P2V Query

[shagilm]

Hi,

I'm doing an ESXi install next week on a Dell 2900. The current OS is SuSE Enterprise 10 installed on an LVM split over 3 SAS drives. I'm installing ESXI to a 1 TB SATA drive.

My query is this : Once ESXi is installed and running will I be able to virtualise the SUSE install using the P2V tools ???

Thanks,

Shane

[J1mbo]

The potential guest and ESX need to be running currently to use vmware converter. I suppose you might be able to create a VM using RDM.

Please award points to any useful answer.

[krowczynski]

Or you can do it with a standalone converter cd, I think!

[shagilm]

Hi,

Will the stand alone converter work if the SuSE OS is not running??? I've done P2V where the potential guest is running - In my case I'm trying to virtualise the physically installed OS on the box that ESXi is installed on so the orignal OS will not be running.

Can I point the P2V tools at physical disk partitions and convert them to dynamic disks????

Thanks,

Shane

[krowczynski]

Please read this

=

I don't used it by myself until now, because we'are nor running other machine that windows, and with them you can alway use hot cloning!

Sorry!

[JaySMX]

Do you have any other ESX hosts online? If you have access to the Conterver boot disk, you could potentially boot the server using that and convert the SuSE OS to a VM on another host or a standalone VM (a.k.a., just create the VM files) either locally or on a network share. After that, boot back into ESXi and import the new VM.

I haven't tried this in the scenario that you're describing, but it sounds like it would work. Just treat it as a convert to either a different host or a standalone VM.

[r_lam]

First create a vm with Converter of your physical SuSE server, then store the VM files somewhere else, not on the same server.

Reinstall the server with ESX and import the VM with Converter.

[shagilm]

Thanks,

This sounds like the most straight-forward way of achieving what I need.