VMware {code} Community
akutz
Hot Shot
Hot Shot

Introducing the VI 2.5 Client Plugin - SVMotion

SVMotion is a VI 2.5 client plugin (the FIRST released, third-party plugin in fact) that extends the client's functionality by providing an integrated, graphical tool that can be used to invoke storage VMotion (SVMotion) operations. This plugin is not supported by VMware. In fact, the plugin is not anywhere close to supported by VMware because it is the result of a two-week dive into the inner-workings of the VI client libraries with popular reflection tools (reverse-engineering). l o s t c r e a t i o n s is working on a white paper that describes how to build VI plugins.

Read more about SVMotion and download it here http://www.lostcreations.com/code/wiki/vmware/viplugins/svmotion.

Reply
0 Kudos
178 Replies
dlm1975
Contributor
Contributor

Great job! Works for my 3.5 cluster. Plugin did not appear in the managed plugins section, but did appear in the installed plugin section. I simply enabled it and tested it. Great results. Any thoughts to writing in an option using the --disks parameter (in order to choose to relocate individual virtual disks to separate datastores)?

Reply
0 Kudos
akutz
Hot Shot
Hot Shot

You're not the first person to recommend this. It's funny though, all the instances of this recommendation have related to the svmotion command line tool (they mention the --disks parameter). FYI - my SVMotion plugin does not call that tool, it actually does everything via code. Implementing the --disks option in code is quite easy, what is hard is how to represent it visually. See, I am trying to figure out how to best represent a many-to-many relationship visually. If you notice, most VI client operations only act on a single object, and one of the reasons (I am guessing) is that it is hard to represent many-to-many relationships. Because I want to be able to migrate many VMs' storage at once, I need to be able to also then migrate many VMs' disks at once. And perhaps to separate datastores. It becomes a tad tedious to write. I am thinking about it, but I am working on two other plugins before I get to it.

Thanks!

Reply
0 Kudos
akutz
Hot Shot
Hot Shot

I just released a new version of SVMotion. It is online at VIPlugins.com. The new version includes a client and server installer. The client installer can be installed on any machine with a VI 2.5 client, but the server installer requires a system with VC 2.5 installed on it. If you install the server extension, the SVMotion plugin will be available to all users who connect to that VC server.

Reply
0 Kudos
akutz
Hot Shot
Hot Shot

The VMware Infrastructure 3.5 Plugin and Extension Programming Guide - Revision 1 has been published. You can find a summary at http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/virtualization-pro/vmware-infrastructure-35-plugin-and-ext....

Reply
0 Kudos
RussellCorey
Hot Shot
Hot Shot

I just wanted to thank you for this amazing tool. I couldn't seem to get svmotion.pl to behave properly despite following the documentation to the letter (even going so far as to create VM's and datastores that match the examples).

It always barked about my vm not being in inventory. However your tool has managed to prove to me svmotion works and is saving me some time on a migration.

Thanks much!

Reply
0 Kudos
akutz
Hot Shot
Hot Shot

Glad to hear it and happy to help!

Reply
0 Kudos
RussellCorey
Hot Shot
Hot Shot

Also your code is very well documented. I think you should get kudos for that as well.

Reply
0 Kudos
akutz
Hot Shot
Hot Shot

I try. You haven't looked at the new code yet, very few comments. At some point they become redundant.

Reply
0 Kudos
squebel
Contributor
Contributor

I am not able to find the install guide anywhere on your site. Am I missing something?

Reply
0 Kudos
akutz
Hot Shot
Hot Shot

VIPlugins.com has a PDF that tells you how. Alternatively, download the client MSI and double-click to install : )

Reply
0 Kudos
Effective
Enthusiast
Enthusiast

Nice tool ... it sure beats mine Smiley Wink

I just released a Storage Vmotion tool as well : www.svmotion.com

It's developed in Visual Basic 2008 Express Edition.

It does check if the Virtual Machine is effected by the Storage Vmotion / Thin provisioning bug.

But mine is not integrated in VC, very nice, I'm going to try rewriting it as a plugin too ... just to learn out of it.

Not really sure if that would be possible using VB ?

we will see ...

Kind regards,

K.

Reply
0 Kudos
Effective
Enthusiast
Enthusiast

FYI

The Svmotion Thin Provision bug can be found on this link so be carefull to move VMs :

Kind regards,

K.

Reply
0 Kudos
akutz
Hot Shot
Hot Shot

The SVMotion plugin has been updated to 0.3.5. The plugin now hecks for the thin provisioning bug at http://tinyurl.com/2pjvo2. A special thank you to Koen Warson for informing me of this bug. Be sure to check out Koen's (Effective) own SVMotion GUI at http://communities.vmware.com/thread/127731?tstart=0 and http://www.svmotion.com!

Reply
0 Kudos
akutz
Hot Shot
Hot Shot

A new VI plugin has been released - Console. Console is a VI 2.5 client plugin that adds a new tab called "Console" to the list of tabs on the left (these are called views) when a host server is selected. The "Console" tab contains an integrated SSH client that can be used to open a console connection to ESX 2.5-3.x servers (not 3i). Read more about Console at its homepage and on the VMware forums.

Reply
0 Kudos
akutz
Hot Shot
Hot Shot

0.4.0 is out. Go forth, move virtual disk files independently of their VMs, be merry.

http://www.lostcreations.com/code/wiki/vmware/viplugins/svmotion

Reply
0 Kudos
akutz
Hot Shot
Hot Shot

0.4.1 just got pushed. It has pretty icons. Get it at http://lostcreations.com/code/wiki/vmware/viplugins/svmotion.

Reply
0 Kudos
visual2me
Enthusiast
Enthusiast

sounds good~

Reply
0 Kudos
rick-vanover
Enthusiast
Enthusiast

I just installed the new version. Love the pretty icons!

Reply
0 Kudos
martian28
Contributor
Contributor

I tried to install to both our servers and client. The installation went through but I still can't see the migrate storage option.

What else do I need to do?

Reply
0 Kudos
joboo12
Enthusiast
Enthusiast

Nice Job on this! Works great. Not to minimize your efforts as I'm sure the creation of this plugin was not easy, however, why couldn't VMWare do something similiar and include in the Initial release of 3.5? Was there a specific reason for the absence of this functionality within the GUI? The last think I want to do is waste my time scripting the Storage VMotion functionality.

Thanks

Reply
0 Kudos