Converting Running Server to OVA file for deployment

[DougtheWee]

Hi there all. I'm in the process of attempting to transfer a currently running Windows server into a VM to run under ESXi5.1. I installed the VMware vCenter Converter Standallone software onto the target server, and ran it with the options that I thought were corrent and let it do it's thing. Unfortunatley it generated a vmkd file that I can not deply from the vSphere client application.

So the question is.

Am i using the correct tool for the job, and if not what should i be using? If I am, how do i get it to create a OVA file.

I know that one of the options you get when setting up the conversion is to set the destination type to VMware Infrastructure VM, but the current server isn't connected to the host that the VM will be running on, so I can't use this option.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

[MauroBonder]

Welcome,

Read this discussion http://communities.vmware.com/message/1617541

GL

[DougtheWee]

OK so looks like OVF exports are not supported any more. Does this mean that you can only convert a server straight onto an ESXi host now? That doesn't really make life very easy for me.

[DougtheWee]

One thing does occur to me though, is that as the converter generates  the .vmx and .vmdk files that are stored int he datastore. Is there a way that if I transfer the files to the datastore of the ESXi host that I want to deply to, can i generate a VM using the file son the datastore?

Sorry if there is an obvious answer to this, but I am new to this game 🙂

Thanks

[DougtheWee]

OK I've worked out how I can do this. SO i guess this queston is closed.