Hi everyone, I''m trying to convert some Xen HVM images to run on VMware ESX, unsuccessfully thus far. I believe the problem is that ESX by default wants the VMs to use SCSI virtual disks, but my HVM VMs are configured to use IDE virtual disks. If you have any experience with this sort of thing, please get in touch. Thanks! Diwaker -- http://floatingsun.net/ _______________________________________________ Xen-users mailing list Xen-users@lists.xensource.com http://lists.xensource.com/xen-users
>I''m trying to convert some Xen HVM images to run on VMware ESX, >unsuccessfully thus far. I believe the problem is that ESX by default >wants the VMs to use SCSI virtual disks, but my HVM VMs are configured >to use IDE virtual disks. If you have any experience with this sort of >thing, please get in touch.Right, Install the drivers needed by the vmware devices into the Critical Devices Database and then image out and into esx. There are many options here, from manual to automated. Easiest for you might be to get a copy of the drivers and install them, windows will know where to load them into the Critical Devices Database based on the type (Mass Storage). jlc _______________________________________________ Xen-users mailing list Xen-users@lists.xensource.com http://lists.xensource.com/xen-users
On Thu, Apr 24, 2008 at 10:02 AM, Joseph L. Casale <jcasale@activenetwerx.com> wrote:> >I''m trying to convert some Xen HVM images to run on VMware ESX, > >unsuccessfully thus far. I believe the problem is that ESX by default > >wants the VMs to use SCSI virtual disks, but my HVM VMs are configured > >to use IDE virtual disks. If you have any experience with this sort of > >thing, please get in touch. > > Right, > Install the drivers needed by the vmware devices into the Critical Devices Database > and then image out and into esx. There are many options here, from manual to automated. > > Easiest for you might be to get a copy of the drivers and install them, windows will know where to load them into the Critical Devices Database based on the type (Mass Storage).Perhaps I haven''t been clear. This is not Windows specfic, I want to do this for both Linux and Windows. Lets say I have a disk image in QCOW format that I use with my Xen VM. I want to retain the _same_ filesystem under VMware. So I first create a VM in ESX with the same disk size. Then I use qemu-img to convert the qcow image to VMDK format and overwrite the blank VMDK file created by ESX. No go. I try the same thing but with conversion to RAW format, and that fails as well. But this was expected. So basically I want some way to take a qcow image and convert it for use with ESX. Thanks, Diwaker -- http://floatingsun.net/ _______________________________________________ Xen-users mailing list Xen-users@lists.xensource.com http://lists.xensource.com/xen-users
Diwaker Gupta wrote:> > On Thu, Apr 24, 2008 at 10:02 AM, Joseph L. Casale > <jcasale@activenetwerx.com> wrote: > > >I''m trying to convert some Xen HVM images to run on VMware ESX, > > >unsuccessfully thus far. I believe the problem is that ESX by default > > >wants the VMs to use SCSI virtual disks, but my HVM VMs are configured > > >to use IDE virtual disks. If you have any experience with this sort of > > >thing, please get in touch. > > > > Right, > > Install the drivers needed by the vmware devices into the Critical Devices Database > > and then image out and into esx. There are many options here, from manual to automated. > > > > Easiest for you might be to get a copy of the drivers and > > install them, windows will know where to load them into the > > Critical Devices Database based on the type (Mass Storage). > > Perhaps I haven''t been clear. This is not Windows specfic, I want to > do this for both Linux and Windows. > > Lets say I have a disk image in QCOW format that I use with my Xen VM. > I want to retain the _same_ filesystem under VMware. So I first create > a VM in ESX with the same disk size. Then I use qemu-img to convert > the qcow image to VMDK format and overwrite the blank VMDK file > created by ESX. No go. I try the same thing but with conversion to RAW > format, and that fails as well. But this was expected. > > So basically I want some way to take a qcow image and convert it for > use with ESX.Have you tried just converting the qcow to a new vmdk and importing that vmdk into ESX? -Ross ______________________________________________________________________ This e-mail, and any attachments thereto, is intended only for use by the addressee(s) named herein and may contain legally privileged and/or confidential information. If you are not the intended recipient of this e-mail, you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution or copying of this e-mail, and any attachments thereto, is strictly prohibited. If you have received this e-mail in error, please immediately notify the sender and permanently delete the original and any copy or printout thereof. _______________________________________________ Xen-users mailing list Xen-users@lists.xensource.com http://lists.xensource.com/xen-users
On Thu, Apr 24, 2008 at 1:20 PM, Diwaker Gupta <diwaker.lists@gmail.com> wrote:> On Thu, Apr 24, 2008 at 10:02 AM, Joseph L. Casale > <jcasale@activenetwerx.com> wrote: > > >I''m trying to convert some Xen HVM images to run on VMware ESX, > > >unsuccessfully thus far. I believe the problem is that ESX by default > > >wants the VMs to use SCSI virtual disks, but my HVM VMs are configured > > >to use IDE virtual disks. If you have any experience with this sort of > > >thing, please get in touch. > > > > Right, > > Install the drivers needed by the vmware devices into the Critical > Devices Database > > and then image out and into esx. There are many options here, from > manual to automated. > > > > Easiest for you might be to get a copy of the drivers and install them, > windows will know where to load them into the Critical Devices Database > based on the type (Mass Storage). > > Perhaps I haven''t been clear. This is not Windows specfic, I want to > do this for both Linux and Windows. > > Lets say I have a disk image in QCOW format that I use with my Xen VM. > I want to retain the _same_ filesystem under VMware. So I first create > a VM in ESX with the same disk size. Then I use qemu-img to convert > the qcow image to VMDK format and overwrite the blank VMDK file > created by ESX. No go. I try the same thing but with conversion to RAW > format, and that fails as well. But this was expected. > > So basically I want some way to take a qcow image and convert it for > use with ESX. >Have you tried using qemu-img convert? See: http://fabrice.bellard.free.fr/qemu/qemu-doc.html#SEC19> > Thanks, > Diwaker > -- > http://floatingsun.net/ > > _______________________________________________ > Xen-users mailing list > Xen-users@lists.xensource.com > http://lists.xensource.com/xen-users >_______________________________________________ Xen-users mailing list Xen-users@lists.xensource.com http://lists.xensource.com/xen-users
>Have you tried using qemu-img convert?Yea, it looks as if the OP says he is, but I am pretty sure his issue is a driver/mod related one. ESX wont emulate an IDE drive. @OP, what is the output at boot? BSOD/non accessible root? Does it boot? jlc _______________________________________________ Xen-users mailing list Xen-users@lists.xensource.com http://lists.xensource.com/xen-users
> > So basically I want some way to take a qcow image and convert it for > > use with ESX. > > Have you tried just converting the qcow to a new vmdk and > importing that vmdk into ESX?Yes I have. I used qemu-image to convert the image to VMDK format. Then, when creating a new VM in ESX, I used the "Custom" option to select an existing disk image. Unfortunately, ESX refuses to even display the converted VMDK for selection. It refuses to display RAW files created from qemu-img as well. Is there some other way to import the VMDK into ESX? (I have already copied the VMDK into my storage pool. It just doesn''t show up in the file selection dialog inside the ESX Virtual Client). Diwaker -- http://floatingsun.net/ _______________________________________________ Xen-users mailing list Xen-users@lists.xensource.com http://lists.xensource.com/xen-users
On Thu, Apr 24, 2008 at 11:15 AM, Joseph L. Casale <jcasale@activenetwerx.com> wrote:> > > >Have you tried using qemu-img convert? > > Yea, it looks as if the OP says he is, but I am pretty sure his issue is a > driver/mod related one. ESX wont emulate an IDE drive.Affirmative.> @OP, what is the output at boot? BSOD/non accessible root? Does it boot?So when I create a new VM in ESX, it create *two* VMDK files. The first is a descriptor file containing some meta data. The other (-flat.vmdk) is the real data. Running ''qemu-img info'' on the flat VMDK indicates that it is in the RAW format. I tried overwriting both the VMDKs (flat and descriptor) with the VMDK converted using qemu-img, one at a time. Replacing the descriptor file leads to complaints saying IDE disk being used as SCSI disk and the VM crashes. Replacing the flat VMDK file doesn''t lead to a crash, but I don''t see anything on the console. Not even the BIOS stuff. Thanks, Diwaker -- http://floatingsun.net/ _______________________________________________ Xen-users mailing list Xen-users@lists.xensource.com http://lists.xensource.com/xen-users
>So when I create a new VM in ESX, it create *two* VMDK files. The >first is a descriptor file containing some meta data. The other >(-flat.vmdk) is the real data. Running ''qemu-img info'' on the flat >VMDK indicates that it is in the RAW format.Good, so you know the expected format of esx now.>I tried overwriting both the VMDKs (flat and descriptor) with the VMDK >converted using qemu-img, one at a time.You lost me? I thought you fiogured out one is text pointer?>Replacing the descriptor file >leads to complaints saying IDE disk being used as SCSI disk and the VM >crashes.>Replacing the flat VMDK file doesn''t lead to a crash, but I >don''t see anything on the console. Not even the BIOS stuff.What crashes here specifically? What does your esx vm log say? jlc _______________________________________________ Xen-users mailing list Xen-users@lists.xensource.com http://lists.xensource.com/xen-users
Diwaker Gupta wrote:> Hi everyone, > > I''m trying to convert some Xen HVM images to run on VMware ESX, > unsuccessfully thus far. I believe the problem is that ESX by default > wants the VMs to use SCSI virtual disks, but my HVM VMs are configured > to use IDE virtual disks. If you have any experience with this sort of > thing, please get in touch. > > Thanks! > Diwaker >I just went through this with SCO OpenServer 5.0.6 as a guest domain, migratiing from VMware Workstation (which supports IDE) to VMware ESX (which only supports BusLogic or LSI SCSI for disk controllers). The limitation seems silly, but this is what you get when you insist on running on the antique RHEL 3.x and its 2.4 kernel as your base OS for your emulation server. For Linux migrations, you should be able to boot with an installation CD, detect and mount the hard drives, edit the system''s /etc/modprobe.conf and /etc/fstab and /boot/grub/grub.conf, re-run grub-install, and be ready to boot. I''ve in fact previously written tools to install RedHat operating systems from tarballs, so I know it''s feasible. _______________________________________________ Xen-users mailing list Xen-users@lists.xensource.com http://lists.xensource.com/xen-users