Help! VM won't boot properly after conversion from VMware server to ESXi 4.1

[davehedgehog]

Hi, i've setup my first ESXi server, all seems OK and stable. Got a few machines to PtoV but to start off with I thought I'd move our only current VM from VMWare server to our ESXi server.

The VMware host is Win2003/32 running VMware server 1.0.6 and the guest is also Win2003/32. I shutdown the VM, installed the standalone converter on the VMware host and let it do it's thing. Took 20 minutes, and completed successfully.

When I try to boot the VM from the ESXi server, it seems OK, but hangs on 'Applying startup scripts', eventually the login screen will appear but then I get 'Remote RPC server unavailable' messages when trying to login over RDP. A local login just hangs on applying personal settings.

Network all seems fine, can ping the VM etc

Can't work out why the VM should boot any differently?? Any ideas anyone please. I am new to ESXi and migrating VM's but have used VMware server a lot in the past.

Any advice appreciated....!

[PduPreez]

Hi Dave

If I understand correctly you have a Win 2003 box running VMware server and you have a single VM running on it.

I would try installing VM Converter 4.x on the Virtual Machine in standalone. The i would do a V2V to the new ESXi Server.

You should obviously stop the nessesary services manualy or with the Converter. Once completed you need to shut down original and start up the new one on the ESXi Server.

It sounds like you tried to run a P2V on the Physical Windows Box Hosting the VM, you need to run the converter on the VM itself

Is my understanding correct? and does this help?

[davehedgehog]

Hi, thanks for your reply.

Yes I ran the converter on the host machine, selected the VMX file and let it run (this seemed the logical way to do it - instead of installing extra software on the VM)

I will try again tonight out of hours by running the converter on the VM itself.

I assume that if it all goes wrong, then the original VM will still be bootable and useable with this method?

[PduPreez]

That is correct

The utillity does not change anything on the source VM

[davehedgehog]

I have just tried installing the converter on the host and have the same problem - the VM boots OK it seems the first time, although it takes a long to time to apply computer and personal settings. After the next reboot I cannot get to the login screen. It just hangs on Applying Startup Scripts.

I can't see what is different with esxi and vmware server? It's late now but back to the drawing board in the morning...

[PduPreez]

I saw this behaviour on a VM yesterday. It takes forever to do apply startup scripts, but if you reset the VM, it comes up 1st timeSome forums seem to suggest that there might be spy/malware present causin this, and reccoment to run a scan like McAfees "Stinger.exe

When you V2V the VM,before you start it up, did you upgrade the Virtual Hardware?(not sure what the source is on but latest is 7) Also when it starts up the 1st time did you upgrade VM tools?

I have not fixed this problem myself before, but this is just things that comes to mind that might or might not help.

Have a look at: http://www.askdavetaylor.com/windows_shutdown_restart_and_boot_take_forever.html

[davehedgehog]

Thanks for your help. The converter was upgrading the hardware from v4 to v7 which was causing the problem. When I ran it again without a hardware upgrade it worked first time

[davehedgehog]

Thanks for your help. The converter was upgrading the hardware from v4 to v7 which was causing the problem. When I ran it again without a hardware upgrade it worked first time

[PduPreez · Accepted solution]

That is good news.

That explains it, normally you need to do the VMTools upgrade and then the VM Hardware, so if the converter upgrades the Hardware, the order is wrong.Obviously it is recomended to upgrade the hardware to ver 7. So now that it is working you can upgrade the tools and then the vHardware. It might be worth, if you have enough resources on the ESXi Host, making a clone of the VM and test on the clone in a offline state (disconnect vNIC).

Please award Points if this is helpfull