Issue with a virtual machine, esx4.0 and VMware tools not updated
Its a resource intensive 2003R2 SQL server and environment is in health sector so patching and updates is a constant problem as can be seen from above hardware version and tools status
It has 3 disks and none of them point to the parent .vmdk
Disks are 984MB, 26GB, and 100MB respectively
Any outline of a plan to remedy this in a best practice way?
Advice appreciated
We have a VMWare support contract but not sure if they will touch it as its 2003R2
Windows Server 2003 has been out of support for years now. This OS is no longer receiving even the simplest of patches and having one of these in your environment is a huge security breach.
Similar story with the host - ESXi 4.0 has also been out of support for the while now.
At this point, I'd recommend starting fresh. Get a new server running ESXi 6.5 and create a Windows 2012 R2/2016 virtual machine and copy the files off the old VM to it. If your old server is also a domain controller, I'd recommend killing the domain and starting fresh. Migration from 2003 domain to even 2012 is a failure-prone process which might cause more downtime than a domain rebuild.
What's your version of SQL? If it's 8.0 (2005) or 9.0 (2009), you should also consider an upgrade. Here's a thread where it is explained how to migrate from version 8.0 to 11.0 (2012). I'd suggest you follow up on this as keeping SQL at version '03 leaves your data at risk. If you consider GDPR on the horizon, you should really start to be concerned about data security otherwise you risk huge fines if anything happens with the data you're storing.
Let me know if you'd need any further help.
Hi ,
I have a few questions for you
Based on your output we can decide either to clone the disk or try to consolidate the disks manually .
Kishore V
I would agree with the above advice also I would recommend you can convert the VM (V2V) using Standalone Converter.
Let me know if you need additional information 'or' have any other questions that I can help with.
The snapshots I mentioned don't show in snapshot manager
They only show when I browse to the datastore for the vm
Given the size of the snapshots and the fact they're not stale (they're in use with the disks)
I am being cautious with this going forward
Thanks yes I'm onsite with a team tasked to clean it up, we have 6.5 ready in the wings
Migrations of file servers\clusters are due to take place going forward
What would you recommend doing? I have a call logged with VMware support but see them pulling the 2003\4.0 angle-which i completely understand
I wouldn't consolidate those disks as the danger of possible failure would be too great. As I wrote earlier, I recommend getting data off that server, migrating services to new VMs and then shutting down/erasing it.
You need to tread very carefully while dealing with outdated systems. In most cases the data is most important, so secure it first - even if you still decide to go ahead with the consolidation one way or another.
Thanks Paul, yes I would agree with you 100% I'm seeing more or more places with multiple cases of 2003 servers surprising but the way it is
The safest way is to clone the VM. if you don't want any change in original VM.
Please install vSphere converter 6.0 to have consolidated.
Download Link - Download Center for VMware Products
VMware vCenter Converter Standalone Release Notes
Thanks I will look at that, i know its very important from SID point of view to clone readd on different network
Why do I need vSphere converter for it as well its not P2V
Thanks again
Hi,
You can follow the below steps.
1. Take a new snapshot and then from the snapshot manager select delete all option [ it is a trick basically]
sometimes, svmotion also works to remove the redo logs files.
2. If step 1 does not work, then run the consollidation.
3. If online consollidation does not work, then run offline consollidation [power off the vm first then run offline consolidation]
4. If all above steps does not work then there is the final step which involve risk also.
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To clone a virtual machine disk using the ESXi/ESX host terminal:
Related Information
The original virtual machine files are still intact without modifications. You may opt to either create a new virtual machine and attach the cloned disk file(s), or replace the existing disks attached to the virtual machine with the cloned copies. These steps encompass the latter option.
To replace the original virtual machine disk(s) and delta snapshot file(s) with the cloned copy or copies:
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Thanks
vmwarediary.com
Thanks for that, just had a look this morning the vmdks for the disks are different
-Hard Disk 1 points to parent [vm name].vmdk 11GB
Hard Disk 2 points to a snapshot but a different one [vm name]_1.vmdk 167GB
Hard Disk 3 points to a snapshot again a different one [vm name]_2.vmdk 20GB
Any idea why this is changing so much since Friday?
Is this the way it should look for 3 disks?
Must add that no work was done on it since