sglee
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Moving vhdx file between virtual machines on Hyper-V server
Hi,
I have SBS2011 virtual machine that two VHDX files. First vhdx file (for OS) is showing up as C drive and Second vhdx file (for data) shows up as E drive. D drive is for DVD drive.
I like to move second/data vhdx file to new file server (also virtual machine) which has C drive (OS), D drive (DVD drive).
I have already tested the following in a test Hyper-V server and I did not see any problems, but wanted to make sure I am doing it right.
1. Exported PrinterList from SBS2011 and Imported the printer list in new file server.
2. Exported Registry key for Shared folders from SBS2011 and imported into new file server.
3. Shut down SBS2011 VM and in Settings > SCSI Controller, I removed vhdx file.
4. Opened VM Settings in new file server, in SCSI Controller, I added "Hard Drive" and point to the vhdx file that was removed from SBS2011 VM.
5. Started the new file server VM, ran diskmgmt.msc and confirmed that 2nd vhdx file showed up as E drive (same drive letter as it was in SBS2011 VM).
6. Verify share folder list by typing \\fileserver and made sure that the list matches the list from SBS2011 VM.
Do you see any potential problems if I implement this in production environment?
I have SBS2011 virtual machine that two VHDX files. First vhdx file (for OS) is showing up as C drive and Second vhdx file (for data) shows up as E drive. D drive is for DVD drive.
I like to move second/data vhdx file to new file server (also virtual machine) which has C drive (OS), D drive (DVD drive).
I have already tested the following in a test Hyper-V server and I did not see any problems, but wanted to make sure I am doing it right.
1. Exported PrinterList from SBS2011 and Imported the printer list in new file server.
2. Exported Registry key for Shared folders from SBS2011 and imported into new file server.
3. Shut down SBS2011 VM and in Settings > SCSI Controller, I removed vhdx file.
4. Opened VM Settings in new file server, in SCSI Controller, I added "Hard Drive" and point to the vhdx file that was removed from SBS2011 VM.
5. Started the new file server VM, ran diskmgmt.msc and confirmed that 2nd vhdx file showed up as E drive (same drive letter as it was in SBS2011 VM).
6. Verify share folder list by typing \\fileserver and made sure that the list matches the list from SBS2011 VM.
Do you see any potential problems if I implement this in production environment?
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I have question about "You may want to rename the VHDX and move to new directory ".
First, I have successfully removed VHDX file from SBS2011 and attached it in new file server VM.
1.The new File Server VM has its own directory. For now, we call it "FS1".
2. In FS1 VM folder, currently there are 3 files - OldVM1.vhdx, OldVM1.vhdx.mrt, and OldVM1.vhdx.rct files and I like to rename them to "NewFS1". Can I just rename these 3 files just like we rename Word or Excel files and update the vhdx file name in "Virtual hard disk" section in VM settings?
3. Also the VHDX files that used to belong to SBS2011 VM are in, for now, "SBS2011".
Can I drag these 3 files - SBS1-1.vhdx,SBS1-1.vhdx.mrt and SBS1-1.vhdx.rct - and drop them into the FS1 VM directory "FS1" and update the folder name in "Virtual hard disk" section in VM settings?
4. Since SBS2011 VM does not have user folders and files anymore, should I remove "Share" names in Computer Management or it does not matter?
First, I have successfully removed VHDX file from SBS2011 and attached it in new file server VM.
1.The new File Server VM has its own directory. For now, we call it "FS1".
2. In FS1 VM folder, currently there are 3 files - OldVM1.vhdx, OldVM1.vhdx.mrt, and OldVM1.vhdx.rct files and I like to rename them to "NewFS1". Can I just rename these 3 files just like we rename Word or Excel files and update the vhdx file name in "Virtual hard disk" section in VM settings?
3. Also the VHDX files that used to belong to SBS2011 VM are in, for now, "SBS2011".
Can I drag these 3 files - SBS1-1.vhdx,SBS1-1.vhdx.mrt and SBS1-1.vhdx.rct - and drop them into the FS1 VM directory "FS1" and update the folder name in "Virtual hard disk" section in VM settings?
4. Since SBS2011 VM does not have user folders and files anymore, should I remove "Share" names in Computer Management or it does not matter?
Power off the VM. Disconnect the VHDX file and hit apply. You can then safely move/rename the VHDX file like any other file/document. Reattach then power VM back on. The .mrt and .rct files are for internal Hyper-V use and shouldn't be touched. They probably won't exist after the VM is powered down.
Hopefully you are planning to sully retire the SBS2011 VM. Until then, go ahead and remove the shares that no longer exist.
Hopefully you are planning to sully retire the SBS2011 VM. Until then, go ahead and remove the shares that no longer exist.
ASKER
I am not clear with " The .mrt and .rct files are for internal Hyper-V use and shouldn't be touched".
Can I do the following as far as renaming file name goes:
OldVM1.vhdx renamed to NewFS1.vhdx
OldVM1.vhdx.mrt renamed to NewFS1.vhdx.mrt
OldVM1.vhdx.rct renamed to NewFS1.vhdx.rct
Can I do the following as far as renaming file name goes:
OldVM1.vhdx renamed to NewFS1.vhdx
OldVM1.vhdx.mrt renamed to NewFS1.vhdx.mrt
OldVM1.vhdx.rct renamed to NewFS1.vhdx.rct
I have been using Hyper-V since 2008. I didn't even know about .mrt and .rct files. I had to look them up. As long as you don't have any snapshots, the VHDX is a fully self contained file. It is all you need. You can easily rename OldVM1.vhdx to NewFS1.vhdx when the VM is powered off. As I said earlier, once you power off the VM, you probably won't even have OldVM1.vhdx.mrt and OldVM1.vhdx.crt, so there will be nothing there to rename.
ASKER
I will try that in my test HyperV server environment and report back.
ASKER
Shutting down the VM did not clear those RCT and MRT files.
When I googled them, I saw this:
When I googled them, I saw this:
- Resilient Change Tracking: .RCT files are a new addition to Windows Sever 2016 Hyper-V. That allows the tracking of changes between backup operations. Instead of having to backup the entire VHD(X) file or traverse the whole file, the .RCT file tracks changes and directs backup software to only the blocks that have changed. This provides much quicker backups that previous version of Hyper-V and puts the technology on par with VMware’s Change Block Tracking (CBT)
- Modifiable Region Table: .MRT Like the .RCT file, the .MRT file aids in tracking changes between backup operations, but its function is to provide resiliency in the event of a host crash, BSOD or even a power failure. These make sure data is not missed in the case of something catastrophic happening to one of your hosts during a backup procedure.
Hyper-V
Hyper-V is a native hypervisor; it can create virtual machines on x86-64 systems and supersedes Windows Virtual PC as the hardware virtualization component of the client editions of Windows NT. A server computer running Hyper-V can be configured to expose individual virtual machines to one or more networks. Hyper-V Server supports remote access via Remote Desktop Connection. Administration and configuration of the host OS and the guest virtual machines is generally done over the network.
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OK. Thanks.