Migration Problem

[GregMeathead]

Hi all

I have a small problem. We have 3 ESX 2.5 boxes, full of VMs. We have just purchased and added 3 more ESX3 hosts. I have to migrate all of machines from our old 2.5 hosts to new VI3 ones. The thing is that the new boxes are on different hardare, new servers. So actually we are running 6 esx hosts, 3 2.5 and 3 VI. We have a 2 separate VC, one 1.3 and the new one 2.0 for VI. For VI we have 6 licenses, 2 per each box. So all i can see in VC2 are those 3 empty VI hosts, i can not add our old 2.5 boxes cause it tells me that i do not have any licensing available, moreover i can not connect VI hosts to 1.3 VC. So, how can i migrate all of the boxes from old servers to new ones and the decomision them??

[Paul_Lalonde]

It's called VMware Converter 3.0, and it's free, free, free!

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

Works beautifully to copy VMs from one ESX to another. Works with existing VC configurations.

Paul

[GregMeathead]

i know i have it

The only thing is that every time im trying to migrate something from ESX 2.5 it asks me to add the host, i put ip of 2.5 host and it tells me that it is 2.5 host not 3 and that's it.

I dont think that it works with 2.5

[Paul_Lalonde]

You're using the IMPORT feature, right? Not the CONFIGURE...

Paul

[GregMeathead]

I have VM converter 3.0

I did try both and both give me the same error message when im trying to connect to 2.5 host:

"The managed host was actually running ESX 2.x, rather than 3.x or VC"

[Paul_Lalonde · Accepted solution]

My bad... I just checked the system requirements and it says that the ESX 2.5 server needs to be managed by VC 2.0.

The easiest thing is to just set up a temporary VC 2.01 server (re-use the same license, it's only for a short while) and attach the ESX 2.5 servers to it. Then, you'll be able to pull the VMs off of them with Converter and push them onto the new ESX 3 servers.

Paul

[GregMeathead]

Thanks i can try that, i will also look into vizioncore esx migrator, did anybody used it???

[UK-ESX-User]

Encountered the same problem when I was asked to upgrade 3 x HP ProLiant DL380 G4 servers running with ESX 2.5.2. As the site was remote and we didn't have access to a VI server until later, I had to do the following for the three servers (a very time consuming process) due to a lack of funds available to purchase the software needed.

(1) Migrated all VMs off the physical server to be rebuilt via SCP copies

(2) Rebuilt the server from scratch with ESX 3.0.1

(3) Created new VMs on the rebuilt server without hard disks

(4) Via SCP copies, copied back over the VMDK files to the specific directories created for the new VMs

(5) Added the VMDK files into the VMs and then upgraded the VM via the VI client

(6) Spun up the VM on the ESX 3.0.1 server

(7) Installed the latest version of the VMware Tools (enabled time sync with physical host before rebooting)

(8) Removed any non-existing hardware devices and rebooted the server

(9) Assigned the static IP details to the VM and rebooted

Very tedious process but no other option due to the location (out in the back of beyond in Thailand with the work).