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Ralph Scharping
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VMware ESXi 6: Migrate Windows 2000 Server guest from ESXi 4.1

Hi,

I have a Windows 2000 Server guest running in VMware ESXi 4.1.
The hardware beneath is ambling and I need to migrate the guest off that host.  The guest is running an old software product that cannot be run under newer OSes.

vCenter Server 6, which is the only choice for ESXi 6, cannot add ESXi 4 hosts.  Converter Standalone can't install the converter agent.  I can't install it manually:  installer crashes.
I could, of course, move the VM to a preliminary ESX5 first, but before I do that, let me ask you this:

-  Is there any chance this guest will run stable under ESXi 6?  It does not need much:  2 LAN cards, 2 vCPU, 2GB vRAM and two virtual disks, 60GB and 1.2TB

-  Could I export the VM to an OVF-file and import it in ESXi 6?

-  Should I dare install VMware tools inside the VM once it's at it's final destination?

I know Windows 2000 is no longer supported and this application should be replaced.

Thanks,
Ralph
VMwareVirtualizationWindows 2000

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Andrew Hancock (VMware vExpert PRO / EE Fellow/British Beekeeper)

8/22/2022 - Mon
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Ralph Scharping

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Hi,

thanks for this valuable information.

The VM is stored on a NFS-mounted filesystem.  It seems to be a SuSE Enterprise server with V2.2 kernel.

Can I use the older converters on ESX6 as target?
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Ralph Scharping

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I hesitate to mount the NFS on the new box because I fear it might alter the VM files and if it does not start up it might not afterwards start on the old box anymore, either.
Am I paranoid?

Converter 4 installed on the VM- that's your suggestion?  (just to make sure)

I have no decent backup of this old VM.  Their old support just cronjob-copies the VM-files off the NFS-share and I can't believe this will produce a working backup of a database in access...
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Andrew Hancock (VMware vExpert PRO / EE Fellow/British Beekeeper)

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