Using the OVF Import/Export Tool

You can download the OVF Import/Export tool from the Microsoft Download Center. The OVF Import/Export tool is distributed as an installer package. You must install the tool on an existing VMM management server that has the VMM console installed. The package installs a Windows PowerShell snap-in that contains the following cmdlets:

• Export-SCVirtualMachine
  
  
• Import-SCVirtualMachine
  
  

To install the OVF Import/Export tool, double-click the Windows Installer package SC2012_VMM_OVFImport-Export.msi. You must accept the license terms and select an installation folder. Complete the installation.

Before you use the cmdlets in the VMM command shell you must add the snap-in to your current PowerShell session. To add the snap-in, run the cmdlet Add-PSSnapin OVFToolSnapIn.

If you start a new PowerShell session by opening a new instance of the VMM command shell, you must run the cmdlet in that session before you can use the OVF Import/Export cmdlets.

Note
If you use a profile, add the cmdlet Add-PSSnapin OVFToolSnapIn to your profile to load the snap-in automatically. For more information, type get-help about_profiles.

Use the Import-SCVirtualMachine cmdlet to create a new virtual machine for VMM using the .ovf file and virtual hard disks in a specified location. The cmdlet creates a new virtual machine with the referenced virtual hard disk and stores it in a VMM library share. Self-service users must specify a writable share for the virtual machine. Note the following:

1. Before you import an OVF package to VMM with the OVF Import/Export tool, verify that the virtual hard disk format is .vhd or .vhdx, or convert it to be .vhd or .vhdx. Be sure to use fixed size disk format.
   
   
2. If the original virtual machine is joined to a logical network, the import process tries to join the imported virtual machine to a logical network if one with the same name exists. Otherwise, it is not joined to a network.
   
   

The Import-SCVirtualMachine cmdlet has several key parameters.

The following example creates and stores a virtual machine that is named MyVirtualMachine.

$vmm = get-scvmmserver -ComputerName "MyVMM"
$ls = Get-SCLibraryServer -ComputerName " MyLibraryServer"
Import-SCVirtualMachine -ImportVMPath "C:\Test\MyVirtualMachineOVF.ovf" -LibraryServerObject $ls -VMMServerObject $vmm -LibrarySharePath "\\MyLibraryServerFQDN\MSSCVMMLibrary\Import\" -VHDSourcePath "C:\ImportInVMM\MyVirtualMachineVHD.vhd" -VMName "MyVirtualMachine"

The first command gets the VMM management server. The second command gets the library server. The third command creates a virtual machine with the specified name using the specified .ovf file and disk, and then stores it in the specified library share.

Use the Export-SCVirtualMachine cmdlet to create an OVF package together with the virtual hard diske for a virtual machine. The virtual machine that you want to export must be stored in the library. The cmdlet saves the exported files in a specified local directory.

The Export-SCVirtualMachine cmdlet has several key parameters.

The following example exports a virtual machine that is named MyVirtualMachine.

$vmm = get-scvmmserver -ComputerName "MyVMM"
$vm = get-scvirtualmachine -name "MyVirtualMachine"
Export-SCVirtualMachine -ExportPath "C:\ExportDir" -StoredVMObject $vm -TargetVirtualizationPlatform ”<supportedPlatform>”  -VMMServerObject $vmm

The first command gets the VMM management server. The second command gets the virtual machine object. The third command exports the virtual machine in the form of an OVF package to the local export path.