Moving VM's in ESXi

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Bob21

Limp Gawd
Joined
Mar 11, 2006
Messages
167
I am going to be upgrading the storage in my ESXi host and my plan is to re-install ESXi after I make the raid array and bring the VM's over. Can I just copy all of the files in the old datastore to the new installation?

Is there anything special I need to do?
 
Can just copy the files and then import the VMs back in to inventory from the new datastore.
 
Bob21 said:
I read something about committing snapshots beforehand. Is this necessary?
Click to expand...

I just deleted what I said, you can do it, and it would probably work. I just think it is best that you consolidate it if at all possible first.
 
Bob21 said:
I am going to be upgrading the storage in my ESXi host and my plan is to re-install ESXi after I make the raid array and bring the VM's over. Can I just copy all of the files in the old datastore to the new installation?

Is there anything special I need to do?
Click to expand...

If your host will have access to both datastores (new RAID and old), you can do a storage migration to the new datastore and attach it after you reinstall. Shouldn't need to delete your snapshots.
 
armyoffoo said:
If your host will have access to both datastores (new RAID and old), you can do a storage migration to the new datastore and attach it after you reinstall. Shouldn't need to delete your snapshots.
Click to expand...

Yeah, but you're assuming things are there he didn't say. You need vCenter, and the appropriate licensing to do a Storage vMotion hot, but cold, you still need vCenter to migrate in the way you suggest. There is no "migrate..." option when directly connected, at least there isn't on this 4.0 update 2 host I just checked ;). I had to look, I thought maybe they added it, and maybe they did in 4.1... but I doubt it. I don't have access to check 4.1 here where I am at the moment.
 
vmkfstools -i on the disks if you want the best performance out the other end.
 
Here is how I ended up doing it for future reference..

I started with a DL380 with a single drive that held ESXi and some VM's.

  1. Removed all snapshots
  2. Brought the host down and installed 4 drives in a RAID 5 config (single disk still in place)
  3. Brought the host back up and used Veeam FastSCP to copy all VM's to the new RAID5 datastore
  4. Brought the host back down, removed the single disk and replaced it with a 2 disk mirror
  5. Installed ESXi on the mirrored array
  6. Browsed to the RAID5 datastore and added the VM's to inventory
  7. Done!
 
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