How to Use VMM to Convert VMware Virtual Machines to Hyper-V (V2V)

 

Updated: May 18, 2016

Applies To: System Center 2012 SP1 - Virtual Machine Manager, System Center 2012 R2 Virtual Machine Manager, System Center 2012 - Virtual Machine Manager

You can use the following procedure to convert a VMware virtual machine to a Hyper-V virtual machine through the virtual-to-virtual (V2V) machine conversion process in Virtual Machine Manager (VMM). The source virtual machine can be stored in the VMM library or managed by a VMware ESX host.

Note

You can also perform V2V conversions with Microsoft Virtual Machine Converter (MVMC). For more information, see Microsoft Virtual Machine Converter 3.0.

Before you begin

Before you begin, there are several things you need to be aware of concerning V2V conversions:

  • VMM does not support converting VMware Workstations.

  • VMM does not support converting VMware virtual machines with virtual hard disks that are connected to an integrated drive electronics (IDE) bus.

  • Online V2V conversions are not supported. This means VMware virtual machines must be offline (powered off).

  • You must stop any antivirus applications that are running.

  • You must uninstall VMware Tools on the guest operating system of the virtual machine. For information about VMWare Tools, see Overview of VMware Tools.

VMM in System Center 2012 supports the V2V machine conversion of virtual machines that are hosted on the following versions of VMware ESX:

  • ESX/ESXi 3.5 Update 5

  • ESX/ESXi 4.0

  • ESX/ESXi 4.1

  • ESXi 5.1

VMM in System Center 2012 Service Pack 1 (SP1) supports the V2V machine conversion of virtual machines that are hosted on the following versions of VMware ESX:

  • ESX/ESXi 4.1

  • ESXi 5.1

VMM in System Center 2012 R2 supports the V2V machine conversion of virtual machines that are hosted on the following versions of VMware ESX:

  • ESX/ESXi 4.1

  • ESXi 5.1

  • ESXi 5.5

  • ESXi 6.0

For a list of common V2V conversion issues, error messages and resolutions, see Troubleshooting Virtual Machine Conversion Issues

To convert VMware virtual machines to Hyper-V using the Convert Virtual Machine Wizard

  1. Open the VMs and Services workspace.

  2. On the Home tab, in the Create group, click the Create Virtual Machine drop-down arrow, and then click Convert Virtual Machine.

    The Convert Virtual Machine Wizard opens.

  3. On the Select Source page, next to the Select the virtual machine that you would like to convert box, click Browse.

  4. In the Select Virtual Machine Source dialog box, click the VMware virtual machine that you want to convert, and then click OK.

    Tip

    Verify that the Virtualization Platform column indicates VMware ESX Server.

  5. On the Select Source page, click Next.

  6. On the Specify Virtual Machine Identity page, either keep or change the virtual machine name, enter an optional description, and then click Next.

    Note

    The virtual machine name identifies the virtual machine to VMM. The name does not have to match the computer name of the virtual machine. However, to avoid confusion, we recommend that you use the same name as the computer name.

  7. On the Virtual Machine Configuration page, configure the number of processors and assign the amount of memory in megabytes or gigabytes, and then click Next.

  8. On the Select Host page, select a Hyper-V host for placement, and then click Next.

  9. On the Select Path page, do the following, and then click Next:

    1. In the Storage location box, configure the storage location on the host for virtual machine files. By default, the default virtual machine paths on the target host are listed. To select a different location, click Browse, click a folder, and then click OK.

      Note

      As a best practice, do not specify a path that is on the same drive as the operating system files.

    2. To add the path to the list of storage locations on the virtual machine host, select the Add this path to the list of default storage locations on the host check box.

  10. On the Select Networks page, select the logical network, the virtual network, and the virtual LAN (VLAN), if applicable, to use for the virtual machine, and then click Next.

    Note

    The list of available logical networks, virtual networks, and VLANs matches what is configured on the host physical network adapters.

  11. On the Add Properties page, configure the settings that you want, and then click Next.

  12. On the Summary page, review the settings. Optionally, select the Start the virtual machine after deploying it check box. To start the conversion process, click Create.

    The Jobs dialog box appears to indicate the job status. Verify that the job has a status of Completed, and then close the dialog box.

  13. To verify that the virtual machine was converted, do the following:

    1. In the VMs and Services workspace, locate and then click the Hyper-V host which you selected during placement.

    2. On the Home tab, in the Show group, click VMs.

    3. In the VMs pane, verify that the virtual machine appears.

See Also

Managing VMware ESX Hosts in VMM Overview