Moving Older Virtual Machines

If you have created a virtual machine using GSX Server 1 or another VMware product (not including VMware Workstation 3 and 4), you must upgrade the virtual hardware the first time you run it under GSX Server 3. Once you have done this, you can follow the instructions in Moving a VMware GSX Server 3 Virtual Machine.

If you have created a virtual machine using GSX Server 1 or another VMware product (not including VMware Workstation 3 and 4), and you want to move it to a different computer or to another directory on your host, you need to perform the following tasks.

Note: These instructions assume that you are using a virtual disk — stored in a set of .vmdk or .dsk files on your host computer.

It is always safest to make backup copies of all the files in your virtual machine's directory before you start a process like this.

In GSX Server 1, the path names for all files associated with a virtual machine were absolute, or fully qualified, meaning the complete route to the files on the host was stored. For example, the absolute path to a virtual disk file might be C:\Documents and Settings\<user name>\My Documents\My Virtual Machines\<machine name>\<machine name>.vmdk.

With GSX Server 2 and higher, path names to files are relative, meaning the path to the each file is relative to the currently active directory. For example, if you are in the virtual machine's directory, the relative path to the virtual disk file is <machine name>.vmdk.

1. Open the virtual machine using the VMware product with which you created it. If the virtual machine has more than one virtual disk and if the virtual disks use different disk modes, you must use the Configuration Editor (choose Settings > Configuration Editor) to change one or more of the virtual disks so they all use the same mode.

2. Be sure you know whether the virtual disk is set up as an IDE disk or a SCSI disk. You can check this in the virtual machine settings editor.

Also, note the size of the virtual disk you are moving. You need this information when you prepare the new host machine, as described in the next section.

3. Be sure the guest operating system is completely shut down. If the virtual machine is suspended, resume it using the VMware product with which you created the virtual machine, then shut down the guest operating system.

4. If your virtual machine is using disks in undoable mode, it is best to commit or discard the changes when the guest operating system shuts down. If you cannot commit or discard the changes to your disk, read Considerations for Moving Disks in Undoable Mode.

5. If you have a network connection between the original host machine and the new host, you are finished with the preparations on the original host. If you do not have a network connection, you need to have a way of moving the virtual disk (.vmdk) files from the virtual machine's directory to the new host. You could move them to a shared network directory, for example, or burn them to CD-ROMs or DVD-ROMs.

Note: If your disks are using undoable mode and you have not committed or discarded your changes, you must also move the redo-log (.REDO) file to the new host computer.

2. Start the VMware Virtual Machine Console and run the New Virtual Machine Wizard. Select the appropriate guest operating system for the virtual machine you are moving.

Choose a virtual disk for your hard drive and use a drive type (IDE or SCSI) that matches the type of the virtual disk you plan to move.

Select all appropriate network, floppy and CD-ROM settings. Do not make any changes with the virtual machine settings editor at this point.

3. In the directory just created for the new virtual machine, delete the brand new .vmdk files that were just created.

4. Locate the virtual disk files you are moving and copy them into the new virtual machine directory. Set permissions on the directory so that it is accessible to all users of the virtual machine.

Note: If your virtual machine is using disks in undoable mode and you did not commit or discard your changes before the move, you must also move the redo-log (.REDO) file to the new host computer.

5. In the console's Inventory list, select the virtual machine you just created, then choose VM > Settings.

6. Be sure the virtual machine is configured to use the virtual disk files you moved from the original host. You need to confirm that the new disk's settings — IDE or SCSI and the filename for the first .vmdk file — match those that were used on the original host machine.

The device listing for the hard drive shows whether it is SCSI or IDE. If that setting does not match the virtual disk you are moving, select the hard disk and click Remove. Then click Add and use the Add Hardware Wizard to add an IDE or SCSI disk as appropriate. Be sure to specify IDE or SCSI when you reach the Select a Disk Type screen in the wizard.

Be sure the filename and path for the virtual disk match the actual filename and location for the first .vmdk file used by the virtual machine you are moving.

Once you commit or discard changes made to an older virtual disk in undoable mode, you can move your disk between Linux and Windows host operating systems. You can also move your disk to different locations on your computer and to other computers with the same host operating system.

However, if you cannot or do not want to commit or discard the changes made to your undoable disk, note the following:

You can always move a disk in undoable mode between host operating systems of the same general type (for example, between two Microsoft Windows systems, or between two Linux systems). Depending upon how the disk was first set up, you may have to place the disk and its redo log in a directory that has a path name identical to that of the current directory.

You may be able to move the disk in undoable mode between Windows and Linux host systems, or move the disk to a different directory on your current system, if there is no path name information in the virtual machine's configuration file. This is true for virtual machines created under GSX Server 2 or higher; however, virtual machines created with older versions of GSX Server, with versions of Workstation older than 3.1 or with any other VMware product contain path information in their configuration files.

Follow these steps to check the configuration and see whether or not you can move your undoable disk without committing or discarding changes:

If you are moving a disk in undoable mode from one computer to another computer, launch a GSX Server 2 console on the computer that currently has the disk.

2. Open the configuration file for the virtual machine that uses the undoable mode disk you wish to move.

In the console window, select File > Open and choose the configuration file of the virtual machine with the disk you want to move.

4. Examine the entry for your virtual disk to see whether it includes a full path to the first virtual disk file. For example, on a Windows host, you might see a disk file listing like this:

If your disk file information resembles the example above (with a full path to the first disk file) and you have not committed or discarded changes to the undoable disk, the following rules apply:

You can move the disk to another computer of the same type only (Windows to Windows or Linux to Linux). You cannot move the disk to a computer of a different type (Windows to Linux or vice versa).

You must place the virtual machine's other files (including .vmx and .REDO on Windows, and .vmx or .cfg and .REDO on Linux) in the same relative location on the new computer. In other words, if the virtual machine's files reside in My Documents\My Virtual Machines\Windows 2000\ on the original host computer, you must place them in that same location on the new host computer.

If your disk entry resembles the one above (just a filename with a .vmdk extension), you can move the disk and redo log anywhere you wish.