Clone hosted server.
I have a dedicated server that I have no physical access to. It has one partition 295GB and 265GB are free. What we want to do is be able to clone this server and transfer it to our local VMware environment.
We have Full RDP access.
Windows 2008 Without Hyper V. (We do have a Licenses for this server so there is no concern here)
I was thinking I should be able to shrink the one partition and create a second partition. Is there any way to get an image copy of the C partition while it is running? Then convert that to a VMware machine. We are running VMware ESX 4.0 and ESXi 4.1 Enterprise Plus.
We have Full RDP access.
Windows 2008 Without Hyper V. (We do have a Licenses for this server so there is no concern here)
I was thinking I should be able to shrink the one partition and create a second partition. Is there any way to get an image copy of the C partition while it is running? Then convert that to a VMware machine. We are running VMware ESX 4.0 and ESXi 4.1 Enterprise Plus.
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Vmware converter will run against a running machine AND convert straight to your ESX or ESXi servers as a ready to go virtual machine. One single step, nothing else needed, no HyperV needed.
ASKER
I really appreciate you taking the time to answer but I know many things I could try I was hopping to information of someone that had done this kind of thing or at least something similar.
Will this work with no physical access and cloning one partition and putting the image on another on the same machine.
Will this work with no physical access and cloning one partition and putting the image on another on the same machine.
ASKER
Excuse my last comment it was before I saw the last two comments.
If you got FULL access via RDP, you should be able to use the IMPORT feature in vSphere vCenter, to Import the Machine in HOT, provided it's local, and good network link.
We do this all the time!
Use IMPORT in vCenter, quick and easy, just wait for the transfer and your done.
do you have vCenter?
Use IMPORT in vCenter, quick and easy, just wait for the transfer and your done.
do you have vCenter?
ASKER
We do not have vCenter on the same network as the host server. By the way the Hosted server has Dynamic Disks is that going to create a problem?
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Okay, if you've got no network access from vCenter to physical server, and no way of doing that.
You'll have to install VMware Converter onto the Server. Can the remote server reach an ESX server?
If not, VMware Converter will not transfer direct to your infrastructure. You will have to Convert/Export to local disk, OVF, vmdk etc
Dynamic Disks are always tricky.
It usually recommended to cold clone servers with dynamic disks.
You'll have to install VMware Converter onto the Server. Can the remote server reach an ESX server?
If not, VMware Converter will not transfer direct to your infrastructure. You will have to Convert/Export to local disk, OVF, vmdk etc
Dynamic Disks are always tricky.
It usually recommended to cold clone servers with dynamic disks.
ASKER
I know but I have no access to cold clone it. I am trying right now to convert it to a VMware Workstation then transfer it to our local network and convert it again
Does that sound like it might work?
Does that sound like it might work?
Using VMware Converter, yes that should work.
yes, I know you haven't got access, I was just throwing in the usual VMware recommendation!
(and yes it's rather troublesome when you've not got the ability to touch the real server, but though you could have iLO access!)
(and yes it's rather troublesome when you've not got the ability to touch the real server, but though you could have iLO access!)
ASKER
I wish I had iLO access that would make things much easier.
(yeah, iLo is okay, but it can be sometimes, a real pain to work with, with very slow mouse!)
Just install VM convertor, shrink the current partition and create an extra partition. Use the vConvertor to clone the running machine to create an worksation image of the c drive on the extra created partition. Copy the workstation vmware copy to local network and use convertor to do the trick the otherway around. Convert your VM back to ESX/ESXi using the copied vm workstion files.
ASKER
iLO can be a pain but what I love about these types a situations I would be able to Cold Clone the machine with the virtual media. I have done whole VMware host with virtual media.
ASKER
VMware Converter worked great!! Thanks!!
http://www.vmware.com/support/pubs/converter_pubs.html
Our fellow Expert Bestway has written some hints and tips, in and article here
For the conversion steps, read Bestway article.
https://www.experts-exchange.com/Software/VMWare/A_3639-VMware-vConverter-P2V-for-Windows-Servers.html
This is the method we use still today, when we have secure servers that need to be virtualised, with no networking, and only have USB access. Image to USB hard disk or local disk, and copy the image afterwards. Create Virtual Machine, restore the image using drive snapshot, and then P2V (Ultimate P2V using BartPe iso).
We've also used Drive Snapshot for free to "image" the server.
http://www.drivesnapshot.de/en/
Then create a blank server in VMware ESXi, create a new disk, restore the "image" created with Drive Snapshot to the server, and then use the old Ultimate P2V to replace the storage controllers.
(just make sure you make the 1st disk partition active)
http://www.rtfm-ed.co.uk/vmware-content/ultimate-p2v/