[Users] vmware image conversion

Thu Feb 20 22:55:23 UTC 2014

I have used this method successfully several times, but the problem is, 
this only converts the format of the image, it doesn't do any tweaks to 
the actual image needed to boot it in the new environment.  Windows for 
example, is likely to blue screen because it's not very good at 
detecting boot disk controller changes.

This is what the merge-ide script does, it relaxes the Windows checks on 
boot for new disk controllers.  Search for my post about how I converted 
my Windows guest from ESX to ovirt.

On 2/19/2014 9:23 PM, Lei Cui wrote:
> Or used #qemu-img convert esxxxx.vmdk imagexxx.img to finish the conversion
>
> -Lei
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Lei Cui" <lcui at redhat.com>
> To: "Maurice James" <midnightsteel at msn.com>
> Cc: users at ovirt.org
> Sent: Thursday, February 20, 2014 10:49:39 AM
> Subject: Re: [Users] vmware image conversion
>
> Hi, Maurice,
> Have you tried virt-convert to convert vmx image to virt-image(raw or qcow2) format?
> Which support off-line conversion without a running ESX server
>
> -Lei
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Maurice James" <midnightsteel at msn.com>
> To: "Bob Doolittle" <bob at doolittle.us.com>, "Ted Miller" <tmiller at hcjb.org>, users at ovirt.org
> Sent: Thursday, February 20, 2014 9:59:07 AM
> Subject: Re: [Users] vmware image conversion
>
> Forgive my noobness, but are you telling me that I can convert an ESX image
> without the existence of a running ESX server? If someone gave me an ESX
> image on a DVD or hard drive I could then use virt-v2v to convert it?
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Bob Doolittle [mailto:bob at doolittle.us.com]
> Sent: Wednesday, February 19, 2014 8:54 PM
> To: Maurice James; 'Ted Miller'; users at ovirt.org
> Subject: Re: [Users] vmware image conversion
>
> Yes.
> So:
>
> VMware non-ESX -> ESX, using VMware's tool, then ESX -> RHEV using virt-v2v
>
> no?
>
> If this is viable, it's easy to understand why nobody wants to put effort
> into supporting a bevy of VMware VM formats, when there's a tool already
> available to convert to one and they can focus on it.
>
> -Bob
>
> On 02/19/2014 05:52 PM, Maurice James wrote:
>> I want to change it from VMware to RHEV/oVirt
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Bob Doolittle [mailto:bob at doolittle.us.com]
>> Sent: Wednesday, February 19, 2014 8:51 PM
>> To: Maurice James; 'Ted Miller'; users at ovirt.org
>> Subject: Re: [Users] vmware image conversion
>>
>> My recollection is that VMware provides a converter to change your
>> VMware non-ESX VMs into ESX format.
>> Do you have to buy ESX to gain access to it?
>>
>> -Bob
>>
>> On 02/19/2014 05:46 PM, Maurice James wrote:
>>> I even open a feature request that they closed pretty quickly with
>>> WONTFIX
>>> https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1062910 . Why is this
>>> such a touchy issue?
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: users-bounces at ovirt.org [mailto:users-bounces at ovirt.org] On
>>> Behalf Of Ted Miller
>>> Sent: Wednesday, February 19, 2014 7:28 PM
>>> To: users at ovirt.org
>>> Subject: Re: [Users] vmware image conversion
>>>
>>>
>>> On 2/9/2014 4:27 PM, Itamar Heim wrote:
>>>> On 02/09/2014 10:28 PM, Maurice James wrote:
>>>>> The instructions assume that I have an ESX instance to connect to.
>>>>> How do I do this with an already exported vmware image with no esx
>>>>> available to connect to? I have a turnkey drupal vm in ovf format
>>>>>
>>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>>> From: Itamar Heim [mailto:iheim at redhat.com]
>>>>> Sent: Sunday, February 09, 2014 2:24 PM
>>>>> To: Maurice James; 'users'
>>>>> Subject: Re: [Users] vmware image conversion
>>>>>
>>>>> On 02/09/2014 07:02 PM, Maurice James wrote:
>>>>>> According to this
>>>>>> https://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHBA-2013-1749.html
>>>>>> It does not do it
>>>>> please review:
>>>>> https://access.redhat.com/site/documentation/en-US/Red_Hat_Enterpri
>>>>> s e _Virtua lization/3.3/html-single/V2V_Guide/index.html
>>>>>
>>>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>>>> From: Itamar Heim [mailto:iheim at redhat.com]
>>>>>> Sent: Sunday, February 09, 2014 4:52 AM
>>>>>> To: Maurice James; 'users'
>>>>>> Subject: Re: [Users] vmware image conversion
>>>>>>
>>>>>> On 02/08/2014 04:18 PM, Maurice James wrote:
>>>>>>> I submitted an RFE to have vmware image conversion added to 3.5.
>>>>>>> I think that is a key feature that is lacking. Im just trying to
>>>>>>> get some eyes on it here.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1062910
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>>>> Users mailing list
>>>>>>> Users at ovirt.org
>>>>>>> http://lists.ovirt.org/mailman/listinfo/users
>>>>>>>
>>>>>> can you comment on the gaps from virt-v2v which does this today
>>>>>> (in the bug as well).
>>>>>>
>>>>>> thanks,
>>>>>>          Itamar
>>>>>>
>>>> iirc, you need an ESX currently.
>>> Some of us are stuck without a way to try out ovirt because of this.
>>> ESX is not the only platform that people run VMWare on.  I am trying
>>> to bring over VMs from an old VMWare Server setup on Centos 5.  Works
>>> fine, but there is no migration path.  Other people may have VMs on
>>> VMWare Workstation or other, older products.  We just get told to go
>>> fly a
>> kite?
>>> If the only choice is to bring up a full-blown, working ESX instance,
>>> I may bring up ESXi and stay there.
>>>
>>> Ted Miller
>>> Elkhart, IN
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Users mailing list
>>> Users at ovirt.org
>>> http://lists.ovirt.org/mailman/listinfo/users
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Users mailing list
>>> Users at ovirt.org
>>> http://lists.ovirt.org/mailman/listinfo/users
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