move vms from esxi4 og esxi5.5

[ole-]

Hi,

We have a customer that today has esxi4 and vcenter 4.

They have configured a new vmware system beside this one, with esxi5.5 and vcenter 5.5

They are going to make the old SAN (FC) available in the new vcenter. But how should we migrate the vms.

Could we just add one of the old esxi4 to the new vcenter 5.5 without interrupt any vms, and migrate them over to 5.5?

Or should we clone these vms? (some are Domain controllers)

Feel free to come with suggestions

[crawfordm · Accepted solution]

Option 1)  Use VMware vCenter Converter: P2V Virtual Machine Converter | United States

Option 2) If both hosts can see the SAN, just shut the VM down, remove it from inventory on the old host, then on the ESXi 5.5 host browse to the datastore where that vm is located and add it to inventory.  Then you can power it on an d upgrade the tools on it.

[ole-]

Thanks for good reply.

I tested option 1 in a lab environment now, and it worked great. But i thought it would migrate the vm and not clone it?

I choose "Power on machine" and selected the vcenter that was in control of the vm, and then i selected a the target esxi that was not controlled by vcenter. After it had completed, i had one vm on the new esxi host that was power off, and i still had the vm on the vcenter. I thought it would migrate it?

If I use option 2, after I have done those things. I guess i must choose "migrate->change both host and datastore" ?

[crawfordm]

VMware Converter does not migrate.  It creates a copy on the new host.

If you choose option 2, you only need to do that if you want to move it to a different host in your 5.5 environment.

Please do not forget to mark helpful & correct answers.

Thanks

Marc

[ole-]

Ok, so since i need to move it from 4.0 environment to 5.5 I cant use option 2 ? versions not supported ? may be i misunderstand...

Do you have any knowledge when it comes to copy a domain controller, guess this could cause issues.. ? May be I should create a new domain controller on the new vmware solution, and have them replicate, before I decommission the old DC`S?