Specifications

VMware, Inc. 67
Chapter 2 Creating and Configuring Virtual Machines
To import a virtual machine into VMware ESX Server
1Make!sure!you!have!access!to!the!files!in!the!directory!that!holds!the!source!virtual!
machine.
You!might!be!able!to!mount!the!source!location,!or!you!can!FTP!or!copy!the!files!to!
a!temporary!folder!on!the!service!console.
If!you!are!not!sure!where!the!source!files!
are,!open!the!virtual!machine!in!the!
VMware!product!you!used!to!create!it,!open!the!Configuration!Editor!(Settings!>!
Configuration!Editor).!On!a!Windows!host,!click!the!name!of!the!drive!you!want!
to!migrate.!In!the!Disk!file!section,!click!Choose!to!see!the!location!information.!On!
a
!Linux!host,!expand!the!SCSI!Drives!tree!and!click!the!name!of!the!drive!you!want!
to!migrate.!Click!Choose!to!see!the!location!information.
2Using!a!Web!browser,!log!in!to!the!ESX!Server!machine!as!root!and!click!Manage!
Files.!
Use!the!file!manager!in!the!VMware!Management!
Interface!to!perform!all!the!file!
copy!steps!described!below.!For!more!information,!see!“Using!the!VMware!
Management!Interface!File!Manager”!on!page 141.!
3In!the!file!manager,!navigate!to!the!location!of!the!source!disk!files.!
4 Select!the!main!disk!(.vmdk!or!.dsk)!file!for!the!virtual!disk!you!are
!migrating!and!
click!Copy.
5 Navigate!to!the!vmfs!folder!and!open!the!folder!for!the!VMFS!partition!where!you!
want!to!store!the!virtual!disk!file!and!click!Paste.
A!dialog!box!appears!with!the!message!“You!are!transferring!one!or!more!console!
virtual!disks!to!a!VMFS!partition.!For!
virtual!machines!to!access!these!disks,!they!
must!be!converted!to!the!VMFS!format.!Although!you!can!convert!console!disks!at !
any!time,!it!is!recommended!that!you!do!so!now.”
The!VMFS!partition!recognizes!the!files!as!a!virtual!disk!and!converts!the!disk!to!
the!VMFS‐2!format!during!
the!import.!This!allows!the!disk!to!be!accessed!by!
virtual!machines!running!under!ESX!Server!2.5.!
The!file!you!are!pasting!is!selected.!
6Click!OK.
The!virtual!disk!is!imported!to!the!VMFS!partition!and!converted!to!the!new!
format.
N
OTE To!ensure!that!you!have!a!backup!copy!of!the!virtual!disk,!do!not!cut!the!virtual!
disk!file.