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ges_les
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Copying VSphere 6.7 virtual machines to a backup server.

We recently purchased a VSphere 6.7 server from an integrator to migrate our SCO Unix 5.0.7 to.  We then built a backup server, and installed VSphere. We would like to copy our Windows and Unix virtual machines which were created on the first VMWare machine over to the backup machine. Research pointed to the ovftool, but I'm still not clear on the whole procedure. Any guidance would be appreciated. Thanks.

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IRIX201110141
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The vCenter Server Appliance (VCSA) is an extra product which have you paid for but it needs to install as a separate instance and runs as a VM on top one of your ESXi Host. In the old day i was a Windows driven Application but today it comes as a LINUX one. VMware offer a installer which deliver the OS and the Application in one action and normaly you will manage both with a Browser.

Download: https://my.vmware.com/group/vmware/details?downloadGroup=VC67U3&productId=742&rPId=37936 and pick the 3.9GB ISO

You need:

- IP and Root/PASS for the target ESXi. One of the ESXi you want to install the VCSA on

- FQHN (vcsa.yourcompany.local) and IP for the VCSA you wanna to install

- Choose a name for your new VM like "vcsa"

- Choose a SSO Domain.... use "vsphere.local"

- Choose a password for "administrator@vsphere.local" (Admin for the application)

- Choose a password for "root" (The Linux OS). Use the same as for administrator@vsphere.local to make life easier

- Create a (R)DNS Entry for the FQHN in your company DNS. If you cant than tweak etc/hosts on your local windows machine, otherwise the installer will complain

1. Extract/mount the ISO on your Windows

2. Start the windows installer (its in a subdirectory vcsa-ui-installer)

3. Go to stage one which collects all the information from above. Choose "tiny" installation type and "thinprovisioning" if your low on diskspace in your datastore

4. Go to stage two which installs and pre configure the Appliance(OS + Application)

When finished

Point your browser to https://<vcsa>:5480  and post configure the OS by using user "root"

Point your bwoser to https://<vcsa>:443 and login with "administrator@vsphere.local" and configure the vCenter Appliacation. Hint it took up to 10min to get all services starte

There are plenty of article about how to install the VCSA like vSphere 6.7 install vCSA 6.7 - pt.1 • Nolabnoparty

Come back to this thread.

Regards,

Joerg

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IRIX201110141
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Copy/Cloning is the feature of vSphere vCenter which runs in a 60 day trial... but your hosts have to be in the EvalMode as well (doesnt work if you have free ESXi Hypervisor in use). With vCenter its just a select VM and next,next,next, ....wait for copying the data and ........ finished.

About OVFtool. Its a command line tool to export and import VMs.

The "import"  is part of the ESXi Hostclient...so you have it already in the GUI. Iam unsure about the export feature. The vCenter can import/export VMs as OVF as well.

With a licensed ESXi you can also use VEEAM B&R Community to copy/replicate your VMs from one Host to the other.

Iam not a fan of using the Up/Download feature of the Datastore Browser so you will most likely loose some important files.

Question: What kind of ESXi license is currently in use?

Regards,

Joerg

ges_les
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Support & Subscription Details:

vSphere 6 Essentials Kit for 3 hosts

vCenter Server 6 Essentials for vSphere

vSphere 6 Essentials for 1 processor

The integrator set up the original server, we built the backup server, and with the help of VMware tech support, the backup server license was activated last week. Neither is in evaluation mode.

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IRIX201110141
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So you have a vCenter Server (VCSA) as part of your License Bundle!  Deploy the VCSA and after the Hosts are joined you can move or clone VMs from one Host to another by a simple mouse click.

With a licensed Hosts also the VADP (vSphere API for DataProtection) is available and Veeam B&R Community comes into the game if you like.

Regards,
Joerg

ges_les
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Thanks for your help. Sorry, but I'm a complete VMware newbie (can you recommend a book or web tutorial to get me up to speed?)...

   I log in to the server using a browser, and I'm in the "vmware ESXi" console.  Under "Host", the main window shows "Get vCenter Server" in the top left.  It looks like it's not already installed? When I select that, a new browser tab opens at the vmware downloads page. I don't see anything that specifically says "vCenter Server".

  

Do I need to download something, & if so, what? 

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IRIX201110141
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The vCenter Server Appliance (VCSA) is an extra product which have you paid for but it needs to install as a separate instance and runs as a VM on top one of your ESXi Host. In the old day i was a Windows driven Application but today it comes as a LINUX one. VMware offer a installer which deliver the OS and the Application in one action and normaly you will manage both with a Browser.

Download: https://my.vmware.com/group/vmware/details?downloadGroup=VC67U3&productId=742&rPId=37936 and pick the 3.9GB ISO

You need:

- IP and Root/PASS for the target ESXi. One of the ESXi you want to install the VCSA on

- FQHN (vcsa.yourcompany.local) and IP for the VCSA you wanna to install

- Choose a name for your new VM like "vcsa"

- Choose a SSO Domain.... use "vsphere.local"

- Choose a password for "administrator@vsphere.local" (Admin for the application)

- Choose a password for "root" (The Linux OS). Use the same as for administrator@vsphere.local to make life easier

- Create a (R)DNS Entry for the FQHN in your company DNS. If you cant than tweak etc/hosts on your local windows machine, otherwise the installer will complain

1. Extract/mount the ISO on your Windows

2. Start the windows installer (its in a subdirectory vcsa-ui-installer)

3. Go to stage one which collects all the information from above. Choose "tiny" installation type and "thinprovisioning" if your low on diskspace in your datastore

4. Go to stage two which installs and pre configure the Appliance(OS + Application)

When finished

Point your browser to https://<vcsa>:5480  and post configure the OS by using user "root"

Point your bwoser to https://<vcsa>:443 and login with "administrator@vsphere.local" and configure the vCenter Appliacation. Hint it took up to 10min to get all services starte

There are plenty of article about how to install the VCSA like vSphere 6.7 install vCSA 6.7 - pt.1 • Nolabnoparty

Come back to this thread.

Regards,

Joerg

-----------------------------------------

Was it helpful? Let us know by completing this short survey here.

ges_les
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Our servers are behind a firewall & not web accessible. Is it possible to do this solely on our internal network, or would we need to put them on the web for this process? I came across VMware converter standalone 6.2.0.1. Is this another possible method for copying the virtual machines?

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IRIX201110141
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I pray for god that all esxi server are behind a FW and not web accessable... but thats not a deal breaker.

I dont think that VMware Converter support SCO Unix. Also Converter is for convert phys. live systems into the virtual world. If you have a hammer in your hand you can hit every nail for sure but i dont think that converter is the right tool for this job. But yes, it can be use to copy a live running VM into another VM.

Regards,

Joerg

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ges_les
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After figuring out how to get this account linked to our license, I was able to download the vCenter Server installer.  I picked "Embedded Platform Service Controller",  to install on the backup server, thinking that the live server is more likely to fail, & I'd still have access to VCSA. Neither server currently has the IP address they will have when we're ready to go live, and only the future "active" server has a fixed IP address. Is that a problem going forward with the installation?

Also, at the "Configure network settings" step, is it still talking about the same IP I put in the "Appliance deployment target" (the backup machine), or is it now talking about the other (future "active" server)?

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ges_les
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I went ahead and assigned a static IP address to the backup server.  It would have gotten this address eventually anyway. The other server has a static IP already, though not yet the one it will have in the future.

I came to the realization that the IP address in step 4 of Stage 1 should be the backup server IP address, and the IP address in step 8 should be a new IP address assigned to the vCenter server appliance I'm installing. I finished both Stage 1 & Stage 2, and have browsers logged in to both the :5480 & :443 urls. I'm ready for the next step.  Thanks for getting me this far.

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ges_les
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After installing vCenter server...

I logged in under the :443 "administrator@vsphere.local" described above.

I didn't bother creating clusters, folders, or templates.

I chose "create new datacenter", choosing the default name, giving the IP address of the backup server, its user name & password, & entering through the rest. It had me assign a new certificate for the server.

I did the same for the new "active" server.  Again, a new certificate.

I powered off the vm's on the new active server.

On vCenter, I clicked on the active server, right-clicked on one of its vm's, chose "clone" and "clone to vm". I gave it a new name.

I selected the backup server as the target, chose "datastore1", didn't choose any of the clone options presented, and clicked "Finish".

Repeat for other vm's.

This seems to have done what I needed. Thanks for your help.

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