Release:
RedHat Enterprise Linux
VMware 1.x
Problem:
Migrating Redhat Xen virtual machine to VMware Server 1.x
Solution:
Note: Only “Fully Virtualized” Xen virtual machines are able to be migrated to VMware
Configuration changes to be done on Xen virtual machine:
1) Modify /etc/modprobe.conf to add the proper SCSI and network card modules which are configured in Vmware Server.
# vi /etc/modprobe.conf
alias eth0 pcnet32
alias scsi_hostadapter mptbase
alias scsi_hostadapter1 mptspi
alias scsi_hostadapter2 ata_piix
Note: Once modified the kernel modules, you won’t be able to properly start the machine, and you will receive a Kernel panic error message.
Convert VM migration disk:
To convert a XEN machine in a .vmdk format to be used with VMware, a tool called qemu will be used. QEMU is a generic and open source machine emulator and virtualizer. It is also a fast processor emulator using dynamic translation to achieve good emulation speed.
2) Download qemu from the below link
http://dag.wieers.com/rpm/packages/qemu/
3) Install the downloaded RPM
# rpm –ivh qemu-0.12.4-1.el5.rf.i386.rpm
4) Convert the XEN machine disk to VMware disk
# qemu-img convert
5) Now we have a valid VMware Server 1.xx disk device file. This can be added on onto any VMware Server.
6) Create a new virtual machine. Under Hard disk configuration, select “use existing hard disk”.
Note: If the storage controller and network controllers are not integrated in /etc/modprobe.conf, system might refuse to boot. Hence, it is mandatory to add necessary links to driver modules.
