As we all know, using Vmware vCenter converter one can convert
Windows and Linux based physical machine and third party formats to Vmware
virtual machines.
The best/easiest approach to converting a Windows operating system
from a physical machine to a virtual machine is to perform a hot migration with
VMware Converter installed locally on the source (physical machine) operating
system.
only
VMware Converter 4.2 and later support physical to virtual machine conversion
for Linux sources. For earlier versions of Converter, the support is
experimental and some of the features, such as partition resizing, are not
available.
Here I am going to discuss what we should check pre and post
P2V conversion…..
Tasks to perform before
conversion
To
prepare for conversion:
1.
If the source is a domain controller, special considerations
must be made. VMware does not recommend virtualizing an active domain
controller with Converter.
2.
If the source is Microsoft Exchange, SQL, or other database
server, VMware recommends that the application (Microsoft Exchange/SQL) and
database services be shut down prior to conversion. This minimizes any chance
of corrupted database tables or stale data in the destination virtual machine.
3.
Disable the real-time antivirus scanning during the conversion.
4.
Verify that you are using or have downloaded the latest version
of VMware Converter.
If you have previously installed or attempted a conversion with an earlier
version of VMware Converter, a previous version may still be installed
verify/uninstall it.
5.
Install VMware Converter directly to the source operating system
using the local Administrator account, if you are going to use remote hot clone
feature you may choose a custom installation to only install the converter
agent. If the source server is running Windows NT or Windows 2000, you must
reboot it after installing VMware Converter or Converter does not start.
Note: In
some cases, a domain administrator account may be used depending on your
environment, local and group policies, and account permissions.
6. If the
NIC on the source machine is compatible with TOE (TCP Offload Engine), you need
to disable it by running this command in a command prompt on the source
machine:
netsh int tcp set global chimney=disabled
7. Confirm that the source has 200 MB of free disk space on its
system volume. This space is required to operate the disk snapshot features in
Converter.
Note: It is possible to separate
the source partitions in different destination volumes during the conversion.
8. Run VMware Converter as a local administrator. Using a local
administrator account removes any possible permissions issues. If you are
performing a remote conversion, be sure to specify the login user as the
Administrator account.
Note: In some cases a domain
administrator account may be used depending on your environment, local and
group policies, and account permissions.
9. Run the System Configuration Utility(msconfig) on the source server to
reduce the number of services and applications running on startup, all software
except for All Microsoft Services and VMware Converter Service..
10. If you have static IP addresses assigned, assign the
interfaces DHCP addresses prior to conversion, if possible.
11. If the source is a virtual machine created in Microsoft
Virtual PC, remove the Virtual PC Additions, prior to conversion.
12. If the destination is an ESX host:
·
Connect to the server using its IP address instead
of DNS host name. Using the host name of the ESX host may expose issues with
DNS name resolution that can prevent the Converter from connecting.
·
Confirm that the source server can access the
destination ESX host directly using ports 443 and 902, even if using
VirtualCenter. Authenticate to the ESX host using the root account.
·
If the source server contains a hard drive or
partition larger than 256GB, ensure that the destination datastore's block size
is 2MB, 4MB, or 8MB, and not the default 1MB size. The 1 MB default block size
cannot accommodate a file larger than 256 GB. The block size is no longer
used on a VMFS 5 datastore connected to an ESXi 5.0 Host.
·
Confirm that you are providing a unique name for
the target virtual machine. Use the Virtual Infrastructure (VI) client to
confirm that the name is not already in use.
Tasks to perform after conversion has completed
After conversion has completed:
1. Review the virtual hardware settings:
·
Adjust the number of virtual NICs. If you need to
customize the host name or IP address, leave all NICs disconnected but present.
·
Remove any unnecessary devices such as USB
controllers (if running on ESX), COM ports or floppy drives
2. Start the virtual machine in Safe Mode.
3. Click Start >
Control Panel > Add / Remove Programs. Remove any
unnecessary programs used to install or support device drivers, such a RAID
management tools, network teaming or management software, wireless card
management software, and video and sound drivers. Do not restart if prompted by
an uninstall program.
4. Restart the virtual machine into Normal mode.
5. Remove any additional devices or device drivers that were
used to support hardware on the physical server. Use either the Device Manager
or Control Panel, depending on the version of Windows, to remove unnecessary
devices. It may also be necessary to view the Event Log to clear any remaining
device startup failure messages.
Note: To remove
the hidden devices from the Windows operating system, follow these steps:
·
Click Start, point to All Programs,
point to Accessories, and then click Command Prompt.
·
At a command prompt, type the following command ,
and then press ENTER:
set devmgr_show_nonpresent_devices=1
· Type the following command at command prompt and then press Enter: start devmgmt.msc
·
Troubleshoot the devices and drivers in Device
Manager.
NOTE: Click Show hidden devices on the View menu in Device
Manager before you can see devices that are not connected to the computer.
·
When you finish troubleshooting, close Device
Manager.
·
Type exit at the command prompt.
Note that when
you close the command prompt window, Window clears the devmgr_show_nonpresent_devices=1 variable that you set in step 2 and prevents ghosted devices
from being displayed when you click Show hidden devices.
6. VMware recommends changing the HAL in the virtual machine to
uniprocessor if the source server is configured with multi-CPU hardware
abstraction layer (HAL), and the destination virtual machine is configured to
use a single CPU.
7. Install VMware Tools and restart if prompted.
8. If required, customize the virtual machine's identity. VMware
recommends using the Microsoft Sysprep utility to accomplish this, however it
can also be accomplished by manually changing its computer host name, IP
address, and any other required unique identification.
9. If the System Configuration Utility(msconfig) was used prior to conversion,
select the Normal startup option to change switch back to a normal boot
configuration.
10. Apply any previously removed static IP address settings, as
required.
11. Reconnect any disconnected virtual NICs, as required.
Want to read more about Best practices
for using and troubleshooting VMware Converter, checkout KB Article 1004588.
For Required VMware vCenter Converter 5.x ports take a look of KB Article 1010056.
For Troubleshooting checklist for VMware Converter take a look of KB Article 1016330.
If I missed anything please let me know in the comments…..Thank you!
That’s it.... :)
