Hi,
There seems to be 2 methods by which to turn a physical PC into a VM:
1) Using the vCentre Conversion Tool
2) Getting a disk image of the PC and creating a new VM using that disk image
My question is are there any pros / cons of using either method or do they both produce the same result?
In my case, it's easier for the client to give me a disk image of the PC but I would personally rather use the conversion tool if possible as it's for the purpose intended.
Thanks in advance.
HI,
The vCenter converter was created specifically for this purpose.
During the conversion you can modify some parameters to better support the VM in the ESXi version on which it will go.
The other method is more "cumbersome" and needs more attention.
I always recommend using vCenter Converter.
Download Center for VMware Products
Alessandro Romeo
P2V is a 2-steps procedure:
1. create a ESXi compatible disk-image
2. mount that image and adjust / inject missing drivers
So you can work with Converter doing both steps - and also use Converter for the second step only.
The ideal disk-image is a dd-image - this will need no further conversion at all.
So if your client sends you a dd-image accept it.
Write a vmdk-descriptorfile for it and create a vmx-file.
Then you can use Converter to do the rest.