System Center Virtual Machine Manager (VMM) allows you to convert existing physical computers into virtual machines, which is known as a P2V conversion. VMM simplifies P2V by providing a wizard to automate much of the conversion process.
To watch a video of the P2V process, see “VMM Introduction - Physical to Virtual Machine Migration” (mms://wm.microsoft.com/ms/systemcenter/scvmm/demo/vmm_intro_03.wmv).
The requirements for physical computers depend on whether you are performing an online or offline P2V. In both cases, VMM temporarily installs an agent on the physical source computer that you want to convert. By using online P2V, VMM uses the Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) to copy data while the server continues to service user requests. The source computer is not restarted during the conversion. By using offline P2V, the source computer reboots into the Windows Preinstallation Environment (Windows PE) before VMM converts the physical disks to Virtual Hard Disks (VHDs).
Operating System Requirements
To perform a P2V, your source computer must meet the operating systems requirements described in the following table.
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Operating System on Source Computer
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P2V (Online)
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P2V (Offline)
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Not Supported
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| Microsoft Windows 2000 Server Service Pack 4 (SP4) | | X | |
| The Windows Server 2003 operating systems with Service Pack 1 (SP1) | X | X | |
| The Windows Server 2003 R2 Standard Edition operating system | X | X | |
| The Windows XP operating systems with SP1 | X | X | |
| The Windows Server 2003 R2 Standard x64 Edition operating system | | | X |
| The Windows XP Professional x64 Edition operating system | | | X |
| The Windows Vista operating system | | | X |
| The Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0 operating system | | | X |
VMM does not support P2V on source computers running Windows NT Server 4.0. However, you can use the Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 Migration Toolkit (VSMT) or third-party solutions for converting computers running Windows NT Server 4.0.
For more information about the recommended system requirements for VMM deployment scenarios, see "Virtual Machine Manager System Requirements" (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=69926).
Additional Requirements
To perform a P2V, your source computer must meet the additional requirements, as shown in the following table.
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Additional Requirements for Source Computers
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P2V (Online)
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P2V (Offline)
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| Domain: Must be in the same domain as the VMM server or a member of a domain that has a full two-way trust with the VMM server’s domain. | X | X |
| RAM: Must have at least 512 MB. | | X |
| Updates: Although updates will not affect most P2V conversions, certain system files and drivers are replaced during the conversion and may require updates. If those files are missing, you will need to add them to the Patch Import directory on the Virtual Machine Manager server. | X | X |
Requirements for the Host Server
In Virtual Machine Manager, a host is a physical computer on which can deploy one or more virtual machines. To run P2V, you need a host on which to place the image of the source machine disks copied in VHD format while the virtual machine is being built.
Requirements for the host server include:
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Virtual Server R2 SP1 or later
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Adequate RAM (256 MB, plus memory for the virtual machine)
By default, the amount of memory reserved for the target host is 256 MB. This amount is in addition to the memory required for each source computer. If the host does not have enough memory, you will get a placement error in the Convert Physical Server Wizard.
.gif) Important |
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You cannot configure the virtual machine memory from the Convert Physical Server Wizard. To perform a P2V from the wizard, you will need a host that can support the source computer's memory. |
If you need to increase or decrease the allotted virtual machine memory, you must perform the P2V from the command line. You will need to run the New-P2V cmdlet and set the MemoryMB parameter to a lower memory value.
The following section lists common questions and answers about the P2V process. If you do not see the answer here, you can post questions on the System Center Virtual Machine Manager forums at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=85919.
Q: Can I convert a computer that is not joined to a domain?
A: No, VMM P2V requires that the source computer is in the same domain as the VMM server or a member of a domain that has a full two-way trust with the VMM server’s domain. A potential workaround is to temporarily add your computer to the domain, and then remove the resulting virtual machine after the conversion.
Q: Can I run more than one P2V process simultaneously from one Administrator Console?
A: Yes, you can run multiple P2V processes simultaneously by starting a P2V Wizard after one wizard is done or by launching multiple P2Vs from Windows PowerShell by using the New-P2V cmdlet. The product has no limitation on the number of P2V processes running simultaneously.
Q: Can I P2V a computer with more than 3.6 GB of RAM?
A: Yes. Although the Convert Physical Server Wizard does not allow you to set the amount of virtual machine memory, you can perform the P2V with a Windows PowerShell script. You can specify the amount of RAM that the resulting virtual machine has configured with the New-P2V cmdlet and the –MemoryMB switch. For more information, see "Windows PowerShell Scripting in Virtual Machine Manager" (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=91727).
Q: VM Additions were not installed during the P2V process. What should I do?
A: By default, VM Additions are not installed during the P2V process with VMM v1. To install VM Additions through the Administrator Console:
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Open the virtual machine properties.
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Click the Hardware Configuration tab.
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Add a DVD drive to the IDE device if there is not one there already
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Click Known image file, browse to the VMAdditions ISO, and then click OK.
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Click Apply.
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Log in to the guest operating system running inside the Virtual Machine and complete the VM Additions installation.
If the Known image file list does not currently include VMAdditions, you can copy the VMAdditions.iso file from Microsoft Virtual Server 2005, which is installed by default on a VMM host. You can find the VMAdditions.iso file at <C>:\Program Files\Microsoft Virtual Server\Virtual Machine Additions. Copy the file to a library server share, and then refresh that share through the Administrator Console.
Q: If I reach the “Select VM Host” step in the P2V Wizard and all of the virtual machine hosts have exceeded their maximum resource capacities, can I go to the Administrator Console and adjust resources?
A: Not in this version of VMM. Stop the P2V Wizard, adjust the resources, and then restart the wizard. Also, you can start another instance of the VMM Administrator Console.
Q: Does the P2V process use the WS-Management protocol, formerly known as Windows Remote Management or WinRM?
A: No, P2V does not use the WS-Management protocol. The only exception is if you P2V a VMM-managed computer such as a host, library server, or the VMM Server.
Q: How do I convert a physical DVD drive to a virtual drive?
A: During a P2V, VMM creates a DVD drive if the source machine has a physical DVD drive and if there is an available IDE slot. However, after the virtual machine is created, you can add a DVD drive to the virtual machine from the command line by updating its properties.
Q: If my source machine has four volumes and a DVD drive, how can I retain the DVD drive on the resulting virtual machine?
A: In this situation, you would need to remove a VHD to free a bus for the DVD drive. You would do this by removing the VHD from the hardware configuration, saving the property changes, re-opening the Properties dialog box, and then adding the DVD drive to the hardware configuration. Then the VHD can be added to the virtual machine through the SCSI bus.
Q: How can I tell the status of the P2V conversion?
A: You can view the P2V status by clicking the Jobs tab at the bottom left of the Administrator Console, clicking the job at the top, and then viewing the results of the running job on the lower right.
Q: Does VMM convert VMware virtual machines?
A: Yes. P2V can convert physical computers or virtual machines presented as physical entities. You can specify the machine name of a VMWare virtual machine and run P2V. You can also run a virtual machine to virtual machine (V2V) conversion. See Converting VMWare Virtual Machines (V2V Conversions) (http://go.microosft.com/fwlink?LinkId=98833).
Q: Can I uninstall updates within a virtual machine?
A: No, you should not uninstall updates within the virtual machine after a P2V operation. Treat virtual machines like physical computers and keep them up-to-date with the latest updates.