migrating VM's from a remote site

[CB1]

What is the best way to migrate Virtual Servers from a remote site to another site? We will not be able to use the network to make the moves. Should we just power down the vm and copy the vmdks and vmx to a thumb drive? Is there a way to compress the VM if we did make a copy? Or is there an easier way?

[Troy_Clavell]

you can export to OVF, then import into the new enviornment, which will compress.  Maybe something like Veeam FastSCP as well

[weinstein5]

You can eport the VM to an OVF which does some compression as I recall - to thumb drive/USB attached sotrage - bring into to the new site and import it into the server. There are also tools out there that can help you do this like PlateSpin that will export ta remote drive and allow you to bring into the new environment -

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[idle-jam]

Datastore copy doesn't not remove whitespace and in the end you are wasting more time transferring. Other than ovf export you could use VMware converter to convert to workstation format in USB drive then vice versa in second location.

[CB1]

So I would be able to go to the remote site with a Laptop that has converter install and create a workstation format of a Virtual Server and store it on a attached USB drive?

[Troy_Clavell]

Charlie wrote:

So I would be able to go to the remote site with a Laptop that has converter install and create a workstation format of a Virtual Server and store it on a attached USB drive?

sure... that will work too.

[idle-jam]

yes, but i would just courier the USB drive over there and have someone connect it to a physical PC or using vmware usb pass thru to a VM. i do not want to wait there for a large VMDK to be uploaded 😛