Transfer/Migrate Existing Windows Server to ESXi

[jasongrubbs]

Hello All,

Forgive my ignorance, but is there a way to transfer an existing Windows or Mac server to our new ESXi server?  Parallels had a Transporter Agent.  Is there something similiar in VMWare?

Thanks for any assistance!

[jrmunday]

Yes, VMware Converter ... this is a standalone product that can be used to P2V physical servers.

http://www.vmware.com/products/converter/overview.html

Some of the marketing ...

• Quickly and reliably convert local and remote physical machines into virtual machines without any disruption or downtime.
• Complete multiple conversions simultaneously with a centralized management console and an intuitive conversion wizard.
• Convert other virtual machine formats such as Microsoft Hyper-V,  Microsoft Virtual PC and Microsoft Virtual Server or backup images of  physical machines such as Symantec Backup Exec System Recovery or Norton  Ghost to VMware virtual machines.

[jasongrubbs]

Thats great!  Thanks!

But that brings up two more questions...

Can it transfer Mac OS X servers as well?  Can it convert Parallels VMs?

[jrmunday]

Can it transfer Mac OS X servers as well?

As far as I am aware Mac operating systems are only legally allowed to run on Mac hardware.

Can it convert Parallels VMs?

Yes.

[jasongrubbs]

As far as I am aware Mac operating systems are only legally allowed to run on Mac hardware.

The option to create a VM with Mac OS 10.6 and 10.7 appears in the list.  I have an ISO of 10.6.  I will try it and report back.

[jrmunday]

The option to create a VM with Mac OS 10.6 and 10.7 appears in the list.

These would be valid selections if ESXi is running on apple branded hardware - this is a legal requirement.

[jrmunday]

Have a look at the Compatibility guides for Guest OS;

http://www.vmware.com/resources/compatibility/search.php

See attached CSV for Mac OS X compatibility.

[jasongrubbs]

Thanks for the info JR!

We have a couple new Mac Mini's, maybe we will fire up ESXi on one of them and give this a try on Apple hardware.  Thanks again for your help!

[jrmunday]

The Mac Mini is not officially supported on the HCL;

Partner Name	Model	CPU Series	Supported Releases
Apple	MacPro5,1	Intel Xeon 56xx Series	ESXi 5.1
Apple	Xserve3,1	Intel Xeon 55xx Series	ESXi 5.1 5.0 U1 5.0

... but that doesn't mean that it does not work - check this out;

http://www.virtuallyghetto.com/2012/05/thats-so-cool-running-esxi-5-on-apple.html

Cheers,

Jon

[jasongrubbs]

Jon Munday wrote:

The Mac Mini is not officially supported on the HCL;

Partner Name	Model	CPU Series	Supported Releases
Apple	MacPro5,1	Intel Xeon 56xx Series	ESXi 5.1
Apple	Xserve3,1	Intel Xeon 55xx Series	ESXi 5.1 5.0 U1 5.0

... but that doesn't mean that it does not work - check this out;

http://www.virtuallyghetto.com/2012/05/thats-so-cool-running-esxi-5-on-apple.html

Cheers,

Jon

UGH...as soon as I wrote my response, I read the compatibility chart...

I did read the article you posted but we need something officially supported.

Thanks for the help!

[jrmunday]

No problem, hope you find something - please mark thread as answered if it satisfies your original question.