Best stratagy for migration from one SAN to another.

[ukdaz]

I have a cluster with an MD3000i and 4 hosts with about 105 vm's on it running 3.5.  I also have a new cluster with a new san and 3 hosts that i need to migrate these VM's to which is running 4.1u1.  I was going to migrate each of the VM's one at a time using converter but can anyone else suggest a better way.  I cannot connect a 4.1 host to the MD3000I as it's running a really old firmware and isn't supported.  I plan to use this as a backup cluster after this.

My other concern is migrating the Domain controllers from one cluster to another (i wont change the machine type) might change the mac addresses etc that could screw my dc's up.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

[ChrisDearden]

re: Domain Controllers - I would strongly advise that you build a fresh DC and promote it. Migrate the workload , not the VM

how about using somethign like Veeam Backup & Replication to replicate the VM's to the new cluster ?

[piaroa]

If you have the right license, you could add both clusters to vCenter, and then SVmotion the VMs from one cluster to the other, migrating the VM from both host and datastore.

That requires downtime though.

A different approach would be to just copy the VM files from datastore to datastore with vSphere client (you need to have both clusters in vCenter).

[admin]

Hello

Good afternoon,

Just one observation sVmotion does not require any downtime, therefore if you have license and vCenter setup that would be the best solution.

Regards

[ukdaz]

Thank you so much for your comments.  The one issue I have is I cannot connect the md3000i to my new hosts as it's not supported without a major firmware update so the svmotion option isn't really gonna work.  As for new DC's I agree that would be best but the ones in place have so much legacy stuff on them cert services etc that if i could just move them it would make life much easier.

Thanks again for all your assistance.

[HMUSA]

Not an expert here, but can't the vMotion or cold Migration go over GbE? 

So you're not sending data from storage1>storage2.  Rather:

host1>host2 (via GbE) and your destination is the md300i attached to host2.

(?)

[nkrishnan]

Cold VMotion or cloning is possible provided you have sufficent downtime for VMs. It consume time based on the size of VMDK in the VMs.

For hot VMotion, you have to share the same datastore with both the vi 3 and vSphere 4.1 host, which is not possible as the old storage is not supporting vSphere4.1.

As mentioned above, try vmotion that support both host and storage migration together.

Thanks

Nithin

[piaroa]

Changing both host and datastore does require downtime.

You don't need to connect the old SAN to the new servers. Just configure your new cluster with your new san, and now add both clusters to vCenter (each connected to it's storage), and work with sVmotion, or move the VM from datastore to datastore.

[bulletprooffool]

I wouldn't bother with Converter.

If both clusters are presented to the SAME vCenter, all you need to do is use Storage vMotion.

You have mentioned the firmware on the old stoarge is no good for the new ESX hosts, but that doe snot stop you presenting the new stoarge to the old ESX hosts, then moving VMs that way?

If you do not have a commong VC, you can migrate the VM files etc using FastSCP, or Stoarge replication (if your SAN supports it) or similar, then use a PowerCli script to trawl the DS and just re-import the VMs. - make sure that all PortGroups etc match the names / configs of those on the old hosts.

http://www.get-virtual.info/2011/02/03/script-of-the-day-import-all-vms-from-a-datastore-to-vmware-e...

[opbz]

HI

Best answer I have seen here was from

bulletprooffo

If you can not connect the new servers to old san connect new san to older servers. By the way what about updating the firmware on the Md3000i is that an option? If so you can then connect it ot your newer servers. Obviously that would requiere a bit of downtime to the VMs on it.

Is your newer san also Iscsi? If so then its pretty straight forward. As for converter..there really is no need... the Vms are already VMs it would be easier to just copy them over and then add to inventory.

[HMUSA]

Dumb question: if you get the VM to a new destination datastore, how do you add it to a host's inventory?  I see ways to create a new one, and can bring it in via vCenter Converter, but not a simple Add like there was in VM Server 1 and 2 (non ESXi).

Don't mean to thread-jack things off-topic.  I've been groping my way through a similar migration to that of ukdaz.  Thx.

////

Ah, I think I found it.  Browse Datastore > Highlight the .vmx file of the machine to add > Right-click > Add to Inventory.  I was looking for it higher up in the host summary or something.

[opbz]

really easily once you can see your old datastores, browse in them go to the directories of the vms, right click on the files that end with .vmx and select add to inventory. You will need to do basic stuff like select name and server but thats it

[whynotq]

my thoughts are to split the processes up. Take a look at your machines and work out a priority order and SLA.

Those that can be powered off for a length of time. VMotion to new storage if common vCentre.

if no common vCentre then vConverter or FastSCP (Veeam)

Those you can't power off for any length of time, well if you get FastSCP why not do an Eval of Veeam Backup & Replication. Then use replication to migrate the VMs to the new target and get an agreed planned outage to do the cut over?

The other option of course is a Backup/Restore using VMware VDR but personally i'd look at the Veeam route if SAN connection is not an option.

Paul

[Buck1967]

I think bulletprooffo has the best approch as well. If you can connect the old servers to the new storage, just storage motion the images there to start. Than you can vmotion the images to the new host since they are now on the new storage. No downtime require and no special tools, back/restore or converter. If you have to setup a host simular to your old host and work to get it to see both storage frames. Once it can see both and has the same networks available, use it as a "swing" host to migrate the images. I'm using a simular strategy to migrate from some old brocade switch to a new cisco san. Mine are all fiber channel and I used a dual port HBAs to connect to each of the SANs. not only are the SAN different, I'm moving from Clarion to XIV storage to boot. Only time I have assed my customers to shutdown a vm for these types of moves over the past 2 years was moving from ADM to INTEL based ESX hosts.

Plan it out. Test it with a vm you create to walk through the procedure. migrate slowly but surely...

[ukdaz]

Thanks for all your comments guys.

I'm in the process of completing this now and used the following procedure:-

Reconfigured one nic on one of the old hosts and plugged it into the new infrastructure.

Added a single Volume to my new SAN for migration purposes.

Cold Migrated the Vm's one at a time to the new volume

Browsed the volume added them to the inventory and changed the nics to use my new vlans

Brought the VM's up (still using vm version 4) nothing to change at all same MAC addr etc so just worked.  I've then Storage vmotioned then to other Volumes and Thinned them at the same time.

Going to leave the DC's until last but all has worked fine so far so am confident it'll be ok.

Thanks Again