Using Vcenter Converter Sa 63
Using Vcenter Converter Sa 63
Using Vcenter Converter Sa 63
You can find the most up-to-date technical documentation on the VMware website at:
https://docs.vmware.com/
VMware, Inc.
3401 Hillview Ave.
Palo Alto, CA 94304
www.vmware.com
©
Copyright 1998-2022 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Copyright and trademark information.
VMware, Inc. 2
Contents
2 System Requirements 19
Supported Operating Systems 19
Supported Firmware Interfaces 20
Supported Source Types 21
Supported Destination Types 22
Supported Source Disk Types 23
Supported Destination Disk Types 23
Change the Default Destination Provisioning Disk Type from Thick to Thin 25
Support for IPv6 in Converter Standalone 25
Screen Resolution Requirements 26
Configuring Permissions for vCenter Server Users 26
TCP/IP and UDP Port Requirements for Conversion 27
Requirements for Remote Hot Cloning of Windows Operating Systems 29
Ensure that Windows Firewall Does Not Block File and Printer Sharing 30
3 Conversion Limitations 31
Conversion Limitations for Powered On Machines 31
Conversion Limitations for Virtual Machines 31
Limitations Related to Creating Snapshots of Windows Sources 32
VMware, Inc. 3
Using VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 6.3
VMware, Inc. 4
Using VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 6.3
VMware, Inc. 5
About VMware vCenter Converter
Standalone User Guide
The Using VMware vCenter Converter Standalone provides information about installing and using
®
VMware vCenter Converter Standalone.
At VMware, we value inclusion. To foster this principle within our customer, partner, and internal
community, we create content using inclusive language.
All our documentation also comes in PDF format, which you can access by selecting the PDF
download icon while reading a page or viewing a search result.
Intended Audience
This guide is intended for users who want to perform the following tasks:
This guide is written for information systems engineers, software developers, QA engineers,
trainers, and anyone who wants to create virtual machines.
Document Feedback
VMware welcomes your suggestions for improving our documentation. If you have comments,
send your feedback to [email protected].
VMware, Inc. 6
Using VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 6.3
To use online support to submit technical support requests, view your product and contract
information, and register your products, go to https://www.vmware.com/support.html.
Customers with appropriate support contracts must use telephone support for the fastest
response on priority 1 issues. Go to https://www.vmware.com/support/phone_support.html.
Support Offerings
To find out how VMware support offerings can help meet your business needs, go to https://
www.vmware.com/support/services.html.
VMware Education Services courses offer extensive hands-on labs, case study examples, and
course materials designed to be used as on-the-job reference tools. Courses are available
onsite, in the classroom, and live online. For onsite pilot programs and implementation best
practices, VMware Consulting Services provides offerings to help you assess, plan, build, and
manage your virtual environment. To access information about education classes, certification
programs, and consulting services, go to https://www.vmware.com/services.html.
VMware, Inc. 7
Introduction to VMware vCenter
Converter Standalone 1
®
VMware vCenter Converter Standalone provides an easy-to-use solution that automates the
process of creating VMware virtual machines from physical machines (running Windows and
Linux) and from other virtual machine formats.
Converter Standalone eases the exchange of virtual machines among the following products:
n VMware hosted products can be both conversion sources and conversion destinations.
n VMware Workstation™
®
n VMware Fusion Pro
n Virtual machines running on an ESXi instance that vCenter Server manages can be conversion
sources and the corresponding ESXi and vCenter Server instances can be conversion
destinations.
n Virtual machines running on unmanaged ESXi hosts can be conversion sources and the
corresponding ESXi hosts can be conversion destinations.
VMware, Inc. 8
Using VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 6.3
You can convert virtual machines that vCenter Server manages for use in other VMware products.
You can use Converter Standalone to perform various types of conversion tasks.
n Import running remote physical and virtual machines as virtual machines to standalone ESXi
hosts or to ESXi hosts that vCenter Server manages.
n Import virtual machines hosted by VMware Workstation or Microsoft Hyper-V Server to ESXi
hosts that vCenter Server manages.
n Export virtual machines managed by vCenter Server hosts to other VMware virtual machine
formats.
n Configure virtual machines managed by vCenter Server so that they are bootable, and install
VMware Tools or customize their guest operating systems.
n Customize guest operating systems of virtual machines in the vCenter Server inventory (for
example, change the host name or network settings).
n Reduce the time that is necessary to set up new virtual machine environments.
n Migrate legacy servers to new hardware without reinstalling operating systems or application
software.
Enables and performs the import and export of virtual machines. The Converter Standalone
server comprises two services, Converter Standalone server and Converter Standalone
worker. The Converter Standalone worker service is always installed with the Converter
Standalone server service.
The Converter Standalone server works with the Converter Standalone client. The client
component consists of the Converter Standalone user interface, which provides access to the
Conversion and the Configuration wizards, and lets you to manage the conversion and the
configuration tasks.
VMware, Inc. 9
Using VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 6.3
Cloning is the process of copying the source disks or volumes for the destination virtual machine.
Cloning involves copying the data on the source machine’s hard disk and transferring that data to
a destination virtual disk. The destination virtual disk might have a different size, file layout, and
other characteristics, and therefore might not be an exact copy of the source disk.
System reconfiguration adjusts the migrated operating system so that it to functions on the new
virtual hardware.
If you plan to run an imported virtual machine on the same network as the source machine, you
must modify the network name and IP address on one of the machines so that the source and
destination machines can coexist. Besides, you must make sure that the Windows source machine
and the destination virtual machine have different computer names.
Note Before converting a Windows machine, verify that you have the necessary Windows
license.
Hot cloning, also called live cloning, or online cloning, consists in converting the source machine
while it is running its operating system. Hot cloning lets you clone machines without shutting them
down.
During conversion, processes continue to run on the source machine, so the resulting virtual
machine is not an exact copy of the source machine.
When converting Windows sources, you can set Converter Standalone to synchronize the
destination virtual machine with the source machine after hot cloning. Synchronization is
performed by transferring from the source to the destination the blocks that were changed during
the initial cloning period. To avoid loss of data on the destination virtual machine, Converter
Standalone can shut down certain Windows services before the synchronization. Based on your
settings, Converter Standalone shuts down the selected Windows services so that no critical
changes occur on the source machine while destination is being synchronized.
VMware, Inc. 10
Using VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 6.3
Converter Standalone can shut down the source machine and power on the destination machine
when the conversion process is complete. When combined with synchronization, this action allows
seamless migration of a source machine to a virtual machine destination. The destination machine
takes over the source machine operations with the least possible downtime.
Note When you hot clone dual-boot systems, you can clone only the default operating system
to which the boot.ini file or the BCD points. To clone the nondefault operating system, change
the boot.ini file or the BCD to point to the other operating system and reboot. After the other
operating system is booted, you can hot clone it. If your second operating system is Linux, you can
boot it and clone it using the standard procedure for cloning Linux powered on source machines.
The following workflow is an example of remote hot cloning in which the powered on machine that
is being cloned experiences no downtime.
Note With Converter Standalone 6.3, you can convert source Windows machines that have
no direct access to the destination ESXi server by using the proxy mode feature. The feature is
available only for conversion of powered on Windows sources to managed destinations.
Converter Standalone installs the agent on the source machine and the agent takes a snapshot
of the source volumes.
Network
Source
Powered on Destination
machine ESX/ESXi
Agent
Source Snapshot
volumes
VMware, Inc. 11
Using VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 6.3
Converter Standalone creates a virtual machine on the destination machine and the agent
copies volumes from the source machine to the destination machine.
Network
Source
Powered on Destination
machine ESX/ESXi
agent Copied
Volumes
Source
Snapshot
volumes
If the proxy mode feature is off, the data traffic passes from the source machine directly to the
destination server.
If the proxy mode feature is on, the data traffic passes from the source machine through the
Converter Standalone server to the destination server.
The agent installs the drivers required for the operating system to start in a virtual machine and
personalizes the virtual machine (changes the IP information, for example).
Network
Source
Powered on reconfiguration Destination
machine ESX/ESXi
customization (optional)
agent
Source
Snapshot
volumes
4 Optionally, Converter Standalone uninstalls the agent from the source machine.
VMware, Inc. 12
Using VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 6.3
In Windows conversions, the Converter Standalone agent is installed on the source machine and
the source information is pushed to the destination.
In Linux conversions, no agent is deployed on the source machine. Instead, a helper virtual
machine is created and deployed on the destination ESXi host. The source data is then copied
from the source Linux machine to the helper virtual machine. After the conversion is complete, the
helper virtual machine shuts down to become the destination virtual machine the next time you
power it on.
The following workflow demonstrates the principles of hot cloning powered on source machines
that run Linux to managed destinations.
1 Converter Standalone uses SSH to connect to the source machine and retrieves source
information. Converter Standalone creates an empty helper virtual machine based on your
conversion task settings. The helper virtual machine serves as a container for the new virtual
machine during conversion. Converter Standalone deploys the helper virtual machine on the
managed destination, an ESXi host. The helper virtual machine boots from a *.iso file that is
located on the Converter Standalone server machine.
vCenter Converter
Standalone server Converter Standalone
server deploys helper
virtual machine
Network
Source Destination
Powered on ESX/ESXi
Linux machine
Helper
VM
Source
volumes
VMware, Inc. 13
Using VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 6.3
2 The helper virtual machine powers on, boots from the Linux image, connects to the source
machine through SSH, and starts retrieving the selected data from the source. While you set
up the conversion task, you can select which source volumes to be copied to the destination
machine.
vCenter Converter
Standalone server
Network
Source Destination
Powered on ESX/ESXi
Linux machine
Helper
VM
data copied to the
Source
helper virtual machine
volumes
3 Optionally, after data is copied, the destination virtual machine is reconfigured to allow the
operating system to start in a virtual machine.
4 Converter Standalone shuts down the helper virtual machine. The conversion process is
complete.
You can configure Converter Standalone to power on the newly created virtual machine after
the conversion is complete.
VMware, Inc. 14
Using VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 6.3
Volume based Copy volumes from the source Volume-based cloning is relatively
machine to the destination machine. slow. File-level cloning is slower than
block-level cloning. Dynamic disks are
converted into basic volumes on the
target virtual machine.
Disk based Create copies of the powered off You cannot select which data to
source machines, for all types of basic copy. Disk-based cloning is faster
and dynamic disks. than volume-based cloning.
Linked clone Use to quickly check compatibility of Linked cloning is the fastest (but
VMware images. incomplete) cloning mode that
Converter Standalone supports.
Volume-Based Cloning
During volume-based cloning, volumes from the source machine are copied to the destination
machine. Converter Standalone supports volume-based cloning during hot cloning, and during
the import of existing virtual machines.
During volume-based cloning, all volumes in the destination virtual machine, except LVM2 logical
volumes, are converted to basic volumes, regardless of their type in the corresponding source
volume. LVM2 logical volumes can be preserved as logical volumes during conversion.
Volume-based cloning is performed at the file level or block level, depending on the destination
volume size that you select.
Performed when you select a size smaller than the original volume for NTFS volumes or you
choose to resize a FAT volume.
For FAT, FAT32, NTFS, ext2, ext3, ext4, XFS, and ReiserFS file systems, Converter Standalone
preserves the file system type during a volume-based cloning at the file level.
Dynamic source disks are read but not preserved during volume-based conversions. Dynamic
disks are converted into basic volumes on the target virtual machine. Volume-based cloning of
dynamic source disks at the file level is supported only for Windows.
Performed when you choose to preserve the size of the source volume or when you specify
a larger volume size for NTFS source volumes. Volume-based cloning at the block level is
supported only for Windows.
Disk-Based Cloning
Converter Standalone supports disk-based cloning to import existing virtual machines.
VMware, Inc. 15
Using VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 6.3
Disk-based cloning transfers all sectors from all disks and preserves all volume metadata. The
destination virtual machine receives partitions of the same type, size, and structure, as the
partitions of the source virtual machine. All volumes on the source machine's partitions are copied
as they are.
A full clone is an independent copy of a virtual machine that shares nothing with the parent virtual
machine after the cloning operation. Ongoing operation of a full clone is separate from the parent
virtual machine.
Because a full clone does not share virtual disks with the parent virtual machine, full clones
generally perform better than linked clones. Full clones take longer to create than linked clones.
Creating a full clone can take several hours or even days if the files involved are large.
You can create a full clone by using any disk clone type other than the linked clone type.
A linked clone is a copy of a virtual machine that shares virtual disks with the parent virtual
machine in an ongoing manner. A linked clone is a fast way to convert and run a new virtual
machine. You can create a linked clone from the current state, or snapshot, of a powered off
virtual machine. This practice conserves disk space and lets multiple virtual machines use the same
software installation.
All files available on the source machine at the moment of the snapshot continue to remain
available to the linked clone. Ongoing changes to the virtual disk of the parent do not affect the
linked clone, and changes to the disk of the linked clone do not affect the source machine.
A linked clone must have access to the source. Without access to the source, you cannot use a
linked clone.
For more information about how to create a linked clone, see Create a Linked Clone .
You can convert VMware virtual machines from and to VMware Workstation, VMware
Workstation Player, VMware Fusion, ESXi Embedded, and ESXi Installable. You can also
convert virtual machines that Hyper-V Server manages into VMware virtual machines.
VMware, Inc. 16
Using VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 6.3
To run an imported VMware virtual machine and its source virtual machine on the same
network, you must modify the network name and IP address on one of the virtual machines.
If the VMware virtual machines have disks that have been populated by using a backup of a
physical host, Converter Standalone prepares the image to run on VMware virtual hardware. If
you have used third-party virtualization software to create a virtual machine on an ESXi host,
you can use Converter Standalone to reconfigure it. You can also reconfigure any operating
system installed on a multiboot machine if you have imported the virtual machine to an ESXi
host. Before you reconfigure a multiboot machine, you must change the boot.ini file or the
BCD.
n Operating system configuration (computer name, security ID, user accounts, profiles,
preferences, and so on)
Because the target and the source virtual machines have the same identities (name, SID, and so
on), running them on the same network might result in conflicts. To redeploy the source virtual
machine, make sure that you do not run the source and target virtual machines on the same
network at the same time.
For example, if you use Converter Standalone to test whether you can run a Hyper-V Server
virtual machine as a VMware virtual machine without first decommissioning the original Hyper-V
Server machine, you must first resolve the duplicate ID problem. You can resolve this problem by
customizing the virtual machines in the Conversion or the Configuration wizard.
Several hardware changes might occur after you migrate a virtual machine.
VMware, Inc. 17
Using VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 6.3
Hardware Behavior
CPU model and serial numbers Might change after migration. They correspond to the physical computer
hosting the VMware virtual machine.
Ethernet adapters Might change for AMD PCNet or VMXnet and get different MAC addresses. The
IP address of each interface must be individually reconfigured.
Disks and partitions The number of disks and partitions might change during the cloning process.
Each disk device might have a different model and different manufacturer
strings.
Applications that depend on devices that are not available within a virtual machine might not work
after you migrate the virtual machine.
VMware, Inc. 18
System Requirements
2
You must consider the compatibilities and the interoperabilities among the systems on which and
with which the Converter Standalone components work.
VMware, Inc. 19
Using VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 6.3
Converter Standalone preserves the firmware interface during the conversion. You cannot convert
BIOS sources to UEFI destinations and the reverse.
For UEFI sources, the supported destination types are Workstation 10.0 and later, ESXi 5.5 and
later, and vCenter Server 5.5 and later.
VMware, Inc. 20
Using VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 6.3
Table 2-2. Supported Sources Based on Operating System and Firmware Interface
Windows 11 No Yes
VMware vCenter virtual For information about the interoperability between powered off VMware vCenter
machines virtual machines and vCenter Converter Standalone, see VMware Product
Interoperability Matrices.
Note Converter Standalone 6.3.x does not support Virtual Hardware versions above
11. For selected hardware versions above 11, features are limited to the features in
version 11.
VMware, Inc. 21
Using VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 6.3
VMware virtual machines For information about the interoperability between vCenter Converter Standalone and
powered off hosted VMware Workstation and VMware Fusion virtual machines, see
VMware Product Interoperability Matrices.
Hyper-V Server virtual For Hyper-V Server versions distributed with Windows Server 2012, Windows Server
machines 2012 R2, Windows 10, Windows Server 2016, Windows Server 2019, Windows 11, and
Windows Server 2022, powered off virtual machines with the following guest operating
systems:
n Windows Server 2012 (64-bit)
n Windows Server 2012 R2 (64-bit)
n Windows 10 (64-bit) (except Home editions)
n Windows Server 2016 (64-bit)
n Windows Server 2019 (64-bit)
n Windows 11 (64-bit)
n Windows Server 2022 (64-bit)
For other Hyper-V Server sources, perform the procedure for powered on source
machines.
Managed Destinations
You can create a virtual machine to use with an unmanaged ESXi host or with an ESXi host that
vCenter Server manages. For information on the compatibility between Converter Standalone
and current or earlier versions of ESXi and vCenter Server, see VMware Product Interoperability
Matrices.
Hosted Destinations
You can create a virtual machine for use with VMware Workstation or VMware Fusion. For
information on the interoperability between Converter Standalone and VMware Workstation and
VMware Fusion, see VMware Product Interoperability Matrices.
Note Converter Standalone 6.3.x does not support Virtual Hardware versions above 11. For
selected hardware versions above 11, features are limited to the features in version 11.
VMware, Inc. 22
Using VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 6.3
Note Converter Standalone preserves the partitioning scheme during the conversion. You cannot
convert an MBR source disk to a GPT destination disk and the reverse.
Converter Standalone supports all types of basic and dynamic disks for disk-based conversions
except for GPT/MBR hybrid disks.
Converter Standalone supports source and destination disk drives with 512B (512e and 512n) disk
sector size only. 4K native (4Kn) disk drives are not supported.
VMware, Inc. 23
Using VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 6.3
Thin
Not pre-allocated
Split pre-allocated
For disks smaller than 2 TB, splits the source disk into 2
GB sections on the destination.
For disks larger than 2 TB, splits the source disk into 2
TB sections on the destination.
VMware, Inc. 24
Using VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 6.3
To support destination virtual disks on FAT file systems, split the source data into 2 GB files.
Note Converter Standalone supports destination disk drives with 512B (512e and 512n) disk sector
size only. 4K native (4Kn) disk drives are not supported.
Procedure
Results
This change affects all future conversions until the value is restored to false and the service is
restarted.
Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6 or IPng) is the successor to Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4),
which is the currently used protocol for assigning IP addresses to computers on the Internet. IPv6
was adopted to overcome the expected exhaustion of IPv4 addresses.
IPv4 uses 32-bit addresses and IPv6 uses 128-bit addresses. IPv6 addresses can have different
formats or notations.
n 1040:0:0:0:0:0:0:1
n 1040::1
n 21DA:00D3:0010:2F3B:02AA:00FF:FE28:9C5A
n [2001:0db8:85a3:08d3:1319:8a2e:0370:7344]:443
Converter Standalone supports all IPv6 notations for all components of the system.
VMware, Inc. 25
Using VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 6.3
While providing higher security level and much larger address space, IPv6 brings about some
compatibility tasks that have not been resolved yet. For example, IPv4-only nodes cannot
communicate directly with IPv6 nodes and need additional routing, which makes the end-to-end
support of mixed IPv4 and IPv6 environments precarious.
To start using Converter Standalone, you must set various minimum privileges at the data center
level.
n Datastore.Allocate space
n Datastore.Browse datastore
n Network.Assign network (required only if you plan to connect the destination virtual machine
to a network)
n Virtual machine.Configuration
n Virtual machine.Inventory
Converting Linux and powered on Windows machines might require additional vCenter Server
privileges.
VMware, Inc. 26
Using VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 6.3
For more information about setting permissions, see vSphere Permissions and User Management
Tasks.
Note If you are using non-default ports to connect to a remote source machine, an ESXi host,
vCenter Server, or Converter Standalone server, you can enter a value for the port after the IP
address or the FQDN of the respective machine.
Converter Standalone server to TCP - 445, 139, If the source computer uses NetBIOS, port 445 is not
powered on source machine 9089 required. If NetBIOS is not being used, ports 137, 138, and 139
UDP - 137, 138 are not required. When in doubt, make sure that none of the
ports are blocked.
Converter Standalone server to TCP - 443 Required only if the conversion destination is vCenter Server.
vCenter Server
Converter Standalone client to TCP - 443 Required only if the Converter Standalone server and client
vCenter Server components are on different machines.
VMware, Inc. 27
Using VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 6.3
Converter Standalone server to TCP - 902 Converter server always requires access to ESXi at port 902.
the destination ESXi
Powered on source machine to TCP - 443, 902 If the conversion destination is vCenter Server, only port 902
ESXi is required.
If the proxy mode feature is on, port 902 is not required.
Converter Standalone server to 22 Used to establish an SSH connection between the Converter
powered on source machine Standalone server and the source machine.
Converter Standalone client to 443 Required only if the Converter Standalone server and client
Converter Standalone server components are on different machines.
Converter Standalone server to 443 Required only if the conversion destination is a vCenter Server.
vCenter Server
Converter Standalone server to ESXi 443, 902 If the conversion destination is a vCenter Server, only port 902
is required.
Helper virtual machine to powered on 22 Used to establish an SSH connection between the helper virtual
source machine machine and the source machine. By default, the IP address
of the helper virtual machine is assigned by DHCP. If no
DHCP server is available on the destination network, you must
manually assign the helper virtual machine an IP address.
VMware, Inc. 28
Using VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 6.3
Converter Standalone server to TCP - 445, 139 Required only for standalone virtual machine sources
Fileshare path UPD - 137, 138 or destinations. If the computer hosting the source or
destination path uses NetBIOS, port 445 is not required.
If NetBIOS is not being used, ports 137, 138, and 139 are not
required. When in doubt, make sure that none of the ports
are blocked.
Converter Standalone client to TCP - 443 Required only if the Converter Standalone server and client
Converter Standalone server components are on different machines.
Converter Standalone server to TCP - 443 Required only if the conversion destination is a vCenter
vCenter Server Server.
Converter Standalone server to ESXi TCP - 443, 902 If the conversion destination is a vCenter Server, only port
902 is required.
To ensure successful remote hot cloning of Windows platforms, verify the following conditions on
the source machine before you start the application:
n Ensure that Windows Firewall is not blocking file and printer sharing.
n If you are running Windows 8 or later on the source machine, turn off Remote UAC. For more
details, see Prerequisites for Converting a Powered On Windows Machine.
You must allow incoming file share connections in the following situations:
For Windows Vista and later, you must either use an administrator account for Converter
Standalone when logging to the source machine, or deactivate UAC on the source machine.
To activate customization of the guest operating system, install Microsoft Sysprep files on the
machine where Converter Standalone server is running.
VMware, Inc. 29
Using VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 6.3
Ensure that Windows Firewall Does Not Block File and Printer
Sharing
If Converter Standalone fails to connect to a remote Windows machine and issues a bad
username/password error message, ensure that file and printer sharing is not blocked by
Windows Firewall.
Procedure
1 Select Start > Settings > Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Local Security Policy.
2 In the Security Settings list on the left, select Local Policies > Security Options.
3 In the policies list on the right, select Network access: Sharing and Security model for local
accounts.
What to do next
For troubleshooting information about file and printer sharing, search the Microsoft TechNet Web
site.
For information about setting file and printer sharing on other Windows systems, see the
documentation for your system.
VMware, Inc. 30
Conversion Limitations
3
When you are aware of the conversion limitations of Converter Standalone, you might be able to
avoid conversion and post-conversion problems, and handle them more easily.
Windows n When you convert UEFI sources, Converter Standalone does not copy any UEFI
variables to the destination.
n Synchronization is supported only for volume-based cloning at the block level.
n Conversion of Windows Server 2019 or Windows Server 2022 machines, where a
ReFS volume is selected for shrinking, is not supported.
n Changing the cluster size during a conversion operation is not supported.
VMware, Inc. 31
Using VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 6.3
You must power off source virtual machines before you convert them. You can convert running
virtual machines if you follow the procedure for converting powered on machines.
For volume-based conversions of virtual machine sources that run Windows 8 or Windows Server
2012, Converter Standalone does not preserve storage pools on the destination.
For volume-based conversions of UEFI sources, Converter Standalone does not preserve the UEFI
settings. The UEFI settings are preserved during disk-based conversions.
When you convert a virtual machine with snapshots, the snapshots are not transferred to the
destination virtual machine.
For volume-based conversions of powered-off virtual machine sources at file level, the Converter
Standalone server host operating system must support the file system of the source volume. For
example, when the Converter Standalone is running on Windows Server 2008, you cannot convert
source volumes with ReFS.
Certain limitations are applicable when you convert Linux virtual machine sources.
Read the limitations listed in Table 3-2. VSS Snapshotting Limitations before you initiate a
conversion task.
If your conversion task fails with an VSS-related error message, you can check the table for
possible reasons and workarounds.
VMware, Inc. 32
Using VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 6.3
VMware, Inc. 33
Installing and Uninstalling
Converter Standalone 4
You can install Converter Standalone on a physical or a virtual machine. You can also modify or
repair a Converter Standalone installation.
The Local setup installs the Converter Standalone server, Converter Standalone agent, and
Converter Standalone client for local use.
Note Local installation of Converter Standalone complies with the following security restrictions:
n After the initial setup, the use of an administrator account requires physical access to the
product.
n You can manage Converter Standalone only from the machine where it is installed.
During the client-server installation, you can select the Converter Standalone components that you
want to install on your system. You can also choose to join the Customer Experience Improvement
Program. See Chapter 5 Configuring the Customer Experience Improvement Program
When you install the Converter Standalone server and Remote access, the local machine becomes
a server for conversions, which you can manage remotely. When you install the Converter
Standalone server and the Converter Standalone client, you can use the local machine to access
remote Converter Standalone servers or create conversion jobs locally.
If you install only Converter Standalone client, you can connect to a remote Converter Standalone
server. You can then use the remote machine to convert hosted virtual machines, managed virtual
machines, or remote physical machines.
VMware, Inc. 34
Using VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 6.3
n Enable TLS 1.0 and TLS 1.1 Protocols in vCenter Converter Standalone
If you install Converter Standalone in local mode, you can create and manage conversion tasks
only from the machine on which you installed the application. During the installation you can
choose to join the Customer Experience Improvement Program. See Chapter 5 Configuring the
Customer Experience Improvement Program.
Prerequisites
Verify that your system meets the Converter Standalone system requirements.
If you have an earlier version of Converter Standalone agent on the system, uninstall Converter
Standalone agent.
Procedure
1 Download the latest version of Converter Standalone from the VMware Web site.
2 In the folder that contains the installer file you downloaded, double-click the VMware-
converter-6.3.x-<xxxxx>.exe file, where <xxxxx> is the number of the build.
3 Follow the prompts till the End-User License Agreement page appears.
4 Select I agree to the terms in the License agreement and click Next.
5 On the Destination Folder page, select the location to install Converter Standalone and click
Next.
6 On the Setup Type page, select Local installation and click Next.
7 (Optional) On the User Experience Setting page, you can select the check box to join the
Customer Experience Improvement Program, and click Next.
Note If you do not want to join the Customer Experience Improvement Program, deselect the
check box instead.
9 (Optional) On the Installation Completed page, deselect Run VMware vCenter Converter
Standalone Client now if you want to start the application later.
VMware, Inc. 35
Using VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 6.3
Results
Converter Standalone is installed on the local machine and is ready for use.
What to do next
You can use Converter Standalone to convert physical or virtual machine sources to virtual
machine destinations.
During the client-server installation, you can select the Converter Standalone components that you
want to install on your system. You can also choose to join the Customer Experience Improvement
Program. See Chapter 5 Configuring the Customer Experience Improvement Program
Prerequisites
Verify that your system meets the Converter Standalone system requirements.
If you have an earlier version of Converter Standalone agent on the system, uninstall Converter
Standalone agent.
Procedure
1 Download the latest version of Converter Standalone from the VMware Web site.
2 In the folder that contains the installer file you downloaded, double-click the VMware-
converter-6.3.x-<xxxxx>.exe file, where <xxxxx> is the number of the build.
3 Follow the prompts till the End-User License Agreement page appears.
4 Select I agree to the terms in the License agreement and click Next.
5 On the Destination Folder page, select the location to install Converter Standalone and click
Next.
6 On the Setup Type page, select Client-Server installation (advanced) and click Next.
VMware, Inc. 36
Using VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 6.3
7 On the Custom Setup page, select the components that you want to install and click Next.
Option Description
Converter server Converter Standalone server manages the conversion tasks. It handles the
communication between the Converter Standalone clients and Converter
Standalone agents. You cannot install Converter server alone. You must
install Converter Standalone server together with Remote access or with the
Converter Standalone client, or with both.
Remote access If you install Remote access, local and multiple remote Converter Standalone
clients can connect to the local Converter Standalone server. With Remote
access you can create and manage conversion tasks remotely. For remote
access, you must perform a client-server installation.
Converter agent Install Converter Standalone agent so that the local machine can be a source
machine for conversions.
Converter client If you install only Converter Standalone client, you can connect to a remote
Converter Standalone server. You can then use the remote machine to
convert hosted virtual machines, managed virtual machines, or remote
physical machines.
When you install the Converter Standalone server and Remote access, the local machine
becomes a server for conversions, which you can manage remotely. When you install the
Converter Standalone server and the Converter Standalone client, you can use the local
machine to access remote Converter Standalone servers or create conversion jobs locally.
8 (Optional) If you decided to install Remote access or Converter Standalone agent, modify the
Web service ports on the Port Settings page.
9 (Optional) On the User Experience Setting page, you can select the check box to join the
Customer Experience Improvement Program, and click Next
Note If you do not want to join the Customer Experience Improvement Program, deselect the
check box instead.
11 (Optional) If you installed the Converter Standalone client, deselect Run Converter Standalone
Client now to complete the installation without starting the application at this time.
Results
The selected Converter Standalone components are installed on the local machine and are ready
for use.
VMware, Inc. 37
Using VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 6.3
What to do next
You can use Converter Standalone to convert physical or virtual machine sources to virtual
machine destinations.
Prerequisites
Verify that your system meets the Converter Standalone system requirements.
If you have an earlier version of Converter Standalone agent on the system, uninstall Converter
Standalone agent.
Procedure
1 Download the latest version of Converter Standalone from the VMware Web site.
3 At the command line, navigate to the local directory to which you downloaded the installer.
4 To install Converter Standalone silently with the log file written to the temp directory, enter:
What to do next
You can use Converter Standalone to convert physical or virtual machine sources to virtual
machine destinations.
Option Action
VMware, Inc. 38
Using VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 6.3
Option Action
VMCE_HTTP_PORT Sets the HTTP port. The default is 80. Remote machines
connect to the server through this port to download the
Converter Standalone client.
VMCE_HTTPS_PORT Set the HTTPS port. The default is 443. Remote Converter
Standalone clients connect to this port on the server and
submit conversion tasks.
Prerequisites
Close the Converter Standalone application before you start the installer wizard.
Procedure
1 To start the Converter Standalone installer, perform one of the following actions:
n Go to the folder that contains the installer file and double-click the VMware-
converter-6.3.x-<xxxxx>.exe file, where <xxxxx> is the number of the build. Check
the number of the build to see if it matches the build you installed.
n Select Add or Remove Programs from Control Panel, select Converter Standalone from
the list, and click Change.
VMware, Inc. 39
Using VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 6.3
4 On the Custom Setup page, select the components that you want to install and click Next.
Option Description
Converter server Converter Standalone server manages the conversion tasks. It handles the
communication between the Converter Standalone clients and Converter
Standalone agents. You cannot install Converter server alone. You must
install Converter Standalone server together with Remote access or with the
Converter Standalone client, or with both.
Remote access If you install Remote access, local and multiple remote Converter Standalone
clients can connect to the local Converter Standalone server. With Remote
access you can create and manage conversion tasks remotely. For remote
access, you must perform a client-server installation.
Converter agent Install Converter Standalone agent so that the local machine can be a source
machine for conversions.
Converter client If you install only Converter Standalone client, you can connect to a remote
Converter Standalone server. You can then use the remote machine to
convert hosted virtual machines, managed virtual machines, or remote
physical machines.
When you install the Converter Standalone server and Remote access, the local machine
becomes a server for conversions, which you can manage remotely. When you install the
Converter Standalone server and the Converter Standalone client, you can use the local
machine to access remote Converter Standalone servers or create conversion jobs locally.
5 (Optional) If you decided to install Remote access or Converter Standalone agent, modify the
Web service ports on the Port Settings page.
7 (Optional) If you installed the Converter Standalone client, deselect Run Converter Standalone
Client now to complete the installation without starting the application at this time.
Results
The selected Converter Standalone components are installed on the local machine and are ready
for use.
What to do next
You can use Converter Standalone to convert physical or virtual machine sources to virtual
machine destinations.
VMware, Inc. 40
Using VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 6.3
Prerequisites
Close the Converter Standalone application before you start the installer wizard.
Procedure
1 To start the Converter Standalone installer, perform one of the following actions:
n Go to the folder that contains the installer file and double-click the VMware-
converter-6.3.x-<xxxxx>.exe file, where <xxxxx> is the number of the build. Check
the number of the build to see if it matches the build you installed.
n Select Add or Remove Programs from Control Panel, select Converter Standalone from
the list, and click Change.
What to do next
You can use Converter Standalone to convert physical or virtual machine sources to virtual
machine destinations.
Prerequisites
Close the Converter Standalone application before you start the installer wizard.
VMware, Inc. 41
Using VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 6.3
Procedure
1 To start the Converter Standalone installer, perform one of the following actions:
n Go to the folder that contains the installer file and double-click the VMware-
converter-6.3.x-<xxxxx>.exe file, where <xxxxx> is the number of the build. Check
the number of the build to see if it matches the build you installed.
n Select Add or Remove Programs from Control Panel, select Converter Standalone from
the list, and click Change.
Prerequisites
Ensure that the Converter Standalone server and agent are installed on the remote machine.
Procedure
Option Action
Client-server installation with remote a On the Converter Standalone login page, select Enter the IP address or
access host name of the Converter Standalone server.
b Provide the IP address and Administrator credentials, and click Login.
What to do next
You can now use the remote Converter Standalone server to set up and manage conversion tasks.
VMware, Inc. 42
Using VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 6.3
Procedure
3 Change the value of the <sslOptions> tag for each of the files.
a Locate the <sslOptions> tag in the file and to enable the TLS 1.1 protocol, change value of
the tag from 123422720 to 391858176.
Note If you change the value to 56313856, you enable the TLS 1.0, TLS 1.1, and TLS 1.2
security protocols.
4 Restart the Converter Standalone services for the changes to take effect.
Note If you install Converter Agent on a remote machine, you must repeat this procedure by
using the converter-agent.xml file on the remote machine.
VMware, Inc. 43
Configuring the Customer
Experience Improvement Program 5
When you choose to participate in the Customer Experience Improvement Program (CEIP),
VMware receives anonymous information to improve the quality, reliability, and functionality of
VMware products and services.
Details regarding the data collected through CEIP and the purposes for which it is used by
VMware are set forth at the Trust & Assurance Center at https://www.vmware.com/trustvmware/
ceip.html.
To join or leave the CEIP for this product, please see Join or Leave the Customer Experience
Improvement Program.
Note You can join the CEIP during the installation of Converter Standalone.
Procedure
1 From the Administration menu on the toolbar, select Customer Experience Improvement
Program.
2 Select the check box to activate CEIP or deselect the check box to deactivate the program.
3 Click OK.
VMware, Inc. 44
Convert a Physical or Virtual
Machine 6
You can create a conversion job to convert a physical or virtual machine to a variety of
destinations. You can convert powered on physical machines, VMware virtual machines, and
Hyper-V Server virtual machines into VMware standalone virtual machines or virtual machines that
vCenter Server manages.
The approach you take for creating the conversion job is determined by the type of source and the
type of destination that you select.
Source type
A powered on physical or virtual machine, a vSphere virtual machine running on an ESXi host,
or a standalone virtual machine.
Standalone virtual machines include VMware virtual machines, such as VMware Workstation
machines.
For a complete list of supported source types and product versions, see Supported Source
Types.
Destination type
ESXi host, ESXi host that vCenter Server manages, or a VMware standalone virtual machine.
For a complete list of supported destination types and product versions, see Supported
Destination Types.
Procedure
VMware, Inc. 45
Using VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 6.3
Procedure
Results
What to do next
Prerequisites
Before you select a source machine to convert, verify that it is listed in the list of supported source
types. See Supported Source Types.
VMware, Inc. 46
Using VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 6.3
n Make sure that the Windows version installed on the powered on machine is supported. For a
list of supported operating systems, see Supported Operating Systems.
n Make sure that the Converter Standalone server machine has network access to the Windows
source machine.
n Turn off User Account Control (UAC) or use local administrator account on the source
machine.
n If you are running Windows 8 or later on the source machine, turn off Remote UAC.
n If you are logged in as a member of the local Administrators group, you must deactivate
the User Account Control: Use Admin Approval Mode for the built-in Administrator
account policy in the Security Options folder of the Local Group Policy Editor. You
must reboot for the changes to take effect.
n If you are logged in as the Administrator, you must deactivate the User Account Control:
Turn on Admin Approval Mode policy in the Security Options folder of the Local
Group Policy Editor. You don't need to reboot for the changes to take effect.
n Make sure that no other conversion job is using the source you select.
n Remove any Converter Standalone 4.x and Converter Standalone 5.x installations manually
from the source machine.
VMware, Inc. 47
Using VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 6.3
Prerequisites
Verify that your Windows machine is prepared for conversion. See Prerequisites for Converting a
Powered On Windows Machine.
Procedure
1 On the Source System page of the Conversion wizard, select the Powered on radio button.
2 From the drop-down menu, select a menu item that corresponds to your source machine
location.
Note If you have connected to a remote Converter Standalone server by IP address, the
menu item This local machine is not available and you can convert the local machine only as a
remote machine.
Remote Click Remote Windows machine and provide the IP address or name of the
machine and administrator credentials.
Note You can provide the user name in the domain\user credentials
format. Alternatively, you can enter a user name without a domain name and
Converter Standalone will attempt to log you in to the remote machine by
using the machine\user format.
3 (Optional) Click View source details to see the hardware and software information about the
source machine.
4 Click Next.
If you convert a remote machine and the Converter Standalone agent is not already installed
on the source machine, a dialog box prompts you to confirm the installation and select an
uninstallation method for the Converter Standalone agent.
5 (Optional) Select the uninstallation procedure for Converter Standalone agent and click Yes.
Results
What to do next
On the Destination System page, you can select the destination type for the new virtual machine.
VMware, Inc. 48
Using VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 6.3
You can convert powered on machines that run Linux only if GRUB is installed as the boot loader
on the source. LILO boot loader is not supported.
Prerequisites
Before you continue with the conversion, you must prepare the source Linux machine.
n Make sure that you use the root account or account with sudo privileges for all commands to
convert a powered on Linux machine.
n Make sure that the Converter Standalone server machine has network access to the Linux
source machine.
n Make sure that no other conversion job is using the source you select.
Procedure
1 On the Source System page of the Conversion wizard, select the Powered on radio button.
3 Provide the IP address or DNS name and select authentication method. Provide the IP address
or DNS name and root credentials for the Linux machine you want to convert.
Option Description
Password Enter the root credentials for the Linux machine you want to convert.
Private key file Select the private key file and enter the passphrase.
4 Click Next.
Results
Converter Standalone connects to the powered on Linux machine and prepares it for conversion.
What to do next
On the Destination System page, you can select the destination type for the new virtual machine.
If the Linux policy does not allow running code as a privileged user from the /tmp directory, you
can configure Converter Standalone to place its temporary files in another directory during Linux
conversions.
VMware, Inc. 49
Using VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 6.3
Procedure
4 Change the value of the <sysinfoTmpRoot> tag to a proper directory and save the change.
Results
This change affects all future Linux conversions until the value is restored and the service is
restarted.
You cannot convert a running or suspended virtual machine by using this procedure. For powered
on virtual machines, use the procedures for powered on source machines.
If you connect to a vCenter Server that is part of an environment that contains multiple vCenter
Server instances, Converter Standalone displays only ESXi hosts managed directly by the currently
connected vCenter Server.
Prerequisites
If the source machine that you want to convert resides on a VMware DRS cluster that vCenter
Server manages, set VMware DRS Power Management (DPM) to manual so that DPM does not
power off the ESXi hosts used by Converter Standalone. When the conversion process completes,
restore DPM to its original settings. For information about how to change DPM settings, see
vSphere Resourse Management.
Procedure
1 On the Source System page of the Conversion wizard, select the Powered off radio button
and then select VMware Infrastructure virtual machine from the Select source type drop-
down menu.
2 Provide the IP address or host name and credentials for authentication with the ESXi host or
the vCenter Server, and click Next.
Results
The Source Machine page appears, displaying the host name or IP address and the inventory of
the ESXi host or the vCenter Server.
VMware, Inc. 50
Using VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 6.3
What to do next
On the Source Machine page of the Conversion wizard, you can browse the virtual infrastructure
inventory and select the virtual machine to convert.
Prerequisites
On the Source System page of the Conversion wizard, select VMware Infrastructure virtual
machine as the conversion source and click Next to proceed to the Source Machine page.
Procedure
1 (Optional) If you are connected to a vCenter Server, select a virtual machine view from the
Specify machine with drop-down menu.
Option Description
Hosts and Clusters The Inventory tree pane provides a view of hosts, clusters, resource pools,
and vApps. If you select a host managed by a cluster, you see the full list of
virtual machines and templates in the virtual machine list view. If you select
a standalone host or a cluster, you see only the virtual machines that are not
deployed in the resource pools of that host or cluster.
VMs and Templates The Inventory tree pane provides a view of datacenters and virtual machine
folders.
2 (Optional) If you are connected to a vCenter Server, select an object from the Inventory tree
pane.
Option Description
Hosts and Clusters Select cluster, ESXi host, resource pool, or vApp.
3 From the virtual machines list, select the virtual machine you want to convert.
You can search for virtual machines in the virtual machine list by typing one or more letters of
their names in the Search for name with text box. You can clear your search by clicking Clear.
Note You cannot select a virtual machine from an ESXi host that is powered off, connected to
another vCenter Server, or in maintenace mode.
5 (Optional) To view more details about a machine, select it and click View source details.
VMware, Inc. 51
Using VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 6.3
What to do next
On the Destination System page, you can select the destination type for the new virtual machine.
Prerequisites
Verify that your source machine is a supported VMware Desktop products virtual machine. For
more information, see Supported Source Types.
If you plan to use a network path to locate the source, verify that the machine where Converter
Standalone server runs has access to that network path.
Procedure
1 On the Source System page of the Conversion wizard, select the Powered off radio button
and then select VMware Workstation or other VMware virtual machine from the Select
source type drop-down menu.
n If you are connected to a remote Converter Standalone server, provide a network path to
the source virtual machine file (.vmx) in the Virtual machine file text box. For example,
\\server\virtual_machines\virtual_machine.vmx.
n If you are connected to a local Converter Standalone server, provide a network path or a
local path to the .vmx file.
By default, only VMware virtual machine *.vmx files are displayed.
3 If you are connected to a remote Converter Standalone server, type user credentials for
accessing the source virtual machine.
You do not have to provide user credentials if you are connected to a local Converter
Standalone server. In such cases, Converter Standalone uses the Windows credentials to
connect to the source machine.
4 (Optional) To view more information about the selected source, click View source details.
What to do next
On the Destination System page, you can select the destination type for the new virtual machine.
VMware, Inc. 52
Using VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 6.3
Prerequisites
Procedure
1 On the Source System page, select the Powered off radio button and then select Hyper-V
Server from the Select source type drop-down menu.
2 Provide the IP address or DNS name and administrative credentials to authenticate with the
Hyper-V Server and click Next.
If Converter Standalone agent is not already installed on the Hyper-V Server, a dialog box
appears. In it, you confirm the installation of Converter Standalone agent.
3 (Optional) Select an uninstallation procedure for Converter Standalone agent and click Yes.
Results
What to do next
On the Source Machine page, browse the Hyper-V Server inventory to locate the source virtual
machine to convert.
Prerequisites
On the Source System page, select Hyper-V Server as the source type and navigate to the Source
Machine page.
Procedure
1 On the Source Machine page, select the virtual machine you want to convert.
You can search for virtual machines in the inventory by typing one or more letters of their
names in the Search for name with text box. You can clear your search by clicking Clear.
Note You can select only powered off virtual machines. To convert a running machine, on the
Source System page select Powered on machine as the source type. To convert a suspended
machine, power it off and convert it as a Hyper-V Server virtual machine, or power it on and
convert it as a powered on source.
3 (Optional) To view more details about the virtual machine to convert, click View source details.
VMware, Inc. 53
Using VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 6.3
Results
The Converter Standalone agent prepares the Hyper-V source machine for conversion.
What to do next
On the Destination System page, you can select the destination type for the new virtual machine.
When you use a VMware DRS cluster as the destination, you must set VMware DRS Power
Management (DPM) to manual. This setting ensures that DPM does not power off the ESXi hosts
that Converter Standalone uses. When the conversion process completes, restore DPM to its
original settings. For information about how to change DPM settings, see vSphere Resource
Management.
Note For conversions of powered on source machines that run Linux, the only supported
destination is a vSphere destination.
Procedure
1 On the Destination System page, select VMware Infrastructure virtual machine from the
Select destination type drop-down menu.
2 Provide the IP address or host name and credentials for authentication with the ESXi host or
vCenter Server.
3 (Optional) If you want the data traffic to pass through the Converter Standalone server
machine, select the Use proxy mode check box.
What to do next
On the Destination Virtual Machine page, you can specify the name of the destination virtual
machine and select the folder in which it should reside.
If you connect to an ESXi host directly, you can view only the list of virtual machines. Therefore,
you cannot select a destination folder.
VMware, Inc. 54
Using VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 6.3
Prerequisites
On the Destination System page of the Conversion wizard, select VMware Infrastructure virtual
machine as the destination type.
Procedure
1 On the Destination Virtual Machine page, select the datacenter to accommodate the
destination virtual machine.
If you use folders in your virtual environment to manage groups of virtual machines, you can
select a folder to accommodate the destination virtual machine.
2 In the Name text box, enter a name for the destination virtual machine.
By default, Converter Standalone assigns the source machine name in this text box.
Note Search the list of virtual machines in the datacenter or folder you selected to ensure that
the name you assign to the destination virtual machine does not exist. Virtual machines are
filtered as you type. You can clear your search by clicking Clear.
What to do next
On the Destination Location page, you can modify the destination environment for the new virtual
machine. This includes selecting a host, resource pool, or cluster to accommodate the destination
virtual machine, selecting a datastore to hold the files of the destination virtual machine, and
selecting the virtual hardware version to install on the destination virtual machine.
Prerequisites
On the Destination Virtual Machine page, name the destination virtual machine. If the destination
is a vCenter Server, select the destination folder.
Procedure
1 On the Destination Location page of the Conversion wizard, select a datacenter object from
the inventory to accommodate the destination virtual machine.
n Select a cluster.
On the selected cluster, if DRS is not running in the automated mode, you can select an
ESXi host that belongs to the selected cluster from the Host drop-down menu.
VMware, Inc. 55
Using VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 6.3
2 (Optional) From the Datastore drop-down menu, select the datastore to hold the destination
virtual machine files.
3 (Optional) From the Virtual machine version drop-down menu, select the virtual hardware
version for the destination virtual machine.
Option Description
The Virtual machine version drop-down menu lists only the virtual hardware versions that are
compatible with the destination location.
Note Converter Standalone 6.3 does not support Virtual Hardware versions above 11. For
selected hardware versions above 11, features are limited to the features in version 11.
What to do next
On the Options page, you can set up the parameters of the conversion task. These settings
include data layout, network settings, and guest operating system customization.
Prerequisites
If you plan to use a network path to locate the destination, verify that you have access to that
network path.
Procedure
1 On the Destination System page, select VMware Workstation or other VMware virtual
machine from the Select destination type drop-down menu.
2 Select the destination VMware hosted product from the Select VMware product drop-down
menu.
3 Provide a name for the destination virtual machine in the Name text box.
n If you are connected to a remote Converter Standalone server, provide a network path to
the destination directory. For example, \\server\virtual_machines\.
VMware, Inc. 56
Using VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 6.3
n If you are connected to a local Converter Standalone server, provide a network path or a
local path to the destination directory.
You do not have to provide user credentials if the destination location is on the local storage of
the machine where Converter Standalone server runs.
What to do next
On the Options page, you can set up the parameters of the conversion task. These settings
include data layout, network settings, and guest operating system customization.
VMware, Inc. 57
Using VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 6.3
If you selected a source with multiple disks and volumes, you can set Converter to start concurrent
data transfers. For details, see Set the Number of Data Connections per Task.
Prerequisites
On the Options page of the Conversion wizard, click Data to copy in the options list.
Procedure
u In the Data to copy pane, select a copy mode from the Data copy type drop-down menu.
Option Description
Copy all disks and maintain layout Results in disk-based cloning. You can preserve the source disk layout in
the destination virtual machine. This option is not available for powered on
source machines.
Select volumes to copy Results in volume-based cloning. Volume-based cloning is performed at file
or block level. You can select the volumes to be copied to the destination
virtual machine. You can also resize and reorganize the volume layout. This
option is available for powered on source machines that run Windows and
Linux, and for all other supported sources that run Windows.
Linked clone Results in creating a VMware virtual machine that shares the virtual disk of
the source machine. This option is available only for hosted sources and
hosted destinations.
What to do next
The destination that you select determines the destination disk types that are available to you. To
support destination virtual disks on FAT file systems, divide the source data into 2 GB files. For
detailed information about destination virtual disks types, see Supported Destination Disk Types.
Resize a Volume
To manage disk space on the destination datastore, you can resize the disk volumes before you
begin the conversion.
Prerequisites
On the Options page of the Conversion wizard, click Data to copy in the options list.
Procedure
1 From the Data copy type drop-down menu, select Select volumes to copy.
VMware, Inc. 58
Using VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 6.3
2 In the Destination size column, select an option to specify the size of a destination volume.
Option Description
Min size Copies only the used space of the source volume.
Type size in GB Allows you to type a custom size in GB for the destination volume. The value
cannot be smaller than the used space on the source volume, but can be
larger than the total size of the source volume. The maximum allowed volume
size for the destination is 999999 GB.
Type size in MB Allows you to type a custom size in MB for the destination volume. The value
cannot be smaller than the used space on the source volume, but can be
larger than the total size of the source volume. The maximum allowed volume
size for the destination is 999999 GB.
Option Description
Select another option from the Saves your settings and displays the pane for the selected option.
options list
Click Next Saves your settings and displays the next page of the Conversion wizard.
n The Customizations page is displayed if you select Customize guest
preferences for the virtual machine in the Advanced options pane.
n The Summary page is displayed if you do not select Customize guest
preferences for the virtual machine in the Advanced options pane.
Prerequisites
On the Options page of the Conversion wizard, click Data to copy in the options list.
Procedure
1 From the Data copy type drop-down menu, select Select volumes to copy.
3 Select the volume for which you want to change the cluster size.
VMware, Inc. 59
Using VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 6.3
4 In the Cluster size column, select an option to specify the cluster size of the destination
volume.
Option Description
Default cluster size Applies a default cluster size to the destination volume.
Keep source cluster size Preserves the cluster size of the original source volume.
Select a predefined size Allows you to select a cluster size for the destination volume from a list of
supported values.
In the Copy type column, you can verify that the cloning operation type is set to file level.
Option Description
Select another option from the Saves your settings and displays the pane for the selected option.
options list
Click Next Saves your settings and displays the next page of the Conversion wizard.
n The Customizations page is displayed if you select Customize guest
preferences for the virtual machine in the Advanced options pane.
n The Summary page is displayed if you do not select Customize guest
preferences for the virtual machine in the Advanced options pane.
The source virtual machine must have more than one volume to be able to deselect existing
volumes.
Prerequisites
On the Options page of the Conversion wizard, click Data to copy in the options list.
Procedure
1 From the Data copy type drop-down menu, select Select volumes to copy.
2 Deselect the volumes that you do not want to copy to the destination virtual machine.
VMware, Inc. 60
Using VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 6.3
Option Description
Select another option from the Saves your settings and displays the pane for the selected option.
options list
Click Next Saves your settings and displays the next page of the Conversion wizard.
n The Customizations page is displayed if you select Customize guest
preferences for the virtual machine in the Advanced options pane.
n The Summary page is displayed if you do not select Customize guest
preferences for the virtual machine in the Advanced options pane.
Results
The deselected volumes are ignored during the conversion process and do not appear on the
destination virtual machine.
The number of virtual disks you can create depends on the number of volumes that exist on the
source virtual machine. For example, if you have only one volume on the source virtual machine,
you cannot add a virtual disk to the destination virtual machine.
You cannot move the system volume where the guest operating system is installed. For example,
if your Windows operating system is installed on C:, you cannot move the C: volume.
Prerequisites
On the Options page of the Conversion wizard, click Data to copy in the options list.
Procedure
1 From the Data copy type drop-down menu, select Select volumes to copy.
4 Select a source volume and use the Move up or Move down buttons to accommodate the
volume in the new virtual disk.
The partitioning scheme of the first source volume that you move will determine the type of the
new virtual disk on the destination virtual machine.
If you leave the virtual disk empty, Converter Standalone does not create the virtual disk on
the destination virtual machine.
VMware, Inc. 61
Using VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 6.3
Results
The selected source volume is copied to a new virtual disk on the destination virtual machine.
You can select the destination datastore for a volume only for managed destinations with more
than one datastore.
Prerequisites
On the Options page of the Conversion wizard, click Data to copy in the options list.
Procedure
1 From the Data copy type drop-down menu, select Select volumes to copy.
4 Select a source volume and use the Move up or Move down buttons to accommodate the
volume in the new virtual disk.
The partitioning scheme of the first source volume that you move will determine the type of the
new virtual disk on the destination virtual machine.
If you leave the virtual disk empty, Converter Standalone does not create the virtual disk on
the destination virtual machine.
5 Highlight the new virtual disk and select a different datastore from the Destination datastore
drop-down menu.
Option Description
Select another option from the Saves your settings and displays the pane for the selected option.
options list
Click Next Saves your settings and displays the next page of the Conversion wizard.
n The Customizations page is displayed if you select Customize guest
preferences for the virtual machine in the Advanced options pane.
n The Summary page is displayed if you do not select Customize guest
preferences for the virtual machine in the Advanced options pane.
Results
The virtual disk file (.vmdk) that contains the volume is stored in the selected datastore.
VMware, Inc. 62
Using VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 6.3
The number of virtual disks on the destination virtual machine depends on the number of volumes
that exist on the source virtual machine . For example, if you have only one volume on the source
virtual machine, you cannot add a virtual disk to the destination virtual machine.
Prerequisites
You must have more than one volumes on the source machine to be able to add an additional
virtual disk.
On the Options page of the Conversion wizard, click Data to copy in the options list.
Procedure
1 From the Data copy type drop-down menu, select Select volumes to copy.
Option Description
Select another option from the Saves your settings and displays the pane for the selected option.
options list
Click Next Saves your settings and displays the next page of the Conversion wizard.
n The Customizations page is displayed if you select Customize guest
preferences for the virtual machine in the Advanced options pane.
n The Summary page is displayed if you do not select Customize guest
preferences for the virtual machine in the Advanced options pane.
Results
You can manage logical volumes and logical-volume groups in the same way as basic volumes and
disks.
Logical-volume groups are listed together with virtual disks and are marked with a different icon.
VMware, Inc. 63
Using VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 6.3
Prerequisites
Procedure
1 From the Data copy type drop-down menu, select Select volumes to copy.
Prerequisites
On the Options page of the Conversion wizard, click Data to copy in the options list.
You can change the destination datastore for a disk only for managed destinations with more than
one datastore.
Procedure
1 From the Data copy type drop-down menu, select Copy all disks and maintain layout.
2 Click the name of the virtual disk to relocate and select a different datastore from the
Destination datastore drop-down menu.
Option Description
Select another option from the Saves your settings and displays the pane for the selected option.
options list
Click Next Saves your settings and displays the next page of the Conversion wizard.
n The Customizations page is displayed if you select Customize guest
preferences for the virtual machine in the Advanced options pane.
n The Summary page is displayed if you do not select Customize guest
preferences for the virtual machine in the Advanced options pane.
Results
VMware, Inc. 64
Using VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 6.3
You can create expandable disks on managed destinations that support thin provisioning through
their GUI.
Prerequisites
On the Options page of the Conversion wizard, click Data to copy in the options list.
Procedure
a From the Data copy type drop-down menu, select Copy all disks and maintain layout.
b Click a virtual disk and select Thin from the Type drop-down menu.
c To apply your settings, select another option from the options list or click Next.
a From the Data copy type drop-down menu, select Select volumes to copy and click
Advanced.
b Select the Destination layout tab, click a virtual disk, and select Thin from the Type drop-
down menu.
c To apply your settings, select another option from the options list or click Next.
Results
Converter Standalone copies only the existing data to the destination datastore. The empty disk
space from the virtual disk is not copied to the datastore. As you use the destination virtual
machine and write new data to the disk, the size of the destination disk grows.
Prerequisites
You must select a hosted destination, such as VMware Workstation, to use the Not pre-allocated
disk option.
On the Options page of the Conversion wizard, click Data to copy in the options list.
VMware, Inc. 65
Using VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 6.3
Procedure
a From the Data copy type drop-down menu, select Copy all disks and maintain layout.
c To apply your settings, select another option from the options list or click Next.
a From the Data copy type drop-down menu, select Select volumes to copy and click
Advanced.
b Select the Destination layout tab, select a virtual disk, and select Not pre-allocated from
the Type drop-down menu.
c To apply your settings, select another option from the options list or click Next.
Results
Converter Standalone copies only the existing data to the destination datastore. The empty disk
space from the virtual disk is not copied to the datastore. As you use the destination virtual
machine and write new data to the disk, the size of the destination disk grows.
Prerequisites
The source machine must have more than one hard disk.
On the Options page of the Conversion wizard, click Data to copy in the options list.
Procedure
1 From the Data copy type drop-down menu, select Select volumes to copy.
Option Description
Preserve the volumes associated a Click Advanced and select the Destination layout tab.
with the disk b Move the volumes from the disk that you want to delete to another virtual
disks.
c Highlight the empty disk and click Remove disk.
Delete the volumes associated with a Click Advanced and select the Source volumes tab.
the disk b Deselect the volumes associated with the disk that you want to delete.
VMware, Inc. 66
Using VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 6.3
Option Description
Select another option from the Saves your settings and displays the pane for the selected option.
options list
Click Next Saves your settings and displays the next page of the Conversion wizard.
n The Customizations page is displayed if you select Customize guest
preferences for the virtual machine in the Advanced options pane.
n The Summary page is displayed if you do not select Customize guest
preferences for the virtual machine in the Advanced options pane.
Prerequisites
On the Options page of the Conversion wizard, click Data to copy in the options list.
Procedure
1 From the Data copy type drop-down menu, select Copy all disks and maintain layout.
2 (Optional) If the destination datastore is low on disk space, click a virtual disk and select a
different datastore from the Destination datastore drop-down menu.
Note You must have access to more than one datastore to move a disk to a different
datastore.
Option Description
Select another option from the Saves your settings and displays the pane for the selected option.
options list
Click Next Saves your settings and displays the next page of the Conversion wizard.
n The Customizations page is displayed if you select Customize guest
preferences for the virtual machine in the Advanced options pane.
n The Summary page is displayed if you do not select Customize guest
preferences for the virtual machine in the Advanced options pane.
Results
Converter Standalone copies the disks to the selected datastores and preserves the source disk
layout.
VMware, Inc. 67
Using VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 6.3
Prerequisites
On the Options page of the Conversion wizard, click Data to copy in the options list.
Procedure
1 From the Data copy type drop-down menu, select Select volumes to copy.
Option Description
Select another option from the Saves your settings and displays the pane for the selected option.
options list
Click Next Saves your settings and displays the next page of the Conversion wizard.
n The Customizations page is displayed if you select Customize guest
preferences for the virtual machine in the Advanced options pane.
n The Summary page is displayed if you do not select Customize guest
preferences for the virtual machine in the Advanced options pane.
Results
Creating an optimized partition layout aligns the partitions on a 1MB boundary for Windows
sources and on a 64KB boundary for Linux sources.
You can create linked clones only after you convert a virtual machine and both the source and
destination VMs are in a hosted destination. You cannot create a linked clone if the source image
is password-protected.
Prerequisites
n Verify that your source type is a supported source. See Supported Source Types.
Procedure
1 On the Destination System page, select VMware Workstation or other VMware virtual
machine as a destination and click Next.
VMware, Inc. 68
Using VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 6.3
Option Description
Select another option from the Saves your settings and displays the pane for the selected option.
options list
Click Next Saves your settings and displays the next page of the Conversion wizard.
n The Customizations page is displayed if you select Customize guest
preferences for the virtual machine in the Advanced options pane.
n The Summary page is displayed if you do not select Customize guest
preferences for the virtual machine in the Advanced options pane.
Results
Prerequisites
Make sure the destination host and the guest operating system support the number of processor
cores you assign to the destination virtual machine.
Note You can change the number of cores per socket on virtual hardware version 8 and later.
On the Options page of the Conversion wizard, click Devices in the options list.
Procedure
2 From the Number of virtual sockets drop-down menu on the CPU Settings panel, select the
number of virtual sockets for the destination virtual machine.
3 From the Number of cores per socket drop-down menu on the CPU Settings panel, select the
number of cores per socket for the destination virtual machine.
Option Description
Select another option from the Saves your settings and displays the pane for the selected option.
options list
Click Next Saves your settings and displays the next page of the Conversion wizard.
n The Customizations page is displayed if you select Customize guest
preferences for the virtual machine in the Advanced options pane.
n The Summary page is displayed if you do not select Customize guest
preferences for the virtual machine in the Advanced options pane.
VMware, Inc. 69
Using VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 6.3
Results
The destination virtual machine is configured with the number of virtual processor sockets and
cores that you selected. If Converter Standalone shows a message that the destination hardware
does not support the number of cores you selected, you must select a supported number of
sockets and cores.
By default, Converter Standalone recognizes the amount of memory on the source machine and
allocates it to the destination virtual machine.
Prerequisites
On the Options page of the Conversion wizard, click Devices in the options list.
Procedure
2 In the Memory panel, use the slider or the spin-box to specify the amount of memory for the
destination virtual machine.
Option Description
Select another option from the Saves your settings and displays the pane for the selected option.
options list
Click Next Saves your settings and displays the next page of the Conversion wizard.
n The Customizations page is displayed if you select Customize guest
preferences for the virtual machine in the Advanced options pane.
n The Summary page is displayed if you do not select Customize guest
preferences for the virtual machine in the Advanced options pane.
Results
Converter Standalone validates the amount of memory. A warning appears if you set the memory
amount to more than the maximum supported or to less than the required minimum.
Prerequisites
On the Options page of the Conversion wizard, click Devices in the options list.
Procedure
VMware, Inc. 70
Using VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 6.3
2 From the Disk controller drop-down menu, select a disk controller for the destination virtual
disk or retain the selected recommended type.
Option Description
SCSI Bus Logic Use SCSI virtual disks in the destination virtual machine.
SCSI LSI Logic Use LSI Logic SCSI virtual disks in the destination virtual machine.
SCSI LSI Logic SAS Use LSI Logic SCSI (SAS) virtual disks in the destination virtual machine.
Preserve source Use the same types of disk controllers as those installed on the source
machine. If they are not supported on the destination virtual machine, replace
them with supported ones. This option is not available for powered on Linux
sources.
Note When converting Linux virtual machines on ESX and vCenter Server
earlier than 4.1, the system might not retrieve the full list of supported
controllers.
Option Description
Select another option from the Saves your settings and displays the pane for the selected option.
options list
Click Next Saves your settings and displays the next page of the Conversion wizard.
n The Customizations page is displayed if you select Customize guest
preferences for the virtual machine in the Advanced options pane.
n The Summary page is displayed if you do not select Customize guest
preferences for the virtual machine in the Advanced options pane.
For managed destinations, you can also select the controller type for each network adapter.
Procedure
1 On the Options page of the Conversion wizard, select Networks from the options list.
2 From the Network adapters to connect drop-down menu, select the number of network
adapters to be used by the destination virtual machine.
VMware, Inc. 71
Using VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 6.3
Option Description
For managed destinations a From the Network drop-down menu, select the network that the adapter
connects to.
b From the Controller type drop-down menu, select the controller type.
For hosted destinations From the Connection type drop-down menu, select the connection type.
4 To connect an adapter when you power on the destination virtual machine, select the Connect
at power-on check box.
Option Description
Select another option from the Saves your settings and displays the pane for the selected option.
options list
Click Next Saves your settings and displays the next page of the Conversion wizard.
n The Customizations page is displayed if you select Customize guest
preferences for the virtual machine in the Advanced options pane.
n The Summary page is displayed if you do not select Customize guest
preferences for the virtual machine in the Advanced options pane.
Procedure
2 (Optional) To assign a static IPv4 address to the helper virtual machine, on tab IPv4 select Use
the following IP address and specify the IPv4 address, subnet mask, and default gateway.
Make sure that the IP address you specify for the helper virtual machine is not already in use
on the network.
3 (Optional) If you want the Helper virtual machine to use only IPv4 address, on tab IPv6
deselect the Use IPv6 check box.
VMware, Inc. 72
Using VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 6.3
4 (Optional) To assign a static IPv6 address to the Helper virtual machine, on tab IPv6 select Use
the following IPv6 address and specify the IPv6 address, subnet prefix length, and default
gateway.
Make sure that the IP address you specify for the Helper virtual machine is not already in use
on the network.
5 (Optional) If you want the Helper virtual machine to use only IPv6 address, on tab IPv4
deselect the Use IPv4 check box.
6 (Optional) Select Use the following DNS server address and type the preferred DNS server
address to configure the DNS server address manually.
Option Description
Select another option from the Saves your settings and displays the pane for the selected option.
options list
Click Next Saves your settings and displays the next page of the Conversion wizard.
n The Customizations page is displayed if you select Customize guest
preferences for the virtual machine in the Advanced options pane.
n The Summary page is displayed if you do not select Customize guest
preferences for the virtual machine in the Advanced options pane.
Results
Converter Standalone uses the IP address and DNS server you specify to copy data from the
source Linux machine to the Helper virtual machine during conversion.
VMware, Inc. 73
Using VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 6.3
Prerequisites
n On the Options page of the Conversion wizard, click Advanced options, click the Post-
conversion tab, and select Customize guest preferences for the virtual machine. Click Next
to view and adjust the available customization options.
Prerequisites
On the Options page of the Conversion wizard, click Advanced options, click the Post-conversion
tab, and select Customize guest preferences for the virtual machine. Click Next to view and
adjust the available customization options.
VMware, Inc. 74
Using VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 6.3
Procedure
1 On the Customizations page, select Computer information from the options list.
a In the Computer Name text box, type a computer name to identify the virtual machine on
the network.
Valid characters include A-Z, a-z, 0-9, and the hyphen (-). The underscore (_) is
nonstandard, but Converter Standalone permits it. The recommended length for most
languages is 15 characters or less. Computer names cannot consist only of numerals.
b In the Owner Name text box, type the name of the owner of the virtual machine.
Valid characters include A-Z, a-z, 0-9, and the hyphen (-). The underscore (_) is
nonstandard, but Converter Standalone permits it. The owner name cannot have more
than 63 characters or consist only of numerals.
Valid characters include all printable characters (A-Z, a-z, 0-9, symbols, and space). The
limit is 63 characters.
3 (Optional) To create a new security identifier, select Generate New Security ID (SID).
By default, the Generate New Security ID (SID) check box is selected for source systems that
run Windows Vista or later and cannot be deselected.
Results
The identifiers of the destination virtual machine are assigned according to your settings.
What to do next
You can select another option to set or click Next to view a summary of the conversion job. If the
Next button is inactive, check the Current settings list for other settings that need your attention
on this page.
Prerequisites
On the Options page of the Conversion wizard, click Advanced options, click the Post-conversion
tab, and select Customize guest preferences for the virtual machine. Click Next to view and
adjust the available customization options.
Procedure
1 On the Customizations page, select Windows license from the options list.
VMware, Inc. 75
Using VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 6.3
2 In the Product ID text box, type the licensing information for the destination virtual machine.
3 (Optional) If the guest operating system is Windows Server 2008, select Include server license
information.
Option Description
Per server For a concurrent user license. When you select this option, you need to type
a value in the Maximum connections text box.
Results
The Windows license information is saved to the destination virtual machine after the conversion.
What to do next
You can select another option to set or click Next to view a summary of the conversion job. If the
Next button is inactive, check the Current settings list for other settings that need your attention
on this page.
Prerequisites
On the Options page of the Conversion wizard, click Advanced options, click the Post-conversion
tab, and select Customize guest preferences for the virtual machine. Click Next to view and
adjust the available customization options.
Procedure
1 On the Customizations page, select Time zone from the options list.
2 Select the target time zone from the Time zone drop-down menu.
Results
The time zone is set on the destination virtual machine after the conversion.
What to do next
You can select another option to set or click Next to view a summary of the conversion job. If the
Next button is inactive, check the Current settings list for other settings that need your attention
on this page.
VMware, Inc. 76
Using VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 6.3
The option for configuring network adapters is available for all supported destinations.
Prerequisites
On the Options page of the Conversion wizard, click Advanced options, click the Post-conversion
tab, and select Customize guest preferences for the virtual machine. Click Next to view and
adjust the available customization options.
Procedure
1 On the Customizations page, select Network interface settings from the options list.
a On the IPv4 tab, type the IPv4 address and DNS server address.
b On the IPv6 tab, type the IPv6 address and DNS server address.
c On the DNS tab, configure the DNS connections by adding DNS suffixes.
e If you have provided multiple DNS suffixes, use Move up and Move down to set the order
in which the guest operating system uses the connections.
f On the WINS tab, type the primary and secondary WINS IPv4 address in the text box.
Results
When powered on, the destination virtual machine uses the network settings that you configured.
What to do next
You can select another option to set or click Next to view a summary of the conversion job. If the
Next button is inactive, check the Current settings list for other settings that need your attention
on this page.
Prerequisites
On the Options page of the Conversion wizard, click Advanced options, click the Post-conversion
tab, and select Customize guest preferences for the virtual machine. Click Next to view and
adjust the available customization options.
Procedure
VMware, Inc. 77
Using VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 6.3
Option Description
Workgroup The text box must have a value. Valid characters include A-Z, a-z, 0-9, space,
and the hyphen (-). The maximum length is 15 characters.
Windows server domain The text box must have a value. Valid characters include A-Z, a-z, 0-9,
space, period, and the hyphen (-). The maximum length is 64 characters.
User credentials are required.
Results
The destination virtual machine connects to the specified workgroup and domain server.
What to do next
You can select another option to set or click Next to view a summary of the conversion job. If the
Next button is inactive, check the Current settings list for other settings that need your attention
on this page.
Prerequisites
On the Options page of the Conversion wizard, click Advanced options in the options list.
Procedure
2 In the Post-conversion processing section, select the Install VMware Tools on the destination
virtual machine check box.
Option Description
Select another option from the Saves your settings and displays the pane for the selected option.
options list
Click Next Saves your settings and displays the next page of the Conversion wizard.
n The Customizations page is displayed if you select Customize guest
preferences for the virtual machine in the Advanced options pane.
n The Summary page is displayed if you do not select Customize guest
preferences for the virtual machine in the Advanced options pane.
VMware, Inc. 78
Using VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 6.3
Results
Converter Standalone installs VMware Tools on the destination machine when the destination
machine is powered on for the first time after the conversion job.
System Restore is enabled on Windows systems by default. If you are performing volume-based
file-level cloning, System Restore checkpoints are removed automatically from the destination
virtual machine, regardless of whether the Remove System Restore checkpoints on destination
check box is selected or deselected. If you are performing disk-based cloning or volume-based
block-level cloning, deselecting the check box instructs Converter Standalone to keep the System
Restore checkpoints in the destination virtual machine.
Removing System Restore checkpoints prevents the target machine from reverting to a
preconversion state. In the target virtual machine, restoring a checkpoint that was created before
you cloned the source machine can damage the system and prevent the destination virtual
machine from starting up.
Prerequisites
On the Options page of the Conversion wizard, click Advanced options in the options list.
Procedure
2 In the Post-conversion processing section, select the Remove System Restore checkpoints on
destination check box.
Option Description
Select another option from the Saves your settings and displays the pane for the selected option.
options list
Click Next Saves your settings and displays the next page of the Conversion wizard.
n The Customizations page is displayed if you select Customize guest
preferences for the virtual machine in the Advanced options pane.
n The Summary page is displayed if you do not select Customize guest
preferences for the virtual machine in the Advanced options pane.
VMware, Inc. 79
Using VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 6.3
n Synchronize the Destination Machine with Changes Made to the Source Machine
When you convert a powered on Windows machine, Converter Standalone copies data from
the source machine to the destination machine while the source machine is still running and
generating changes. This process is the first transfer of data. You can transfer data for the
second time by copying only the changes made during the first transfer of data. This process
is called synchronization.
VMware, Inc. 80
Using VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 6.3
You can change the settings for the destination services only when you convert source machines
that run Windows.
Prerequisites
On the Options page of the Conversion wizard, click Services in the options list.
Procedure
1 If you are converting a powered on source machine, click the Destination services tab.
If the source machine is powered off, the Services pane displays no tabs. You can modify only
the starting mode of destination services.
2 On the services list, select the startup mode for each service.
Option Description
Automatic The service starts automatically after the destination machine is powered on.
Manual The service does not start after the destination machine is powered on, but
you can start it manually.
Disabled The service is disabled and does not start after the destination machine is
powered on.
Option Description
Select another option from the Saves your settings and displays the pane for the selected option.
options list
Click Next Saves your settings and displays the next page of the Conversion wizard.
n The Customizations page is displayed if you select Customize guest
preferences for the virtual machine in the Advanced options pane.
n The Summary page is displayed if you do not select Customize guest
preferences for the virtual machine in the Advanced options pane.
You can stop services on the source only when you convert a powered on Windows machine.
VMware, Inc. 81
Using VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 6.3
Prerequisites
On the Options page of the Conversion wizard, click Services in the options list.
Procedure
2 To stop a service on the source machine before synchronization, highlight a service and select
the Stop check box to the right.
Option Description
Select another option from the Saves your settings and displays the pane for the selected option.
options list
Click Next Saves your settings and displays the next page of the Conversion wizard.
n The Customizations page is displayed if you select Customize guest
preferences for the virtual machine in the Advanced options pane.
n The Summary page is displayed if you do not select Customize guest
preferences for the virtual machine in the Advanced options pane.
Results
Converter Standalone stops the selected source services before it synchronizes the destination
machine with the source machine.
Synchronization is available only for Windows source operating systems and managed
destinations.
If you resize FAT volumes or shrink NTFS volumes, or change the cluster size on the destination
volume, you cannot use the synchronization option.
You cannot add or remove volumes on the source machine between two cloning tasks of a
synchronizable job because it might cause conversion to fail.
Prerequisites
Stop various source services to make sure they do not generate additional changes during the
final synchronization, as that might lead to data loss.
On the Options page of the Conversion wizard, click Advanced options in the options list.
VMware, Inc. 82
Using VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 6.3
Procedure
Option Description
Click Run immediately after cloning Synchronization is performed immediately after the cloning is complete.
Click Schedule Synchronization is performed at the scheduled time and date. Use the Run at
text box to specify the start date and time for the synchronization.
4 Select Perform final synchronization if you do not plan to make further synchronizations
between the source and the destination.
Option Description
Select another option from the Saves your settings and displays the pane for the selected option.
options list
Click Next Saves your settings and displays the next page of the Conversion wizard.
n The Customizations page is displayed if you select Customize guest
preferences for the virtual machine in the Advanced options pane.
n The Summary page is displayed if you do not select Customize guest
preferences for the virtual machine in the Advanced options pane.
Prerequisites
On the Options page of the Conversion wizard, click Advanced options in the options list.
Procedure
2 In the Post-conversion power state panel, select Power off source machine.
This option appears in the Post-conversion power state panel only if the conversion source is
a remote powered on machine.
VMware, Inc. 83
Using VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 6.3
Option Description
Select another option from the Saves your settings and displays the pane for the selected option.
options list
Click Next Saves your settings and displays the next page of the Conversion wizard.
n The Customizations page is displayed if you select Customize guest
preferences for the virtual machine in the Advanced options pane.
n The Summary page is displayed if you do not select Customize guest
preferences for the virtual machine in the Advanced options pane.
Results
Converter Standalone powers off the source machine after the conversion is complete.
Prerequisites
On the Options page of the Conversion wizard, click Advanced options in the options list.
Procedure
Option Description
Select another option from the Saves your settings and displays the pane for the selected option.
options list
Click Next Saves your settings and displays the next page of the Conversion wizard.
n The Customizations page is displayed if you select Customize guest
preferences for the virtual machine in the Advanced options pane.
n The Summary page is displayed if you do not select Customize guest
preferences for the virtual machine in the Advanced options pane.
Results
VMware, Inc. 84
Using VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 6.3
jobs, they are carried out with normal priority and depending on the available computing
resources during conversion.
A powered on source machine runs its own conversion job. You can limit the impact of the
conversion job on other workloads running on the powered on machine.
For source machines that are not powered on, you can limit the resources used on the machine
where Converter Standalone server is installed.
Throttling controls the CPU and network resources that the conversion process uses. You cannot
throttle disk I/O from the Converter Standalone interface, but can throttle it indirectly by throttling
the network bandwidth.
Note You cannot throttle conversion jobs for powered on source machines that run Linux. You
cannot throttle conversion jobs for powered off virtual machines to VMware hosted destinations.
Procedure
2 From the CPU throttling drop-down menu, select the priority of the conversion task.
Option Description
Light The priority of the current conversion task is reduced slightly below normal.
Note Converter Standalone reduces the thread priorities of conversion tasks to control the
CPU resources they consume.
3 (Optional) Select Network bandwidth throttling and specify the maximum network bandwidth
at which Converter Standalone performs the conversion jobs.
Option Description
Select another option from the Saves your settings and displays the pane for the selected option.
options list
Click Next Saves your settings and displays the next page of the Conversion wizard.
n The Customizations page is displayed if you select Customize guest
preferences for the virtual machine in the Advanced options pane.
n The Summary page is displayed if you do not select Customize guest
preferences for the virtual machine in the Advanced options pane.
VMware, Inc. 85
Using VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 6.3
source after the conversion. If the Converter Standalone agent is installed by the Converter
Standalone server, it is uninstalled automatically. Otherwise, you must uninstall it manually.
Use Add or Remove Programs on the source machine to uninstall the Converter Standalone agent.
Procedure
2 In the list of installed programs, locate and click VMware vCenter Converter Standalone
Agent.
3 Click Remove.
Results
Windows installer uninstalls the Converter Standalone agent from the source machine.
The summary includes information about the source machine, the destination virtual machine, and
destination customization settings (if any). Converter Standalone performs job validation at this
stage.
Prerequisites
You must complete all steps in the Conversion wizard to access the Summary page.
Procedure
Results
Converter Standalone validates the job parameters. This might take several minutes. If the
validation succeeds, the conversion job appears in the Job View list in the main application
window. You can find information about the tasks of the job in the Task View. If the validation
fails, you must click Back and correct the invalid parameters as prompted.
VMware, Inc. 86
Configure Virtual Machines
7
You might need to configure a virtual machine after you convert it so that it is ready to run in the
destination virtual environment. You might also need to configure virtual machines if their virtual
environment changes or if you need to improve their performance.
Note You can configure only VMware virtual machines that run Windows. You cannot configure
virtual machines that run operating systems other than Windows.
Unlike the conversion process, which is nondestructive to the source machine, the configuration
process affects the source. When you create a configuration job, your settings are applied to the
configuration source machine and cannot be reverted.
Procedure
VMware, Inc. 87
Using VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 6.3
Procedure
Results
What to do next
Procedure
u On the Source System page of the Configuration wizard, select a source type from the drop-
down menu.
What to do next
On the Options page of the Configuration wizard, you can select the required configuration
options.
Prerequisites
In the main application window of Converter Standalone, click Configure machine to open the
Configuration wizard.
Procedure
1 On the Source System page of the Configuration wizard, select VMware Infrastructure virtual
machine from the Select source type drop-down menu.
2 Provide the IP address or host name and credentials for authentication with the ESXi host or
the vCenter Server, and click Next.
Results
The Source Machine page appears, displaying the host name or IP address and the inventory of
the ESXi host or the vCenter Server.
VMware, Inc. 88
Using VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 6.3
What to do next
On the Source Machine page of the Configuration wizard you can browse the virtual infrastructure
inventory and select the virtual machine to configure.
Prerequisites
On the Source System page of the Configuration wizard, select VMware Infrastructure virtual
machine as the configuration source and click Next to proceed to the Source Machine page.
Procedure
1 (Optional) If you are connected to a vCenter Server, select a virtual machine view from the
Specify machine with drop-down menu.
Option Description
Hosts and Clusters The Inventory tree pane provides a view of hosts, clusters, resource pools,
and vApps. If you select a host managed by a cluster, you see the full list of
virtual machines and templates in the virtual machine list view. If you select
a standalone host or a cluster, you see only the virtual machines that are not
deployed in the resource pools of that host or cluster.
VMs and Templates The Inventory tree pane provides a view of datacenters and virtual machine
folders.
2 (Optional) If you are connected to a vCenter Server, select an object from the Inventory tree
pane.
Option Description
Hosts and Clusters Select cluster, ESXi host, resource pool, or vApp.
3 From the virtual machines list, select the virtual machine you want to configure.
You can search for virtual machines in the virtual machine list by typing one or more letters of
their names in the Search for name with text box. You can clear your search by clicking Clear.
Note You cannot select a virtual machine from an ESXi host that is powered off, connected to
another vCenter Server, or in maintenace mode.
5 (Optional) To view more details about a machine, select it and click View source details.
VMware, Inc. 89
Using VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 6.3
What to do next
On the Options page of the Configuration wizard, you can select the required configuration
options.
Prerequisites
If you plan to use a network path to locate the source, verify that the machine where Converter
Standalone server runs has access to that network path.
In the main application window of Converter Standalone, click Configure machine to open the
Configuration wizard.
Procedure
1 On the Source System page of the Configuration wizard, select VMware Workstation or other
VMware virtual machine.
n If you are connected to a remote Converter Standalone server, provide a network path to
the source virtual machine file (.vmx) in the Virtual machine file text box. For example,
\\server\virtual_machines\virtual_machine.vmx.
n If you are connected to a local Converter Standalone server, provide a network path or a
local path to the .vmx file.
By default, only VMware virtual machine *.vmx files are displayed.
3 If you are connected to a remote Converter Standalone server, type user credentials for
accessing the source virtual machine.
You do not have to provide user credentials if you are connected to a local Converter
Standalone server. In such cases, Converter Standalone uses the Windows credentials to
connect to the source machine.
4 (Optional) To view more information about the selected source, click View source details.
What to do next
On the Options page of the Configuration wizard, you can select the required configuration
options.
VMware, Inc. 90
Using VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 6.3
Procedure
u On the Options page, select one or more configuration steps to perform and click Next.
Option Description
Install VMware Tools on the Installs VMware Tools to enhance the performance of the destination virtual
destination virtual machine machine.
Customize guest preferences for the Lets you customize Windows guest operating systems so that you can
virtual machine prevent and resolve licensing and networking issues.
Remove System Restore checkpoints Removes System Restore checkpoints from the destination virtual machine.
on destination
Reconfigure destination virtual Modifies the configuration of the virtual machine so that it is prepared to boot
machine and work properly in the destination virtual environment.
What to do next
On the basis of the configuration options you selected, you can either customize the guest
operating system of the source virtual machine or view the Summary page of the Configuration
wizard.
Procedure
u On the Options page of the Configuration wizard, select Install VMware Tools on the
destination virtual machine and click Next.
Results
vCenter Converter Standalone installs VMware Tools on the configured virtual machine.
What to do next
You can customize the guest operating system or view the Summary page of the Configuration
wizard.
VMware, Inc. 91
Using VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 6.3
Prerequisites
n On the Options page of the Configuration wizard, select Customize guest preferences for the
virtual machine and click Next to view and modify the available customization options.
Prerequisites
On the Options page of the Configuration wizard, select Customize guest preferences for the
virtual machine and click Next to view and modify the available customization options.
Procedure
1 On the Customizations page, select Computer information from the options list.
VMware, Inc. 92
Using VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 6.3
a In the Computer Name text box, type a computer name to identify the virtual machine on
the network.
Valid characters include A-Z, a-z, 0-9, and the hyphen (-). The underscore (_) is
nonstandard, but Converter Standalone permits it. The recommended length for most
languages is 15 characters or less. Computer names cannot consist only of numerals.
b In the Owner Name text box, type the name of the owner of the virtual machine.
Valid characters include A-Z, a-z, 0-9, and the hyphen (-). The underscore (_) is
nonstandard, but Converter Standalone permits it. The owner name cannot have more
than 63 characters or consist only of numerals.
Valid characters include all printable characters (A-Z, a-z, 0-9, symbols, and space). The
limit is 63 characters.
3 (Optional) To create a new security identifier, select Generate New Security ID (SID).
By default, the Generate New Security ID (SID) check box is selected for source systems that
run Windows Vista or later and cannot be deselected.
Results
The identifiers of the configured virtual machine are assigned according to your settings.
What to do next
You can select another option to set or click Next to view a summary of the configuration job.
If the Next button is inactive, check the Current settings list for other settings that need your
attention on this page.
Prerequisites
On the Options page of the Configuration wizard, select Customize guest preferences for the
virtual machine and click Next to view and modify the available customization options.
Procedure
1 On the Customizations page, select Windows license from the options list.
2 In the Product ID text box, type the licensing information for the destination virtual machine.
3 (Optional) If the guest operating system is Windows Server 2008, select Include server license
information.
VMware, Inc. 93
Using VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 6.3
Option Description
Per server For a concurrent user license. When you select this option, you need to type
a value in the Maximum connections text box.
Results
The Windows license information is saved to the configuration source machine when the
configuration task is completed.
What to do next
You can select another option to set or click Next to view a summary of the configuration job.
If the Next button is inactive, check the Current settings list for other settings that need your
attention on this page.
Prerequisites
On the Options page of the Configuration wizard, select Customize guest preferences for the
virtual machine and click Next to view and modify the available customization options.
Procedure
1 On the Customizations page, select Time zone from the options list.
2 Select the target time zone from the Time zone drop-down menu.
Results
The time zone is set on the destination machine when the configuration job completes.
What to do next
You can select another option to set or click Next to view a summary of the configuration job.
If the Next button is inactive, check the Current settings list for other settings that need your
attention on this page.
The options for configuring network adapters are available for all supported customization
sources.
VMware, Inc. 94
Using VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 6.3
Prerequisites
On the Options page of the Configuration wizard, select Customize guest preferences for the
virtual machine and click Next to view and modify the available customization options.
Procedure
1 On the Customizations page, select Network interface settings from the options list.
a On the IPv4 tab, type the IPv4 address and DNS server address.
b On the IPv6 tab, type the IPv6 address and DNS server address.
c On the DNS tab, configure the DNS connections by adding DNS suffixes.
e If you have provided multiple DNS suffixes, use Move up and Move down to set the order
in which the guest operating system uses the connections.
f On the WINS tab, type the primary and secondary WINS IPv4 address in the text box.
Results
When powered on, the configured virtual machine uses the network settings that you specified.
What to do next
You can select another option to set or click Next to view a summary of the configuration job.
If the Next button is inactive, check the Current settings list for other settings that need your
attention on this page.
Prerequisites
On the Options page of the Configuration wizard, select Customize guest preferences for the
virtual machine and click Next to view and modify the available customization options.
Procedure
VMware, Inc. 95
Using VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 6.3
Option Description
Workgroup The text box must have a value. Valid characters include A-Z, a-z, 0-9, space,
and the hyphen (-). The maximum length is 15 characters.
Windows server domain The text box must have a value. Valid characters include A-Z, a-z, 0-9,
space, period, and the hyphen (-). The maximum length is 64 characters.
User credentials are required.
Results
The configured virtual machine connects to the specified workgroup and domain server.
What to do next
You can select another option to set or click Next to view a summary of the configuration job.
If the Next button is inactive, check the Current settings list for other settings that need your
attention on this page.
Procedure
u On the Options page of the Configuration wizard, select Remove System Restore
checkpoints on the destination and click Next.
Results
The System Restore checkpoints are deleted from the configuration source machine.
What to do next
You can customize the guest operating system or view the Summary page of the Configuration
wizard.
Problem
A number of configuration issues might prevent a newly created virtual machine from starting
properly. For example, Converter Standalone might need to deactivate some legacy drivers to
allow the virtual machine to operate. If the operating system on the source machine is not on the
default drive, the boot.ini file or the BCD might need to be modified so that the destination
virtual machine can start.
VMware, Inc. 96
Using VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 6.3
Solution
u On the Options page of the Configuration wizard, select Reconfigure destination virtual
machine and click Next.
Converter Standalone reconfigures the destination virtual machine so it can boot in the virtual
environment.
What to do next
You can customize the guest operating system or view the Summary page of the Configuration
wizard.
Procedure
1 Review the summary of the settings for the source virtual machine.
Results
The job appears in the jobs list in the Job View list of the main application window. You can view
the progress of the current task on the Task progress tab in Task View.
What to do next
To view details about the configuration task, click the Summary tab.
VMware, Inc. 97
Manage Conversion and
Configuration Jobs and Tasks 8
Converter Standalone provides a manager for managing conversion and configuration jobs and
tasks.
After you create a conversion or configuration job by using the Converter Standalone wizards, you
can use the Task View and the Job View of the Converter Standalone manager to monitor and
manage the existing jobs and their tasks.
Prerequisites
You must submit a conversion or configuration job to view it in the job list.
You must be in the Job View of the Converter Standalone manager to access the application
menus for job managing.
n Deactivate a Job
You can deactivate an active job without applying any changes to the destination machine.
VMware, Inc. 98
Using VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 6.3
n Delete a Job
You can delete a job and all its tasks.
Procedure
u On the Summary page of the Conversion or the Configuration wizard, make sure no settings
need adjustment, and click Finish to add a conversion or configuration job.
Results
The job appears at the beginning of the job list in the Job View and its tasks appear in the Task
View.
What to do next
In the job list, you can view the job status, which task of the job is currently running, and other
details. You can also delete a job, and perform other job operations.
Procedure
Results
The Converter Standalone manager switches to Task View and preselects the currently running
task of the job you selected in Job View. If none of the job's tasks is running, no selection is made.
VMware, Inc. 99
Using VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 6.3
Deactivate a Job
You can deactivate an active job without applying any changes to the destination machine.
Prerequisites
Note You can deactivate a job only if none of its tasks is currently running.
Procedure
2 From the job list, select the job you want to deactivate.
Results
The job state changes to inactive and no changes are applied to the destination.
Delete a Job
You can delete a job and all its tasks.
Prerequisites
Procedure
2 From the job list, select the job you want to delete.
Results
The job is removed from the job list, and all the tasks of the job are removed from the task list.
Note You can copy only jobs that were created with the Converter Standalone client.
Procedure
2 From the job list, select the job you want to copy.
Procedure
2 On the main menu, click View > History Filter and select a level of filtering.
Results
Only jobs that correspond to selected filtering level remain in the job list.
Procedure
If you are connected to a remote Converter Standalone server, you can select My own to view
only jobs that you have created.
Procedure
2 Use the drop-down menus in the toolbar to select the status and the history criteria.
The two filtering conditions combine to show only jobs that comply with both conditions.
Note You can add synchronization tasks only to jobs that were created with the Converter
Standalone client.
Prerequisites
Procedure
2 From the job list, select the conversion job to which you want to add a synchronization task.
Prerequisites
You must submit a conversion or configuration job to view its tasks in the task list.
You must be in the Tasks View of the Converter Standalone manager to access the application
menus for managing task.
n Cancel a Task
You can cancel a task that is in the queue or in progress.
You can set the number of concurrent tasks to any number from 1 to 12. The default number of
concurrent tasks is set to Maximum.
Procedure
3 Click OK.
Results
The setting takes effect immediately for all newly added tasks. See Limiting the Number of
Concurrent Tasks .
When the number of running tasks drops to 5, a new task from the wait list starts.
When you clone multiple disks and volumes in parallel, each data transfer uses a separate TCP
connection.
Note For managed sources and destinations, the number of the concurrent data connections
within a conversion task must not exceed the TCP connections limit of the corresponding ESXi
host. Otherwise, the conversion task might not complete successfully.
The source conversion completes and the task of configuring the destination starts only when all
data transfers are complete.
Procedure
1 On the main menu, select Administration > Data Connections per Task.
Option Description
Select the Maximum check-box . All disks and volumes of the source are cloned simultaneously.
In the Custom spin-box, select a Only a specific number of disks and volumes are cloned simultaneously. The
number between 1 and 12. default number of concurrent data connections per task is set to 1.
3 Click OK.
Results
The setting takes effect immediately for all newly added tasks.
Procedure
Results
The Converter Standalone manager switches to Job View. The job that contains the task you
selected in Task View is preselected in the list and complies with the current filter of the Job View.
Cancel a Task
You can cancel a task that is in the queue or in progress.
When you cancel a conversion task that is running, the task is stopped. When you cancel a
conversion task that is queued, the task is removed from the queue. When you cancel a task that
is not a synchronization task, the job to which the task belongs is deactivated. Canceled tasks
cannot be restarted.
Procedure
2 From the task list, select the task you want to cancel.
3 Click Cancel.
Results
The task is now stopped or removed from the queue, and the time of cancellation appears in the
End Time column.
This option does not affect tasks in progress. Tasks in progress always appear in the task list.
Procedure
2 On the main menu, click View > History Filter and select a level of filtering.
Results
Only tasks that correspond to the selected filtering level remain in the task list.
Procedure
If you are connected to a remote Converter Standalone server, you can select My own to view
only tasks of jobs that you create.
Procedure
2 Use the drop-down menus to select the status and history criteria.
The two filtering conditions combine to show only tasks that comply with both conditions.
If certain problems cause a job or task to fail, you can also review information in the log files.
You can obtain a general indication of a task's progress by looking at its row in the task list of the
Task view. You can view the Task progress tab in the Details view for more information.
Procedure
2 Select the row in the task list for the task to view.
The information for that task appears in the Details pane below the tasks list.
3 To view the task status and log highlights, click the Task progress tab.
Procedure
4 Select a location to which you want to save the files and click Save.
Results
The log files for all tasks of the selected job are saved to the selected location.
Procedure
5 Select a location to which you want to save the files and click Save.
Results
The log files for this task are saved to the selected location.
Table 8-1. Log Files Locations lists the default locations where log files are saved. You can view the
log files or send them to VMware support, if necessary.
If you are running a remote hot clone, these file locations are also the file locations on the remote
machine. To send these log files from a remote machine to VMware support, you must manually
compress and send them.