Migrating MSCS cluster VMs with RDMs to another Hosts/SAN.

[noor1027]

hi

I have application role configured in Microsoft cluster (MSCS) on ESXi 6.5

MSCS cluster is configured with RDMs disk from 3PAR SAN.

Here is my requirement:

I need to copy or clone these VMs (with RDMs) to another vcenter server , another ESXi hosts and another SAN. and which is not 3par.

are there any possible ways.

if it is possible to convert to .vmdk from rdm and still bring back cluster and application online this will be fine with me.

Regards

[ThompsG]

Hi noor1027​,

It depends

Depending on whet you are using physical or virtual RDM will determine a path to convert the RDM to a VMDK. Take a look here for the options and outcomes: Migrating RDMs, and a question for RDM Users. - VMware vSphere Blog

The issue is that once converted to VMDK the offical line is that only Custers-in-a-box are supported. This sort of removes the reason for running a cluster.

Kind regards.

[jburen]

Maybe you could migrate the complete cluster to a new one with the cluster migration tool. So migrate the cluster role instead of the underlying hardware.

[daphnissov]

As others have eluded, this isn't going to work out so well for you and represents reason number 423 why one should, at all costs, avoid MSCS/WFC. I think the best option (probably the only one, really) for you would be to build the environment over again at the destination side and copy the data and configuration as required (backup/restore, config dump, etc.). The biggest roadblock otherwise stems from the fact that you have 3PAR at the source and not-3PAR at the destination yet have a raw disk extent being presented. Unless you have some storage virtualizer device fronting both of them, this type of replication isn't really possible.

[continuum]

Just curious ....

Would it help to dd or ddrescue the RDMs from the existing host to new RDMs on the new host ?

[daphnissov]

Possibly, but that'd require the source ESXi host having access to the existing RDM and the "new" one provided by the separate array. Plus, even if you could, it would likely copy the RDM signature as well and I don't know how that'd play with whatever WFC application is in use here.