convert standalone?

hey guys
**** question even though the converter program says Convert Standalone
it means I can convert a say domain server or mail server that is part of a domain to a vm right? I want to convert a Global catalog server and mail server that are of course part of our domain to a vm for the free esxi version. this is possible right? I am assuming only that you could create a vm on a share while the program is running on the server i want to convert or convert it and have the vm converter to a usb external drive? while the vm converter program is running? to me it would seem easy but is there more to it?

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Comments

itdaddy

OMG i was running thru the converter wizard and is it true I can convert the server right to the vmware infrastructure? I mean righ thru the network right to it and then just turn it on??? woowwo someone confirm I am not totally crazy
that would be awesome convert bam turn on yeah

My goal is to convert 7 server to the free esxi version of vmware

MentholMoose

"Standalone" means it is separate from vCenter. There is another version of Converter that is a plug-in for vCenter. And yes, it is pretty neat!

itdaddy

menthal moose
wow thanks this is fantastic... I cannot wait to virtualized more of our servers.

wow

meadIT

Yes, you can do it directly to a host, but if you're converting a DC, Exchange, or anything with an active database, its best to do it while the server is off, basically a "cold clone."

itdaddy

MeadIT

you mean afterwork when it is not being used. you dont mean off off do you
how would you do it when it is off??you mean after work when not being used much right? or you mean after work turn off the DB engines?

meadIT

There is a VMware Converter boot disk that you can boot off of just like a Linux Live CD. You can use this to P2V the server while the OS is off.

If you don't have access to this, then you'll want to do the P2V after hours, with as many services/databases turned off as you can. It helps prevent corruption / inconsistent databases.

Also, after the P2V, one of the first things you should do is remove any left over hardware from the OS's Device Manager.

blargoe

Also, you will almost certainly have to reset the server's IP settings after it is converted, since it will detect a different network adapter, and will not automatically delete the former physical network adapter that it was using before.

I don't know if I would do this on a domain controller. If it hosts its own DNS server and it were to update DNS with some bogus IP settings for itself, you might have a mess on your hands.

meadIT

blargoe wrote: »

I don't know if I would do this on a domain controller. If it hosts its own DNS server and it were to update DNS with some bogus IP settings for itself, you might have a mess on your hands.

Agreed. It's probably just as fast, if not faster to provision a fresh new VM server, dcpromo it, and allow it to replicate. If the physical server hosts other functions, such as file/printer shares, you can demote it after replication has completed and then P2V what's left.

That being said, I have had the (dis)pleasure of P2V'ing a SBS2003 server (with OEM licensing) before.