Virtual Machine Importer 2.0 Beta communication problem

[jmacdaddy]

I am reposting this as a question to see if I can get some interest:

Using Virtual Machine Importer 2.0 Beta. We are trying to import a Workstation 5.5 vm to ESX 2.5.2. Initially we tried using the file manager which failed because the virtual disk in Workstation was not initially configured as a legacy disk.

So now we are trying to use the Importer. When we try to select the ESX server as the import destination, we are getting the error message:

"Virtual Machine Importer is unable to contact the server. The server name may be misspelled.....you may need to enter a port number..."

Everything pings and resolves through DNS okay on the workstation running Importer, and I tried the port# in the example (908). I tried connecting using just the IP address instead of the hostname and that fails as well. The three machines (ESX, Workstation 5.5, WinXP workstation) are all on the same workgroup switch.

Is there a way of determining the port number that ESX is listening on? Any other ideas on why I can't communicate?

Thanks!

[admin]

Perhaps you will get a better response if you post this in the VM Importer Beta Forum.

I will move it to that forum for you.

BrianG - You friendly Neighborhood User Moderator

[gautam]

Using VM Importer 2.0 you cannot import directly to ESX 2.5.x it has to be via Virtual Center 2.0

Were you trying to connect directly to ESX 2.5? We do support importing directly to ESX 3.0.

[jmacdaddy]

Thank you for your response. We are trying to import from Workstation 5.5 to ESX Server 2.5.2. So as I understand it, my only option is to sign up for the beta program for VC 2.0 and install it on another Windows server in my network. This will allow the Importer to see the ESX server. Importer 1.5 will not allow me to import directly from Workstation 5.5 to ESX 2.5.2.

Is the P2V Assistant an option that I am just missing, or is what I described above my only real option?

Thanks again.

[gautam]

Using VM Importer is certainly the easiest way to do this.

However, using P2V I believe the procedure would be something along the lines of,

\- Install P2V Assistant on an ESX VM,

\- attach an empty disk to it,

\- P2V the disks of the WS VM (which has to be visible on the network to the ESX 2.5 VM) into the empty disk

\- Detach the disk

\- Create a new VM and use the disk you just created

You can get more advice on how to do this from the P2V forums.

[ShowGal]

I'm having the same problem, but I am trying to import a VMWare Server Beta vm to ESX 2.5.2. That should work, right? I'm getting the same error message "Virtual Machine Importer is unable to contact the server. The server name may be misspelled.....you may need to enter a port number..." , but I have no other problems communicating with it. I can open the web page for the server, and I can ping it.

[gautam · Accepted solution]

VM Importer 2 does not support importing to ESX 2.5 directly. You can only import to ESX 2.5 via Virtual Center 2.0 beta.

Thanks,

Gautam