P2V not working

[Heiko4]

Hi

We are running ESX3i Update 2 managed through VC. By searching through the communities we found the solution to enable the ssh finally

P2V conversion tools like VMWare Converter, PowerConvert (Platespin) vConverter (Vizioncore) are brilliant solutions where each tool has its advantages. The aim of this post is not to establish which is better than the other.

Question: Did anyone get it to work to use the P2V tools to convert directly to ESX3i U2? We have searched the communities and the web but where not successful.

We know about the firewall settings that have to be set in ESX 3.5 but ESX3i has no esxcfg-firewall.

Heiko

[JoeCasanova]

I converted an old decomissioned Domain Controller the other night for archival purposes.

Once I take the metal version of that offline I will try the Virtual version and report back here.

UPDATE: It worked fine. The once-physical-now-virtual machine works as I had hoped.

[tractng]

Hi,

So a current virtual machine running on vmware server would work if using the converter to bring it into the ESXi environment?

Tnt

[JoeCasanova]

From my experiences, yes. You could convert directly into the ESXi server.

We converted a couple Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 machines without a hitch.

[Heiko4]

Hi Joe

What tool did you use? To upload the files through the Datastore browser is a manual process.

We wish to convert physical to Virtual to ESX3i that is automated.

Currently what we could get to work is only WinSCP. FastSCP does not work. I did contact veeam support and they are working on a fix. No time frame has been given when that will fixed.

Somewhere in ESX3i should be a setting to allow it.

Heiko

[Heiko4]

The only conversion tool that sofar works is the when you have Virtual Center 2.5, which has the consolidation plan and the VMWare Converter 4.01.

All other does not seem to work.

Please correct me if I am wrong.

[DSTAVERT]

If you can set up SAMBA on your vmware server you can use Converter 3.03 to convert the "virtual appliance" and copy them directly to the ESXi server. Other than windows servers you will need to shut down the the virtual machines If the virtual servers you want to move to ESXi are windows machines then you can install converter on them and convert them directly to an ESXi server. Running converter on a live windows machine will have it's issues, time, file changes etc.

[RParker]

The only conversion tool that sofar works is the when you have Virtual Center 2.5, which has the consolidation plan and the VMWare Converter 4.01

Yes, we found that as well. vConverter works if you use the IP address, and use the manual process. Even VM Converter sometimes won't work, unless you install the VM converter directly on the machine you want to convert, and run the convert from there.

Otherwise, we find that VM Converter works 9/10 times. Much better results than with other 3rd party products.

[Heiko4]

Hi

Thank you for the help.

vConverter 4.0 will be released soon and apparently version 4.0 will support ESX3i

Currently VM Converter works. Petty they do not have support for incremental conversions

Heiko

[tech4him]

We have used the VMWare Converter to convert both physical servers directly to ESXi server/format and to convert existing VMWare Server VM's directly to ESXi server/format. The only issue that has come up thus far is on one of the physical server conversions, the NIC were changed to the VM device but none of the network settings were carried over. We had to configure the virtual NICs manually on that one machine.

[lfchin]

you can use the vmware converter tools to do a p2v online. treat the virtual servers or VM as physical machine, and input the IP/hostname and username/password. Just do it exactly same as the physical server conversion process. that will work too.

Rolando

[CiscoKid80]

I am trying to use the P2V converter in Ghost 12.0. When i run the conversion to vmdk and then manually upload the file to the ESXi server and then try to make a virtual machine from that .vmdk file the file does not show up in the directory that I uploaded it to on the server. Any ideas?