Vmware P2V question
P2V question...
I found that there are several physical machines that are using GPT disks instead of MBR……..
Most of them are under 2TB for sure.... Only one server has more than 2TB disk.
Is there a way during the P@V migration to migrate the server to MBR disk. We perfer to use MBR instead of GPT.
Can you think of ways to convert this with least amount of time, short of restoring from backup.
Also... during this process, we found we have to repurpose existing hardware for ESXi.
Due to this, we need to P2V the server to a temporary location, i.e File server.
Is there a way with converter to place on temporary stoarge, (without any available ESXi, vcenter, or host) so then we can rebuild the physical server with ESXi, then transfer the VM from temporary location to the ESXi build and datastore?
I found that there are several physical machines that are using GPT disks instead of MBR……..
Most of them are under 2TB for sure.... Only one server has more than 2TB disk.
Is there a way during the P@V migration to migrate the server to MBR disk. We perfer to use MBR instead of GPT.
Can you think of ways to convert this with least amount of time, short of restoring from backup.
Also... during this process, we found we have to repurpose existing hardware for ESXi.
Due to this, we need to P2V the server to a temporary location, i.e File server.
Is there a way with converter to place on temporary stoarge, (without any available ESXi, vcenter, or host) so then we can rebuild the physical server with ESXi, then transfer the VM from temporary location to the ESXi build and datastore?
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So you Backup the Server, then from there you restore VMDK image to ESXi?
Could we \ or does it make sense to do this?
I am thinking of this (that is if enough space is available on the system and it is running 2008 and above).
• Create a vhd file on the system with enough capacity and format the vhd in MBR. Robocopy the data to the VHD with all permissions intact.
• P2V the system and select the vhd volume and boot volume (that is if boot volume isn’t gpt)
• Reconfigure the other volume with the correct drive letter.
Option B.
• Install a temporary drive (MBR) in the server (External or Internal – not usb, ESATA preferably)
• Copy the Data (similar to what we did with the DAS
• Reconfigure the drive letters
• P2V the system.
Obviously, Option C.
• P2V the boot volume (if not gpt)
• Restore from backups the other volume