How to move VM between different storage

[machiasiaweb]

Hello,

I would like to have any advise that how to moving the VM storage between 2 data storage?

Currently I am using ESXi 6.0 update 2 (free version)

After moving the VM disk from one storage to another by using vSphere Client like following step. 

1. browse the Datastore

2. hightlight the VM folder

3. click the button "move a file from this datastore to ...vCenter"

After done and check its properties, it still say using the old storage location and VM could not able to start

What should be the correct steps?

Thanks!

[Paltelkalpesh]

If you are using V-Center then you can power off VM and change Data store location through V-motion and second way where you can manually move ALL VM files from one data store to second Data store.

but in your case you have already moved and still it is showing old storage, first check how many drives are attached with this specific VM and second did you get any error message while moving files from one Data Store to another Data store.

[vmguysa]

Hi,

These are the steps you have to follow to manually move the vm from one datastore to another

1. Power off the vm

2. Remove the vm from inventory

3. Browse the new datastore once you have done the copy

4. right click the .vmx file and add to inventory

5. Power on - you may get asked a question about whether you copied or moved the vm. answer and you should be fine

[impranayk]

If you are using Shared datastore, you don't need downtime for storage vMotion. Perform below steps to perform hot migration.

- Right click on VM

- Click on Migrate.

- Migrate Storage

- Select Second Datastore where it has to be migrated.

If storage is not shared, need downtime.

- Shutdown VM.

- Right Click on VM

- Migrate

- Select Datastore and Host Migration.

If you have already performed above steps, and still showing old datastore, probably your vmx, swap, or some of the files does exists in old datastores.

[zahsan96]

really thanks its worked.

[GregChristopher]

If you are trying to move both the VMDK's  but ALSO the vmx and configuration (and I'm not sure who would NOT want to do it) "Migrate host and data store" is the secret sauce, thank you.

This is another hacky thing we have to do as vmware admins because you are NOT migrating to a different host. It just tricks ESX into moving the configuration folder to a different data store on the same host.

Thanks for this, of course I would have never thought of that because it's not what we're doing.