I have a job with an install of ESXi running on the server hardware, and one guest OS running in it (server 2012). My customer wants to be able to access the guest OS directly from the monitor connected to the server (and their old IT guy is gone and they don't want him logging into the host remotely). So I guess what I need to do is to backup the guest OS (as a vhd or some other format?) then remove the ESXi, and restore the OS directly onto the server hardware.
What scares me is that the boot sector and hardware drivers within server 2012 aren't exactly what is needed for the server to boot and load the OS correctly because right now it's talking through vmware and letting it handle hardware and bootup tasks. I'm thinking that if I just re-install 2012 on the server, then do a restore from the virtual drive image, I will be good to go? I need to maintain their installation and configuration, including all items in AD, user accounts, group policy, etc.
Is there a way to back up a guest OS, remove ESXi, then install that guest OS backup directly onto the server hardware? Is this procedure a nightmare or is it doable?
