How to Convert a Virtual Machine to a VMM Virtual Machine

Use the following procedure in Virtual Machine Manager (VMM) to create a new virtual machine from a VMware® server-based virtual machine that has any of the following operating system installed:

• Microsoft Windows 2000 Server with SP 4 or later
• Windows Server 2003 SP 1 or later
• Windows XP SP 1 or later

This process is known as virtual-to-virtual machine (V2V) conversion.

Before you can perform a V2V operation, you must add the VMWare server-based virtual machine files (.vmx and .vmdk) to a VMM library. For more information about adding files to a VMM library, see How to Add Files to the Library.

To create a virtual machine from a VMware virtual machine

1. In Library view, in the Actions pane, click Convert Virtual Machine.

2. On the Select Source page, click Select and then in the Select Library Resource dialog box, do the following:

   1. In the Library group list, select the library group where the files are stored.
   2. To search for a file, in the Look for box, type the first few letters of the file name or the complete file name.
   3. To group the files, in the Group by list, click a group type.
   4. Click the *.vmx file you want to convert, click OK, and then click Next.

3. On the Virtual Machine Identity page, do the following:

   1. To change the virtual machine name, in the Virtual machine name box, type the name. The virtual machine will have the same computer name as the source file. You can use this name for the virtual machine name or specify a different name.
   2. To change the owner of the virtual machine, in the Owner box, type the owner name (domain\user name), or click Select to select a user. The owner must have a domain account in Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS).
   3. In the Description box, type a description.

4. On the Select Virtual Machine Host page, select a host to deploy the virtual machine on.

   In the list of hosts, all available hosts are given a rating of zero through 5 stars based on their suitability to host the virtual machine. The ratings are recommendations. You can select any host that has the required disk space. For more information, see About Host Ratings.

5. On the Select Path page, type the full path to the folder where the configuration files for the virtual machine will be stored, or click Browse to select a folder.

6. On the Additional Properties page, accept the default settings or modify these settings as described in How to Configure Virtual Server Actions for a Virtual Machine.

7. On the Summary page, review the configuration settings. To change settings, click Previous.

   Note

   Use the View Script button to display the Windows PowerShell - Virtual Machine Manager cmdlets that will perform the conversion. All administrative tasks in Virtual Machine Manager can be performed at the command line or scripted. For more information, see Using the Virtual Machine Manager Command Shell.

8. To start the conversion, click Create.

   Note

   Depending on the configurations of the source and destination machines, this process may take some time to complete. To review the progress and results of the conversion, open the Jobs window. By default, the Jobs window opens when the wizard closes. To open the Jobs window at any time, click the Jobs button on the toolbar in the VMM Administrator Console.

See Also

Concepts

About Host Ratings
About Virtual Machine Placement
Creating Virtual Machines
Using the Virtual Machine Manager Command Shell

Other Resources

How to Convert a Physical Server to a Virtual Machine