Merge Two View Environments

[calladd]

Here is my question/situtation.  I have built up my own VMware View environment in my company and have been running it for about 2 years.   Very recently we merged with another group that also has their own implementation of VMware View.  I have been tasked with merging the two environment under one View Connection Server.  Is there a way to export all of the configuration from one connection server and merging that information into another Connection Server?

My thought is to take the merging groups View configuration, export it all out, import that into my exisiting Connection server, add their vCenter server into my Connection Server and assume control of all of their desktop connections by directing thier DNS name to my Connection Server via an alias.

Is there a prefered way of accomplishing this without manually recreating all the pools on my connection server.

Thanks!!

[mittim12]

I have never seen method or documentation on how to merge environments.   You would possibly to have to merge the compsoer database as well as the ADAM database.  I did check the vdmimport command and it also has no merge switch that you could use.     This might be more off a manual move and hopefully most of the pools are linked clone based which should be easy to recreate.   

[calladd]

Thanks for the quick reply,

If I cannot find another solution then one of the environments is primarily Floating-Linked Clone pools, so moving them should not be too much trouble.  The bigger issue will be the Dedicated, Full VM pools.  These will have to be converted to Manual Pools on the way over and I lose the ability to have view manage the creation of new desktops on thos pools.

[mittim12 · Accepted solution]

Yeah, I can see where that may be problematic.   My only thought there is to have a legacy manual pool and then funnel all new users into an automated dedicated pool.    

[calladd]

I am going to do some reading up on the LDIF import function, from reading about it, it seems that you can use this to do bulk loading of desktops, so I want to test and see if doing an LDIF import will append the data to your ADAM and Connection Server, or overwrite it.

If it appends the information then I could save myself time by LDIF exporting out of one CS and and then importing it into another.

I am going to stand up a test lab and see what the results are.

[mittim12]

Good luck and please let us know how it turns out.

[krismcewan]

I would create a new enviroment or recreate the pools in one of the enviroments.

My advice is build a new enviroment and do a phased migration of users and desktop pools.

Would be cleaner, less likely for total failure and if done corectly would be better for end users. AND there is a constant reference back to the old enviroments.

Planning is the key.

[calladd]

So after much testing I have decided to go with converting the dedicated pools to manual pools and migrating.  It is the option with greatest margin for safety thanks everyone for your input.