Problem converting/moving guest from ESXi3.5 host to 4.0

[netbloke]

We have two standalone ESXi hosts. The first is v3.5 U3 build 123629 32 bit and the second is 4.0.0 build 171294 64 bit. The second is a direct replacement for the first with a dramatic hardware upgrade (from workstation to fat server).

The task is to move all guests from ESXi 3.5 to ESXi 4.0. There are only three guests to move. They are all 8GB flat disks with 256MB RAM and running Win XP Pro.

I have used Standalone Converter 4.0.1 build 161434 to successfully move two out of three of the guests without error, and the moved guests are running fine on the new host.

The third guest keeps failing in the conversion process. It has failed three times The information available is:

Convert virtual machine to virtual machine

Failed the task was canceled by the user

Error: Failed to clone disk 0 on the virtual machine 'My VM'

Completed: 72%

Twice it failed at 72%, once at 76% (that time with additional message Error: Unable to remove the target virtual machine 'My VM')

I also tried using the datastore browser to copy the entire guest VM directory from one host to the other. That appeared to work. At power on I was queried where the VM came from, and answered 'I copied it'. The VM fails with error message 'file not found'

Given that two out of three conversions worked, how can I convert/move/migrate the third (and, strangely, most immediately needed) VM?

Thanks for your suggestions

[danm66]

Try the following:

run a chkdsk within the VM

change the destination size

if running conversion while vm is powered on, try doing it while powered off or vice versa

use an older version of converter.

use coldclone iso.

[AndreTheGiant]

From ESXi to ESXi you can simple copy the files.

Download / upload with datastore browser.

Or enable ssh and use scp/FastSCP

Andre

[bulletprooffool]

Why are you converting the VM? Just shut the VM, move the files to the new Datastore and import the VM to the new host?

copying is done easily using SCP . . or something like Veamm fastscp.

[netbloke]

Just for completeness,

The VM disk failed a chkdsk and couldn't fix it.

I was using Standalone Converter because the last migration I did was Workstation to ESXi 3.5 and it was necessary then.

The real reason I was using converter was ignorance - but it was faster than the only other way I knew, up/download to/from the VI Client, before anyone mentioned scp. And, it does actually work.

I have since enabled SSH on the host, cloned an existing guest and rebuilt the machine.

Thanks for your feedback and I ran out of "helpful" buttons.

[Kasraeian]

Hi, are the VMs on the local datastore? did you have any shared storage (NFS/iSCSI)?

May be using one NFS/iSCSI server (Which can be Windows server 2003/2008 or Starwind) be much easier in this case, you can move VMs from local datastore to the shared storage which is mounted in both Hosts, then just add VM to the new Host and perform you maintenance/upgrade/...

More info for NFS link1, link2 and link3

I this case, if in future you want to adding any other Host or doing any maintenance, it would be easier and faster.

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MCTS, VCP