Move VM from ESX 3.5 to ESX 2.5

[Xitor]

Occassionally VMs will be created in the lab we need to share with other ESX installs in the company. Normally we do a vmkfstools export of the VMDK files, and then an import on the target system. One assumption here, no network connection between the ESX or VI systems so we can't migrate or use vmconverter direct from system to system.

So two quick questions:

1. Is there a more efficient way of doing this? Create the export files, moving all them and importing them takes some time.

2. We have a request to provide a 3.5 VM export for an ESX 2.5 host. Will 2.5 actually be able to import our exports, or should we use another method?

Thanks in advance!

[weinstein5]

1) Without network connecitons I think that will be the best way to do it -

2) There is no way to import a 3.5 disk into ESX 2.5 without the use of some tool - like PlateSpin's Power Convert - and I do not think Vmware converter can not do that - but once again network connectivity will be key or potentially make an image of the 3.5 vm with ghost and restore the image into a 2.5 VM -

[bggb29]

I have used previous versions of 3 vmdks on 2.x hosts by copying the flat file and renaming the vmdk i/e disk-flat.vmdk to disk.vmdk.

It is probably not supported , however will get you by in a pinch. I had a few dmotions go south on me.