Best way to move a VM to new hardware

[ATG123]

I've got a SBS 2011 VM running on ESXi 5.  The hardware is not adequate and the performance is slow.  I want to move the SBS 2011 VM to new hardware.  After installling ESXi on the new hardware, what is the best way to move the VM.  It's pretty large, and it's a production server - so I'm looking for fast and efficient.  What are the most common problems when moving a VM to new hardware?  Thanks!

[vGuy]

If you have vMotion enabled then you can live migrate the VM.

If cold migrating, it should powerOn normally as long as you have network and storage configured for the VM on the new host.

For 5.1, shared storage is no longer a requirement for vMotion.

[ATG123]

Is there a step-by-step guide to doing this.  I'm moving a production server.  I don't want to "wing it".  Thanks!

[vGuy]

Ok, can you help with the following questions to provide you with the best options/steps:

Are both the hosts in the same cluster or managed by the same vCenter server?

Can both the hosts see the same storage?

How is the network connectivity between the hosts, are they in the same subnet or can talk to each other?

And I am assuming you are running 5.0 not 5.1?

[TomHowarth]

what edition of vSphere are you using? Do you have shared storage?  do you have vCenter?

[ATG123]

The hosts are on separate hardware on the same subnet.  They can see each other.  Both using ESXi 5.0.

[vGuy]

Can you also confirm if both the hosts can see the shared storage the VM is running on? If the VM is on the shared storage you can simply right click and vMotion the VM to the new host.

[ATG123]

I didn't specifically "share" the storage the VM is on.  Not sure if this can be done after the fact.  Do I have to purchase a license for vmotion?  Or is it included with the free version of ESXi?

[vGuy]

vMotion is included in starting from Essentials Plus, Standard, Ent, Ent+... licenses. It requires shared storage between the hosts to work. If you have vSphere 5.1, then you can perform vMotion even without shared storage. I am adding links to couple of docs for your reading:

http://pubs.vmware.com/vsphere-50/index.jsp?topic=%2Fcom.vmware.vsphere.vcenterhost.doc_50%2FGUID-3B...

http://www.vmware.com/files/pdf/vsphere_pricing.pdf

Since there is no shared storage, you can cold migrate the VM:

--> Take a backup clone of a VM

--> PowerOff

--> Right Click and select Migrate

--> Select change both host and Datastore

--> Select the Destination host and Datastore

--> Keep the format as same

--> Finish

There are few other options as well like using vmkfstools (CLI), converter and so on. This KB article discusses some of the other options. But I feel cold migrate is the easiest one.

...hth!

[ATG123]

I guess my problem is that I did not word my question properly.  I am using the free version of ESXi 5.0.  I need to know the best way to move a VM using the free version of ESXi 5.0.  Most of the methods I've looked into require a paid license.  As near as I can tell my options are limited.  So - I hate to sound redundant, but what is the best way to move a VM from ESXi 5.0 free to a new hardware server running ESXi 5.0 free.  Thanks again!

[vGuy · Accepted solution]

A VM is encapsulated in a set of files thus making it easily portable; you can copy the VM files using WinSCP or any other program to the destination host. Register the vmx on the new host and power-on the VM. You may also have a look @ Veeam's FastSCP for the purpose. I have not had a chance to use it yet but it's free and seems quite popular among the community:

http://www.veeam.com/vmware-esxi-fastscp.html

[ATG123]

Because this was a new installation of ESXi we were able to use Veeam.  We had a very large SBS 2011 VM to move.  It was very simple and worked perfectly.  I really didn't think it would work.  My users didn't even notice.  Thanks!  

[vGuy]

Glad to hear

[rulmer]

After struggling to get Veeam FastSCP to even install on a Windows computer, I spoke to Veeam tech support. They informed me that the FastSCP v3.0.3 is "very old" and, more importantly, will not work with anything newer than ESXi v4.x....

Their Free Backup software does not support ESXi.

Basically I was told they could not help me and I should look elsewhere.

If anyone has any other options, I'm all ears....

Thank you.

[vGuy]

what version of ESXi you are using? I did a quick check and according to the this pdf it supports ESXi 3.5–5.1. Nevertheless as mentioned VMs are encapsulated in a set of files. You should be able to use traditional tools such as WinSCP to copy the VM files.

[rulmer]

vGuy, thank you for the reply.

I am running ESXi v5.1. When I spoke to Veeam, they said that the latest and greatest version of FastSCP is included with their free backup solution which specifically states that ESXi (i.e., the free version) is not supported.

They did say that the older version 3.0.3 did support ESXi.

My call to them was due to an installation problem with the 3.0.3 version. It was asking me for credentials (domain\username and password). When I entered these, I was getting an error message that said something like this type of login not authorized for this user - I apologize for not remembering the exact wording. They felt is was some issue with the domain / user account(s). Since that is an area that I am unfamiliar with, I was stuck and hoping for their assistance. The person I spoke with said that even if I could get it installed, it would be 'unsupported' since it was so old. (BTW, I tried the link you posted for the pdf file and got an XML reply saying that the server rejected the request???) I was much too small a fish for the person I talked with who said he deals with "large data center back-up issues". Since I am a very small (3 Delll Poweredge servers running 7 VMs) and admittedly an ESXi novice / newbie, he made me feel insignificant. C'est la vie...

I am using the vSphere vCenter Client to manage the servers. I am 'downloading' the VMs to an external hard drive connected to a Win XP box after browsing the datastores. I verified this worked by 'uploading' from the hard drive to another host. It took me a little while to find how to add the VM into the inventory, but once I did, the VM powered up just fine.

Again, thank you for your reply.

Bob Ulmer

[vGuy]

Yes, Datastore Browser is the simplest of the solution ....

Glad to help!