DC consolidation by using VMware Converter

[Ravi1987]

Hi Team,

i am working on a project where we are doing datacenter consolidation for server's spreading acros different geographic location.

we are prapearing one site for hosting complete VMware datacenter which will be a primary site. Rest we will do migration of server from brach offices to central DC.

each branch office is connected via internet link with some letancy issues. Branch offices are 50 to 100 miles part from new VMware DataCenter location.

Please let me know if any one done this kind of consolidation yet. what will be best approach to do DC cosolidtion.

i dont think P2V over the WAN will be nice idea. Can we Convert the physical machine into virtual machine with the help of VMware Workstation converter and than ship the Vdisk to central DC and than import into VMware Environemnt.

Please let me know if anyone done this kind of DC migrations earlier.

Thanks in advance.

Ravi

[ivivanov · Accepted solution]

i dont think P2V over the WAN will be nice idea.

Nope, it is not, besides Converter needs direct connectivity from the physical source to the target ESX box.

Can we Convert the physical machine into virtual machine with the help of VMware Workstation converter and than ship the Vdisk to central DC and than import into VMware Environemnt.

Yes, if your physical source is Windows. For Linux physical sources you cannot create a Workstation image, but you need to convert it to an ESX. However after performing Linux P2V to an ESX box, then you can perform V2V conversion of the result to a Workstation image and import it back on the target site.

[Ravi1987]

First of all Thanks for the response .

I am planning to install VMware workstation in my LAPTOP with 1TB of disk and than use my Latop VMWare Workstation to convert the physical machine into virtual. All Brach offices physical server are only windows.

Please let me know can it make sense and the same thing you are taking about.

i tried some time and found workstation can cover the workstation vm into vm but not able to connect physical machine in domain even though i am able to connect it proporly.

do i need to do some changes in workstation configuration.

ravi

[ivivanov]

I am planning to install VMware workstation in my LAPTOP with 1TB of disk and than use my Latop VMWare Workstation to convert the physical machine into virtual. All Brach offices physical server are only windows.

Please let me know can it make sense and the same thing you are taking about.

As far as I understand - yes, this should work.

i tried some time and found workstation can cover the workstation vm into vm but not able to connect physical machine in domain even though i am able to connect it proporly.

do i need to do some changes in workstation configuration.

I am not sure I understand this part. Are you talking about joining to domain the result of the conversion? I don't think Workstation can do that, but Standalone VMware Converter can. Workstation is using Converter internally anyway.