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dr_nuke
Enthusiast
Enthusiast

Bug in v5.1.0 build 1087880

As I don't have a support agreement for using vCenter Converter Standalone, I understand that I need to post bugs in the community.

vCenter converter can't properly read the machine details of guests create in VMWare Fusion 5.0.3.

The following pictures show the issue. 

First picture shows VMWare Fusion Setup information that the guest vm is Debian 6 64 bit.  It is actually Debian 7 64 bit installed but Debian 7 runs properly with Debian 6 setup.

The second picture shows vCenter Converter (vCC).  It shows that vCC machine details read are OS Other & 32 bit.

Where do I submit this bug?

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6 Replies
POCEH
VMware Employee
VMware Employee

This is not a bug - the Windows OS can not understand and mount Linux filesystems, thus under Windows only disk based copy is allowed for Linux VMs.
HTH

dr_nuke
Enthusiast
Enthusiast

Thanks for the quick reply.

That is a total bummer.  I already tried to "copy" the Linux guest to ESXi using vSphere 5.1 and it won't run. 

Then tried to move the .vmware folder with tar and rsync using CLI and a third time just using rsync using CLI.  None of copies ran.  But the details of the vm did transfer properly.

Talked to a friend who told me I had to use Converter.  So now I know that doesn't work either.

I'm new to all this and 3 days into debugging why something that should be easy isn't.

I thought that I could create a vm and just move it between my version of Fusion to ESXi. (???)

Frustrated!

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POCEH
VMware Employee
VMware Employee

Sorry for your inconvenience.

Due to above reason (Windows can't mount ext3, ext4, etc filesystems) the reconfiguration of destination VM is not possible.

The only one way to succeed with Linux reconfiguration is to convert live Linux to VC/ESX destination. However the possibility to reconfig Linux is quite limited, you should check the Converter's user manual for your Linux distribution support.

In any case if Linux won't start, P2V or V2V conversions, you can attach and boot from live (distribution) CD to the VM, and do necessary steps manualy. Check the forum for these steps, most common problems and solutions with Linux distributions.

HTH

About simple copy of VMs file from one hypervisor (Fusion) to other (ESX) it's not always possible without some reconfiguration in VMX, some times change of VMDK type, etc... You should be experience user to do this Smiley Happy

dr_nuke
Enthusiast
Enthusiast

Thanks Poceh.

Appreciate the explanations and suggestions.

I want to be able to move the vms between different platforms, so I guess I'll have to learn this.

Part of the problem I have is I don't know enough to know what I don't know. (unconscious incompetent) 🙂 


What type of keywords would I use to search for V2V conversions with Linux distros?  Something like "v2v linux boot live-cd" ....??

Sorry for the question that shows my total stupidity with this but if I don't ask I can spend hours trying to find a relevant thread.  Just some pointers please as I need to learn this for myself so I can develop my skills.

Thanks again for your help!!

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patanassov
VMware Employee
VMware Employee

You can try migrating it as a live machine. Power the source on and try to convert it as a physical machine. Do this with Converter 5.0 though. The reason is: Converter supports only RHEL, SLES, and Ubuntu; there is a script for other distros which is broken in 5.1.

Another way to think about this issue is what happens after you copied the files to ESX. The VM files format is not the same for Fusion and for ESX. What was the error - did the Linux start booting at all?

Still another way is to try to do the whole thing manually. This can be a daunting task if you are not a Linux expert. Basically you need to clone all volumes (presumably you have done it), boot the destination VM from a live CD. If the Debian's installation CD has a rescue mode, that would be great. Then install GRUB and rebuild the initrd image. Fixing fstab may be needed evemtually. All these steps are not trivial and have details involved. I tried to find some page with good instructions but couldn't. Here are some pages I found which might help:

My First Linux P2V | chacadwa.com

virtualization.info | Self-made VMware P2V migration of Linux machines

http://blog.michael.kuron-germany.de/2011/10/how-to-converting-xen-linux-vms-to-vmware-esxi/

Migrating Linux physical server to a ESXi VM server - Madgenius.com

HTH

Plamen

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dr_nuke
Enthusiast
Enthusiast

! SOLVED !

I figured this out with the help of a friend.  It does work without too much work.

Here is how we did it.

1) Make sure the vm created in Fusion 5.0.3. is off.

2) Start Converter as administrator. (ie. right-click/ctrl-click & open/start)

3) Don't worry that it Converter doesn't identify the right Linux distribution.

4) When you set Destination Location make sure you you chose Virtual Machine Version 8.  (Apparently Fusion only does version 😎

5) On the option Data to Copy and set Disk Type to THIN

6) Make sure you select the option not to automatically start the VM after transfer because you have to manually change some options.

7) Click Finish and let the job complete.

😎 After successful migration, go to vSphere and edit the settings to make sure the OS Type & version is correct etc. etc.

9) Boot up the VM.

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