Hi,
Excuse my poor English I'm a french canadian...
So I need your help. I just buy a SAN and i need to move all my .vmdk from ESX-local-vmfs box to ESX-SAN-vmfs box.
Here my process for ESX 3 box to ESX 3 box:
Working fine with a minimum downtime.
With the vm in running state (power on)
1. Create a snapshot on the vm you want to move.
(vmware-cmd ./vm.vmx createsnapshot snapshotname)
2. scp the vm.vmdk and vm-flat.vmdk disk on the new ESX server. The BIG file...
(scp vm.vmdk root@ESXBOX:/vmfs/volumes/lun/vm/)
3. Power down the vm
4. scp all other file a the same place on the new box. (Don't overright the vm.vmdk and vm-flat.vmdk)
5. Import the vm.
6. Edit vmx config like network switch...
7. Remove the snapshot. (commit it)
8. Power on.
Its work perfectly and the down time is very short...
But now Esx 2.5 box to Esx 3.x box...
With the vm in running state (power on)
1. Make your disk in Append mode.
(vmware-cmd /vm.vmx setconfig scsi0:0.mode append)
2. Create a redo on the vm disk you want to move.
( vmware-cmd /vm.vmx addredo scsi0:0)
2. scp the vm.vmdk disk on the new ESX server. The BIG file...
(scp vm.vmdk root@ESXBOX:/vmfs/volumes/lun/vm/)
3. Power down the vm
4. scp vm.vmdk.REDO to the new box.
5. AND NOW how i can commit the .REDO on the .vmdk disk???
I try to vmkfstools -M the vmdk and the .REDO.
(Its works)... I give me vm-flat.vmdk and vm.vmdk and vm.vmdk.REDO and vm.vmdk-delta.REDO
I vi the vm.vmdk.REDO and vm.vmdk to remove the path of the lun from the old server.
but after that i dont know how revert this .REDO or this "snapshot"... I can't revert it like a esx3 snapshot because i think i need the vm-Snapshot1.vmsn. (it dont make this when you vmksfstools -M the .REDO) I can't commit it with the vmware-cmd --commit because this option dosent exist in esx3. So please help me!
Excuse again for my poor English.....