Possible to move running VM to a new datastore?

[pbVMguy]

With ESX is there a way I can migrate a running VM that is running on the local esx system harddrive (datastore1) to another datastore that I've created on the same host for my SAN (datastore2)?

So far I see I can power down the VM, use the import utility to move it to another esx 3 host...and on the move back to the original esx host, specify which datastore(s) the VM should utilize.

When I take my 'template' machine and create a new VM, it's throwing everything on the local disk, or to a single datastore if it is originally broken up to two datastores...

Any tips are appreciated!

Pete

[JonT]

First of all do you run Virtual Center? You will have the ability to select any host and any Datastore you want when deploying VM's from templates with VC. I don't believe there is a way to migrate a running VM to another datastore but you could take a snapshot of the VM and move that snapshot to your other datastore. That might minimize your downtime between the two but not recommended.

Edit:

Also if you power down the VM you can simply "migrate" the VM to another host/datastore without using the import utility if you run Virtual Center.

Message was edited by:

JonT

[Monoman]

I believe the answer is no. The VMotion wizard does not offer an option to relocate files. However the Migrate wizard does have the relocation option.

Chapter 14 in the admin guide covers Vmotion but I don't see it specifically address your question: http://www.vmware.com/pdf/vi3_admin_guide.pdf

If you think about how VMotion works then it makes sense. Vmotion doesn't really move many (if any) files. It simply copies what is in memory on one ESX server for a given VM to another ESX server. There is more to it then that but the datafiles stay put. It would be much harder to and take much longer if you tried to relocate a VM and all of it's files.

I hope this helps.

[meistermn]

Use the vmware converter Hot Cloning (Live-Migrationen) funktion