Oh My God, Having One of Those Days......

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MikhailCompo

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Feb 14, 2017
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So i've setup ESXi 6.5/vCenter 6.5/vSphere 6.5 for a pilot.

I need to import the same Hyper-V guest as on an identical (physically) server running Hyper-V for a comparison against VMWare.

So my obvious thoughts are that I need to import the powered-off server that is currently in Hyper-V, or by converting the VHD.

So I following the majority of guides which point to Starwinds V2V converter. That cannot connect to the ESXi as it comes up with error -1 12031 and some Chinese/Japanese text. Cannot identify the issue in any logs. So using the same software to try converting the image file itself, but the only ESXi compatible file it creates is a thick image, and so its 500gb in size.......... Thanks Starwind, your free software is not helpful.

Then I get the latest VMWare Standaline Converter, but the only useful option in that software (no file conversion), is to connect to Hyper-V directly and to import to ESXi directly. I dont even get past the stage of selecting the Hyper-V guest - not suprosingly really with Hyper-V as grating permissions to anything outside the localhost is a notorious nightmware. As the Hyper-V is running Server 2016 all the guides advising permissions changes to acheive that no longer irrelevent.

So...... (still with me?)........

I go back to that massive file that Starwind churned out and look at ways to get it into ESXi or vSphere.

Trying to upload a 500GB file into the Datastore using web browser.............. lol that fails of course, timesout after waiting ages.

I do not see any other way to get that file into ESXi/vSphere at all. I have tried to create an NFS share on a Windows server in order to access that in ESXi/vSphere and I have got absolutely nowhere with that.


Any advice? Surely this cant be all that difficult?!?!?!?!?!?!?! I have wasted a day so far.
 
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pricklypunter

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Nov 10, 2015
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How about using windows server backup to a shared folder, run a basic install then perform a restore from the shared folder in your new VM?
 
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MikhailCompo

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The Hyper-V guest has been Sysprepped ready for cloning. I dont really want to fire it up, backup and then have to sysprep both once again.

I can boot the Hyper-V guest to WinPE, capture a WIM of the disks and then boot the ESXi guest and apply that image to it, surely that is not the best/easiest option?? Seriously??
 
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pricklypunter

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As daft as it sounds, whenever I find that my on hand 3rd party solutions fail me, there's usually some convoluted or cumbersome, but workable, method already buried in the OS. Easiest or best doesn't really come into it when you're stuck, it just comes down to what gets the job done :)
There may well be plenty of other options out there, but that's probably the quickest way unless you have access to a gazillion other 3rd party utils and time to spend trying them until you find one that does what you need.

Unless M$ updated things, last time I looked into using /mode:vm in sysprep, it only allowed you to deploy back to the same hardware/ environment, so no Hyper-V to ESXi for example. That kind of leaves either a 3rd party solution, or going old skool :)

Some of the others here might have a better suggestion for you...
 
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MikhailCompo

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OK, so lets say I create a disk image using Acronis/EaseUS (i need to keep all the partitions, so disk image is better than file image WIM for this).

Once I have that disk image, how do I make it accessible for the ESXi guest?
 
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pricklypunter

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If you are going to image using acronis/ easus etc, make it a bootable iso? If you do that, you could just mount it as a virtual cd either using the web client with the browser plugins installed or the old desktop client and restore to the ESXi VM that way, or I think you can also place the iso in a datastore and mount that instead :)
 
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Peanuthead

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Jun 12, 2015
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VMware has a command line function that will shrink the 500 gig thick provision file to thin provisioned
 
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Peanuthead

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Otherwise you can try booting up the VM or loading one (depending on the hypervisor you're using at the moment) and run macrium reflect to back it up and restore
 
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Peanuthead

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That's it! I was on a phone call when I was trying to reply so I didn't have much time. Multitasking at its best
 
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Peanuthead

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Winscp is nothing more than a file transfer program. There's actually several online tutorials on how to use it.
 
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Peanuthead

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I can give you the specifics in about an hour or two. I'm currently on the road to my next appointment.
 
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MikhailCompo

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I have WinSCP and have used it and other tftp clients before. My point is how do I use it to get files to ESXi? What is the path? How do I set permissions or enable tftp?

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk
 
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whitey

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'/vmfs/volumes' is the root of mount points/datastores in VMware FWIW/if that helps at all. Good place to start. :-D

I think 'incoming' ssh is enabled by default, long as you cranked up 'Troubleshooting Options -> Enable SSH' from DCUI...use root user to scp/sftp files from src/dest wink wink
 
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MikhailCompo

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Excellent, thanks all! You have been promt and helpful. This forum is a great resource due how active it is.

Using WinSCP to copy to the Datastore (seems that ESXi has a shortcut 'Datastore1' rather than having to identify the correct GUID).

Transfering files at about 45MB/s which is fine (once i learn how to be patient....).

The Data ISO i have created containing the disk image is >8GB so I will have to wait and see if the disk imaging software will accept a non-ISO conforming DVD ISO......

Will post back with results
 
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