Server 1 5 x OK Not supported Not supported Not supported GSX Server 2 x or Workstation 3 x Virtual Machine Created Under Moving ESX Server 1 5 x Virtual Machines to ESX Server 1 0 x In general ESX Server 1 5 x virtual machines can be used interop
50. ware after you move the virtual machine This approach gives you access to improvements in the virtual hardware that were introduced in ESX Server 2 x For details see the ESX Server 2 x Administration Guide VMware Inc 23 Virtual Machine Mobility Planning Guide 24 Moving from Generation 3 Hosted Products to Generation 4 Hosted Products Before making the move from GSX Server 2 x or Workstation 3 x to GSX Server 3 x or Workstation 4 x you should decide whether you want to be able to move back to the previous product again If you do want to be able to move the virtual machine back to run it under the previous product at some later time you should run the virtual machine in legacy mode under GSX Server 3 x or Workstation 4 x If you are making a one way move and don t need to run the virtual machine under GSX Server 2 x or Workstation 3 x at a later time you should upgrade the virtual hardware after you move the virtual machine This gives you access to improvements in the virtual hardware that were introduced in GSX Server 3 x and Workstation 4 x For details see the manual for the generation 4 product to which you are moving the virtual machine GSX Server 3 x or Workstation 4 x Exporting an ESX Server 1 5 x Virtual Machine to a Hosted Product ESX Server has its own file format for storing virtual disk files The hosted products Workstation and GSX Server typically store virtual disk files on the host computer s fi
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