IP50

VMware Converter Best Practices

Pang ChenConsulting Architect

VMware Professional Services

Session Objectives

Brief Overview of VMware ConverterFor some of you who are new to VMware Converter

VMware Converter Best Practices Checklist10 steps to help you with smoother conversions

VMware Converter TroubleshootingSymptoms and possible resolutions to common problems

VMware Converter Overview

VMware Converter is a productivity tool forPhysical machine to virtual machine conversions (“P2V”)

Virtual machine format conversions

Physical Machine

VMware VM

VMware VM

VMware Converter Uses Cases

Physical to Virtual (P2V) ConversionsServer consolidation

Testing and troubleshooting

Disaster recovery

VM ConversionsVM mobility across VMware platforms

Import Microsoft Virtual PC/Server VMs

VMware Consolidated Backup (VCB) restore

Conversion Steps

1. Clone MachineCopy the source machine’s disk(s)

Create a new VM and virtual disk(s)

2. Configure MachineUpdate Guest OS as needed to make VM bootable

Remove hardware-specific devices

Update Windows registry

Conversion Steps

3. “Clean-Up” MachinePower on new VM

Detect new hardware as needed

Adjust networking as needed

Clone Machine

Hot CloneAgent-based

Source machine remains powered on

Local or remoteRelative to VMware Converter application

Cold CloneAgent-less

Source machine is powered off

Bootstrap using cold clone boot CD

Agent

Agent

Other Options

Supported Physical Image FormatsVMware Converter imports physical image file directlySupported formats:

Symantec Backup Exec System RecoveryStorageCraft ShadowProtect

Using Other Third-Party Imaging ApplicationsCreate a disk imageCreate a new VM with blank virtual disk(s)Restore disk image to new VM’s virtual disk(s)Run VMware Converter Configure

VM Conversion

Import VMPower off VMBrowse to VM .vmxSpecify destination

or

Convert as “Physical Machine”Power on VMConnect over network to Guest OSSpecify destination

Disk Cloning Options

Volume-BasedAvailable on all options – hot or cold cloning or VM import

Take all or selected partitions on disk(s)

Maintain or resize partitions

Block-level or file-level cloning

Disk-BasedAvailable on cold cloning or VM import only (not hot cloning)

Clone all disks and maintain size

Block-level cloning

VMware Converter EditionsFeature Starter Mode Enterprise Edition

VM Conversion

Command Line Tool VCB restore only

Conversion of Windows OSes

Hot Cloning: Local

Hot Cloning: Remote Directly to Hosted VMware Platform

Hot Cloning: Remote Directly to ESX Server Platform

Cold Cloning

Concurrent Tasks

Pricing/Availability Free Download Bundled with VirtualCenter Server

Support Pay Per Incident VirtualCenter Support

VMware Converter 3.0.1 Supported Operating Systems

Operating System Clone ConfigureWindows NT 4.0 (SP4 or higher)Workstation and Server

Windows XP 32-bit and 64-bit

MS-DOS * manual

Windows 9x * manual

Novell * manual

Windows Server 2003 32-bit and 64-bit

Linux * manual

Windows 2000Professional and Server

* Cold disk-based cloning or VM disk-based cloning required

Best Practices

10-Step Checklist1. Location2. Accounts3. Network4. VMware Converter Installation Requirements5. Source Operating System Requirements6. Cloning Considerations7. Downtime Considerations8. New VM Requirements9. Supporting Files10. Cleanup (P2V only)

1. Location

Where is…VMware Converter?

The Destination?

Source Machine

Workstation/Server

Central Admin ESX Server

?

?

1. Location

Destination Converteron source machine

(local hot cloning)

not on source (remote hot

cloning)or via boot CD

(cold cloning)

• Requires Converter Enterprise

on boot CD (cold cloning) • Requires Converter Enterprise

on source machine or not on source

machine

ESX Server

Workstation or Server

(Hosted)

Comments• Converter Starter limited to local

hot cloning to ESX Server

• Browse to destination directory or specify UNC path

• New VM can be subsequently imported to ESX Server

If going to ESX Server 2.5.x host, must connect via VirtualCenter 2.x

2. Accounts

Do you have the proper permissions to…Install the Converter agent?

Read source files?

Create the new VM?

Log in without a network connection?

2. Accounts

How are you logging into the source?Use local administrator for physical machines

If importing VMs, need read access to source VM files

How are you logging into the destination?For ESX Server, use account with permissions to create VMs

For Workstation/Server, use account that has write privileges tonetwork share

3. Network

Make sure required TCP/UDP ports are open for data transfer

Use resolvable fully qualified domain names for components

Network Path Ports

Converter to Source 445 and 139

443 and 902

Source to Destination(ESX Server or VirtualCenter w/ ESX Server)

443 and 902

Converter to Destination(Workstation/Server)

445 and 139

Source to Destination(Workstation/Server)

445 and 139

Converter to Destination(ESX Server or VirtualCenter w/ ESX Server)

4. VMware Converter Installation Requirements

Operating System RequirementsWindows NT 4.0 SP6, Windows 2000, XP, and 2003

If importing VM or physical image, Windows level of Converter must be >= source

Windows NT 4.0 and 2000 will require a reboot

At least 120MB free space

Machine RequirementsInstall on source machine or dedicated machine

Converter is built-in with Workstation 6.x

Avoid installing on machines running other dedicated processes

5. Source Operating System Requirements

Windows Services Enabled (Hot Cloning Only)Workstation service

Server service

TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper service

Volume Shadow Copy service (Windows Server 2003 and XP)

Other Windows SettingsDisable Windows Simple File Sharing (Windows XP only)

5. Source Operating System Requirements (continued)

Disk RequirementsAt least 200MB free space for hot cloning

No software-implemented mirrored or striped volumes across multiple disks

At least one NTFS volume (hot cloning)

ApplicationsDisable antivirus software prior to cloning

6. Cloning Considerations

Size vs. SpeedPreserving or enlarging disk volume sizes defaults to block-level cloning

Shrinking disk volume sizes changes copying method to file-level cloning

Block-level cloning is faster than file-level cloning

Volume vs. DiskVMware Converter creates new virtual disks to match source machine’s disks

Multiple volumes on a single source disk result in a single virtual disk

7. Downtime Considerations

Hot CloningShut down applications if possible

Keep users off if possible

Cold CloningMachine is not available

VM ImportPower off VM

Power on and treat as “physical machine”

8. New VM Requirements

Disk SpaceSufficient space for new VM’s virtual disks

VM SettingsNumber of vCPUs

USB devices

SCSI controller type

9. Supporting Files

Service PacksMultiprocessor source machines (Windows NT 4.0)

Hot FixesScsiport.sys (Windows 2000 Post SP4)

Hot fix with updated ntoskernel.exe or hal.dll (Windows NT 4.0)

10. Cleanup (P2V Only)

Detect HardwareAllow Windows to detect new hardware

Configure NetworkInstall and configure virtual network adapter

Match HALUse ACPI Multiprocessor for SMP vCPU VM

Use “Advanced Configuration Power Interface” for 1 vCPU VM

Troubleshooting

Symptom:VMware Converter agent installation fails

Possible Resolutions:Reboot source machine and reinstall agent

Use local administrator account for credentials

Verify required network ports are open (remote hot clone)

Disable Windows page file or resize page file on source

Update Windows Installer (MSI)

Troubleshooting

Symptom:Cloning jumps to 97% very quickly and fails

Possible Resolutions:Verify Converter agent installed correctly

Verify Windows NT 4.0 or 2000 source rebooted after agent install

Verify required Windows services are enabled (hot cloning)

Verify required network ports are open

Verify DNS and reverse DNS lookup is correct

Troubleshooting

More Possible Resolutions:Use English ASCII characters for destination path and VM name

Verify administrator account name does not contain ! or & characters

Verify UNC path is correct (may require trailing ‘\’)

ESX Server 2.5.x destination requires going through VirtualCenter 2.x

Use VMware Converter cold cloning

Troubleshooting

Symptom:VMware Converter reports that requested Windows scsiport.sysfile is incorrect version

Possible Resolutions:Avoid using scisport.sys version 5.00.2195.7017

Supply a file from a running Windows 2000 VM

Troubleshooting

Symptom:VMware Converter reports a “number of virtual devices exceeds the maximum for a given controller” error

Possible Resolutions:Go to source machine and check registry

Look for HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\HARDWARE\DEVICEMAP\SERIALCOMM

Delete CcmPort3 thru CcmPort9

Troubleshooting

Symptom:Cloning takes a while but VMware Converter fails at 97%

Possible Resolutions:Verify OS requirements when importing VM

Break any software-implemented disk mirrors in source OS

Review boot.ini for multi-boot systems

Verify registry update permissions are set in source OSRun “dcomcnfg”

Select Default Properties tab

Set impersonation level to “Impersonate” from “Identity” (default)

Troubleshooting

Symptom:Windows Blue Screen STOP error when powering on new VM

Possible Resolutions:Boot up in Windows Safe Mode to test if hardware-specific services are being loaded

Verify virtual SCSI controller (BusLogic or LSI Logic)

Run VMware Converter Configure on VM

Troubleshooting

Symptom:No boot disk found when powering on VM

Possible Resolutions:Reboot, hit F2 to enter BIOS, and change the order of virtual disks

Re-run VMware Converter and avoid selecting utility partition

Troubleshooting

Symptom:No keyboard or mouse after powering on new VM

Possible Resolutions:Remote Desktop to Windows Guest and troubleshoot devices

Choose VMware Workstation or Server destination, create VM, and then import VM to VMware ESX Server

Troubleshooting

Symptom:Windows license requires reactivation

Possible Resolutions:OEM license requires reactivation when hardware changes

Use Guest customization to replace with non-OEM license

Possible workaround if destination host is running the same hardware as source (P2V to VM running on original host)

SMBIOS.reflectHost = “TRUE” in .vmx may avoid reactivation

Troubleshooting

Symptom:VMware Tools did not install properly

Possible Resolutions:Wait for all hardware detection to finish, reboot, and then install VMware Tools

Manually install VMware Tools instead of using the Guest OS customization option (ESX Server VMs only)

Verify that virtual CD-ROM is workingSet atapi device to “boot automatic” and cdrom device to “system automatic” (Windows NT 4.0)

Summary

VMware Converter OverviewPhysical to Virtual Migrations

VM Format Conversions

VMware Converter Best Practices 10-Step ChecklistVMware Converter Troubleshooting

Getting Assistance

VMware P2V JumpstartAvailable from VMware Professional Services or VMwareAuthorized Consulting (VAC)

Proof-of-concept onsite workshop

Prototype installation of VMware Converter environment

Test conversions

VMware Converter Resources

DocumentationVMTN Documentation Server Virtualization Products

Discussion ForumsVMware Converter

http://www.vmware.com/community/forum.jspa?forumID=357

Questions?

IP50VMware Converter Best Practices

Pang ChenConsulting ArchitectVMware Professional Services