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VMware P2V Assistant 2.1


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Using the Cloned Disk in a Virtual Machine

To function in a virtual machine, the virtual disk must be in a format that corresponds to the type of virtual machine you are going to use.

  • GSX Server, VMware Server, and VMware Workstation use .vmdk virtual disks. These disks are automatically created through the P2V Assistant.
  • VMware ESX Server uses a .dsk virtual disk.

    • To function as the bootable system disk in a virtual machine, the virtual disk must also:

  • Contain a supported operating system.
  • Have been reconfigured, through the P2V Assistant, to meet virtual machine driver requirements.

    • To use a cloned disk, a virtual machine requires you to:

  • Add the cloned virtual disk to a new or existing virtual machine. You do this through the virtual machine platform.

    • Note: You must match the virtual disk format to the virtual machine (that is, .vmdk disks for GSX Server, VMware Server, or VMware Workstation virtual machines and .dsk disks for VMware ESX Server virtual machines).

  • Boot the virtual machine with the cloned disk.
  • Perform any necessary virtual machine clean-up tasks. Refer to Creating a New Virtual Machine.

    • About the New Virtual Machine

    The virtual machine (target computer) that you create from a source computer contains an exact copy of the disk state from the source computer, with the exception of some hardware-dependent drivers.

    Settings from the source computer that remain identical include:

  • Operating system configuration (computer name, security ID, user accounts, profiles and preferences, and so forth)
  • The number of disks, partition layout, and drive letters (however, if an imaging tool is used, the imaging tool must also preserve the drive lettering)
  • Applications and data files
  • Each disk partition's volume serial number

    • Since the target computer and the source computer have the same identities (name, SID, and so on), running both on the same network can result in conflicts. If you are migrating a source computer into a target computer as part of server consolidation, and are planning to retire or redeploy the source computer, be aware of this issue and do not run both the source computer and target computer with the cloned disk on the same network at the same time.

    If you are using the P2V process as a way to migrate virtual machines, you can resolve the duplicate ID problem by using additional tools, such as the Windows 2000 System Preparation Tool (sysprep). For example, if you are using the P2V Assistant to test the viability of running a physical machine as a virtual machine without first decommissioning the original machine, you need to resolve the duplicate ID problem.

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