Is there a way to access the VMs with VMware Server?
Message was edited by:
RDPetruska
Removed emoticon in subject.
OK, lets be real careful here! If you were to install Windows on the RAID1, it would NOT be able to read the VMFS volume on the RAID5. Don't make that mistake!
You need to move the VM's off of the ESX server one at a time. There is no way to convert the filesystem from VMFS. So what you want to do is:
A. convert your VM's to a compatible format for VMware Server
B. move them off your ESX host
C. place them on a Windows box that has VMware Server installed
There are 2 options that have already been offered in this thread that can help you out:
1. Use vmkfstools to export the VM's to a format that can be read by (free) VMware Server, then copy the exported files across the network to the Windows host with VMware Server. If you were to just copy the large .vmdk files from the ESX server they would not be readable by the VMware Server product. That is why GCR suggested the -d 2gbsparse option with vmkfstools. This would export the large .vmdk file into multiple 2GB files that you could copy off the ESX server and would then be compatible with VMware Server. So your command from the ESX server would be something like:
vmkfstools -i /vmfs/volumes/VMFSName/SourceVM/Source.vmdk -d 2gbsparse /vmfs/volumes/VMFSName/DestinationVM/Destination.vmdk
2. Even simpler than the above option would be to download VMware Converter and install it on a Windows machine (your workstation, a Windows server, anything). When you run Converter, the source that you want to connect to is the IP address of the ESX server. The destination selection should be "Stand-Alone Virtual Machine" and you should specify some file share on your network to dump the outputted files to. This selection will allow the converter to do everything in step 1 automatically for you. In the end, you'll have a folder with all of the files that are needed for VMware Sever to start the VM (.vmx, .vmdk, nvram, etc.). The tool is free and very simple to use.
I hope this clears things up for you.
Good luck,
Rob
Please edit to remove the smiley from the title. It's one of the rules. Put as many as you want in the body :smileysilly:
You could contact your sales representative to see if it's possible to get a new eval key.
Regards
/Nicke
VMware Converter 3.0 seems to support such a move now.
Free Download
http://www.vmware.com/download/converter/
Docs:
http://www.vmware.com/support/pubs/converter_pubs.html
Then install the free 'VMware Server' product:
Vmware converter or use the vmkfstools and clone the disk to you vmware server with the flag -d 2gbsparse and then create overthere the VMs
Cheers
Doesn't ESX use it's own proporietary file system?
I have a RAID1 of ~60GB where ESX is installed, and a RAID5 of ~200GB where the VMs live. Should I just install a new OS and Server and then install this Convertor, or does the array with the VMs need to be converted first?
Hello,
No you can even install the VMware converter in another machine or in the VMware server as you like.
cheers
Converter runs on any Windows machine. It just needs network access.
So... do I install the new OS and Server on the machine, then use the Convertor, or do I need to use the Convertor and then install an OS and Server?
OK, lets be real careful here! If you were to install Windows on the RAID1, it would NOT be able to read the VMFS volume on the RAID5. Don't make that mistake!
You need to move the VM's off of the ESX server one at a time. There is no way to convert the filesystem from VMFS. So what you want to do is:
A. convert your VM's to a compatible format for VMware Server
B. move them off your ESX host
C. place them on a Windows box that has VMware Server installed
There are 2 options that have already been offered in this thread that can help you out:
1. Use vmkfstools to export the VM's to a format that can be read by (free) VMware Server, then copy the exported files across the network to the Windows host with VMware Server. If you were to just copy the large .vmdk files from the ESX server they would not be readable by the VMware Server product. That is why GCR suggested the -d 2gbsparse option with vmkfstools. This would export the large .vmdk file into multiple 2GB files that you could copy off the ESX server and would then be compatible with VMware Server. So your command from the ESX server would be something like:
vmkfstools -i /vmfs/volumes/VMFSName/SourceVM/Source.vmdk -d 2gbsparse /vmfs/volumes/VMFSName/DestinationVM/Destination.vmdk
2. Even simpler than the above option would be to download VMware Converter and install it on a Windows machine (your workstation, a Windows server, anything). When you run Converter, the source that you want to connect to is the IP address of the ESX server. The destination selection should be "Stand-Alone Virtual Machine" and you should specify some file share on your network to dump the outputted files to. This selection will allow the converter to do everything in step 1 automatically for you. In the end, you'll have a folder with all of the files that are needed for VMware Sever to start the VM (.vmx, .vmdk, nvram, etc.). The tool is free and very simple to use.
I hope this clears things up for you.
Good luck,
Rob