5.0
Table Of Contents
- VMware vCenter Converter Standalone User's Guide
- Contents
- About This Book
- Introduction to VMware vCenter Converter Standalone
- System Requirements
- Supported Operating Systems
- Installation Space Requirements
- Screen Resolution Requirements
- Supported Source Types
- Supported Destination Types
- Restoring VCB Images in Converter Standalone
- Configuring Permissions for vCenter Users
- Support for IPv6 in Converter Standalone
- TCP/IP and UDP Port Requirements for Conversion
- Requirements for Remote Hot Cloning of Windows Operating Systems
- Installing and Uninstalling Converter Standalone
- Perform a Local Installation on Windows
- Perform a Client-Server Installation in Windows
- Perform a Command-Line Installation in Windows
- Command-Line Options for Windows Installation
- Modify Converter Standalone in Windows
- Repair Converter Standalone in Windows
- Uninstall Converter Standalone in Windows
- Connect to a Remote Converter Standalone Server
- Convert a Physical or Virtual Machine
- Start the Wizard for a Conversion
- Select a Source Machine to Convert
- Select a Powered-On Windows Machine to Convert
- Select a Powered-On Linux Machine to Convert
- Select an ESX/ESXi or vCenter Server Virtual Machine to Convert
- Select a VMware Hosted Virtual Machine to Convert
- Select a Backup Image or a Third-Party Virtual Machine to Convert
- Select a Hyper-V Server Virtual Machine to Convert
- Select a Destination for the New Virtual Machine
- Configure the Hardware of the Destination Virtual Machine
- Organize the Data to Copy on the Destination Machine
- Resize a Volume
- Change a Volume Cluster Size
- Exclude a Source Volume from the Conversion Process
- Move a Volume to a Different Virtual Disk
- Select the Destination Datastore for a Source Volume
- Add a Virtual Disk
- Set Up a Virtual Disk as a Logical-Volume Group Container
- Move a Disk to a Different Datastore
- Create an Expandable Disk on a Managed Destination
- Create an Expandable Disk on a Hosted Destination
- Exclude a Source Disk from the Conversion Process
- Copy All Disks to the Destination
- Create an Optimized Partition Layout
- Create a Linked Clone
- Edit the Number of Processor Sockets and Cores
- Allocate Memory for the Destination Virtual Machine
- Specify a Disk Controller for the Destination Virtual Machine
- Configure the Network Settings of the Destination Virtual Machine
- Configure the Network for the Helper Virtual Machine
- Organize the Data to Copy on the Destination Machine
- Configure the Software on the Destination Virtual Machine
- Configure the Conversion Job
- Set the Startup Mode for Destination Services
- Stop Services Running on the Source Machine
- Synchronize the Destination Machine with Changes Made to the Source Machine
- Power Off the Source Machine After Conversion
- Power On the Destination Virtual Machine After Conversion
- Limit the Amount of Resources Used by the Conversion Job
- Uninstall Converter Standalone Agent from the Source Machine
- Review the Summary and Submit the Conversion Job
- Configure Virtual Machines
- Save Sysprep Files
- Start the Configuration Wizard
- Select a Source Machine to Configure
- Select the Options to Configure
- Review and Submit the Configuration Job
- Manage Conversion and Configuration Jobs and Tasks
- Index
Table 1-1. Hot and Cold Cloning Comparison
Comparison Criteria
Hot Cloning with Converter
Standalone 4.3 and 5.x
Cold Cloning with Converter
Enterprise 4.1.x
Licensing No license required with
VMware vCenter Converter
Standalone 4.3 and 5.x.
License file required for Enterprise
features of
VMware Converter Enterprise.
Required installation Full Converter Standalone installation
is required. As part of the cloning
process, Converter Standalone agent is
installed on the source machine
remotely.
No installation is required. All
components required for the conversion
are on the CD.
Supported sources Local and remote powered-on
physical or virtual machines.
Local powered-off physical or virtual
machines.
Advantages
n
Does not require direct access to
the source machine.
n
Clones the source machine while
it is running.
n
Creates the most consistent copy of
the source machine.
n
Leaves no footprint on the source
machine.
Disadvantages
n
Applications that constantly
modify files need to be VSS aware
to allow Converter Standalone to
create a consistent snapshot for
cloning.
n
Dynamic source disks are read but
not preserved during volume-
based conversions. Dynamic disks
are converted into basic volumes
on the target virtual machine.
n
Requires that the source machine is
powered off.
n
Requires physical access to the
source machine.
n
Hardware detection and
configuration of the Boot CD.
n
Converter Standalone 4.x features
are not supported.
Use
n
To clone running source machines
without shutting them down.
n
To clone unique hardware that the
Boot CD does not recognize.
n
To clone a system that Converter
Standalone does not support.
n
To preserve the exact disk layout in
the target.
n
To preserve logical volumes in
dynamic disks (Windows) or LVM
(Linux).
When to not use When you do not want anything to be
installed on the source system.
n
When you want Linux P2V with
automatic reconfiguration.
n
When you do not have physical
access to the source machine.
n
When you cannot afford a long
downtime of the source system.
n
To perform synchronization after
cloning.
Remote Hot Cloning of Physical Machine Sources That Are Running Windows
You can use the Conversion wizard to set up conversion tasks and Converter Standalone components perform
all of the cloning tasks.
The following workflow is an example of remote hot cloning in which the physical machine being cloned
experiences no downtime.
1 Converter Standalone prepares the source machine for the conversion.
Converter Standalone installs the agent on the source machine and the agent takes a snapshot of the source
volumes.
VMware vCenter Converter Standalone User's Guide
10 VMware, Inc.