SQL Server 2008 Hyber V Unleashed - p 33 pdf

ptg6432687
This page intentionally left blank
Download at www.wowebook.com
ptg6432687
10
Creating Guest Images
from Existing Production
and Virtual Systems
IN THIS CHAPTER
. Understanding Virtual Machine
Conversions
. Performing a P2V Conversion
. Performing a V2V Conversion
. Creating a Virtual Lab
This chapter focuses on the process of using System
Center Virtual Machine Manager (VMM) 2008 to create a
guest image from a production system and from another
virtual guest image for the purpose of creating a static lab
environment. This process is also used to create real-time
replications of images for operational purposes.
Understanding Virtual Machine
Conversions
VMM 2008 enables the administrator to convert existing
physical computers into virtual machines (VMs). This is
known as a production to virtual, or P2V, conversion. VMM
simplifies P2V conversions by providing an automated
wizard for much of the conversion process.
VMM 2008 can also converting VMs from other virtualiza-
tion platforms, such as VMware ESX and Microsoft Virtual
Server to Windows Hyper-V. This process is known as
virtual to virtual, or V2V, conversion and can be performed

with different processes, depending on the source virtualiza-
tion platform.
Physical Computers That Can Be Converted
There are two methods for converting physical computers
to VMs. Online P2V conversions are performed using the
Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) to copy data while the
server continues to service user requests. The source
computer is not interrupted during a P2V online conver-
sion.
Download at www.wowebook.com
ptg6432687
302
10 Creating Guest Images from Existing Production and Virtual Systems
TABLE 10.1 Supported Operating Systems for P2V Conversion
Operating System P2V Online P2V Offline
Windows Server 2008 with Hyper-V No No
Windows Server 2008 without Hyper-V Yes Yes
Windows Server 2003 with Service Pack 1 Yes Yes
Windows Server 2003 x64 Edition No No
Windows 2000 with Service Pack 4 No Yes
Windows XP with Service Pack 2 Yes Yes
Windows XP x64 Edition No No
Windows Vista No No
Windows Vista x64 Yes Yes
A P2V offline conversion is performed by restarting the source computer in the Windows
Preinstallation Environment (Windows PE). VMM then converts the physical disks to
Virtual Hard Disks (VHDs).
The information in Table 10.1 shows the supported operating systems that VMM can
convert using the P2V process.
In both online and offline P2V conversions, VMM 2008 temporarily installs an agent on

the physical source computer to be converted.
NOTE
VMM 2008 does not support P2V conversion of Windows NT Server 4.0 source com-
puters. These computers can be migrated using the Microsoft Virtual Server 2005
Migration Toolkit (VSMT) or third-party solutions.
Additional Requirements for P2V Conversion
To perform a P2V conversion, the source computer must meet the following additional
requirements.
. Domain—Source computers must be in the same domain as the VMM server or a
member of a domain that has a full two-way trust with the VMM server’s domain.
. RAM—Offline P2V conversions require that the source computer has a minimum of
512MB of RAM.
. Updates—Most P2V conversions will not be affected by updates. However, certain
system files and drivers are replaced during the conversion and may require updates
after the conversion completes. If those files are missing, the administrator must add
them to the Patch Import directory on the VMM server.
Download at www.wowebook.com
ptg6432687
303
Performing a P2V Conversion
10
Performing a P2V Conversion
During a P2V conversion, a VM configuration file is created and new VHDs are created
and formatted for use by the new VM. Disk images are then created from the source
computer.
To perform the conversion, the VMM administrator must provide an account and pass-
word with administrator rights on the source computer.
NOTE
The administrator should perform a disk defragmentation on the source computer’s
hard drives to help minimize the time required for the imaging phase. Also, ensure that

a fast network connection exists between the source and VMM computers.
Performing a P2V Online Conversion
Ensure that the source computer meets the operating system and additional requirements
listed at the beginning of this chapter.
The P2V online conversion process is run from the VMM 2008 Administrator console.
Running the Convert Physical Server Wizard
The process of running the physical server to virtual server configuration process requires
launching a conversion wizard. The process is as follows:
1. Open the VMM Administrator console using the shortcut on the Windows desktop
or via the Start menu under Microsoft System Center, Virtual Machine Manager
2008, Virtual Machine Manager Administrator Console.
A Connect to Server window may open, prompting for the VMM server to connect
to. Enter the server name and connection port (the default is port 8100) using the
following format VMMserver:port.
NOTE
You ma y c h oo se to al w ay s o pen a co n ne c ti on to th i s s er v e r b y sel ec t in g t he Mak e T hi s
Server My Default check box. Doing so prevents this connection window from display-
ing when the Administrator console is run.
2. Click Convert Physical Server on the Actions pane in any view in the Virtual
Machine Manager Administrator console. The Convert Physical Server Wizard will
run, as shown in Figure 10.1.
Download at www.wowebook.com
ptg6432687
304
3. Configure the following on the Select Source page:
. Computer Name—Enter the name of the physical computer or click the
Browse button to locate the computer object to convert in the Active Directory.
. User Name—Enter a username of an account with local administrator rights
on the source computer.
. Password—Enter the password for the local administrator user account.

. Domain—Enter the domain of the local administrator user account if it is not
already populated. Click Next.
4. Configure the following on the Virtual Machine Identity page:
. Virtual Machine Name—Enter a new name for the VM or accept the default
name, which is the same as the source computer.
NOTE
Renaming the VM name only renames the VM as it appears in the Administrator con-
sole. It does not rename the actual computer account in Active Directory.
10 Creating Guest Images from Existing Production and Virtual Systems
FIGURE 10.1 The Convert Physical Server Wizard.
Download at www.wowebook.com
ptg6432687
305
Performing a P2V Conversion
10
. Owner—Accept the prepopulated domain\username value, enter a new
domain\username value or click Browse to choose a new value. The owner
account must be a member of Active Directory.
. Description—This optional field is used to describe the VM. Click Next.
NOTE
The owner of a VM is used to identify the owner of the new VM. It does not assign any
rights to the VM itself.
5. On the Gather System Information page, click the Gather System Information
button. By doing so, you begin a survey of the physical source computer and will
display a list of operating system, hardware, and software components installed, as
shown in Figure 10.2. It will also identify any missing components that are required
for the P2V conversion to run. The wizard installs agent software on the source
computer to gather this information and will remove it when the conversion is
complete.
FIGURE 10.2 The Gather System Information page.

Download at www.wowebook.com
ptg6432687
306
NOTE
Ensure that the WMI service is running on the source computer and that a firewall is
not blocking HTTP and WMI traffic to the VMM server. A firewall exception will be creat-
ed for remote administration service (RemoteAdmin) if a firewall is installed on the
source computer. The administrator can remove this exception after the conversion
operation is complete.
The System Information results window displays the operating system, hard drives,
and network adapter information gathered from the survey. Click Next to continue
the wizard.
6. The Conversion Information page displays any issues encountered while checking the
source computer for suitability for P2V conversion. Do one of the following actions:
. Confirm that the message “No issues detected” is displayed.
. Review any issues that the wizard reports. These issues must be resolved before
the P2V conversion can succeed. Each issue listed is accompanied by a solution
that explains how to resolve it. After all issues have been resolved, click the
Check Again button to rerun the survey.
. When there are no issues detected, click Next.
7. On the Volume Configuration page, review the list of disk volumes detected and
make changes, if required:
. Deselect volumes that should not be included in the new VM.
NOTE
The system volume that contains the operating system cannot be deselected.
. Increase the size of the VHD for each volume.
NOTE
The size of a VHD can be increased, but not reduced. The minimum size is determined
by the size of actual data on the volume.
. Configure the VHD type to be dynamic (the default) or fixed. Dynamic VHDs

automatically grow as more data is saved to the disk. Fixed VHDs are
constrained to the size configured by the administrator.
10 Creating Guest Images from Existing Production and Virtual Systems
Download at www.wowebook.com
ptg6432687
307
Performing a P2V Conversion
10
NOTE
If the VHD is configured as a fixed VHD type, ensure the VHD size is configured to
allow for additional data, if necessary.
. Configure the channel that the VHD will use. Options include up to 2 IDE
channels and up to 62 SCSI channels each on 4 virtual SCSI buses (providing
up to 250 separate channels total). Click Next to continue.
8. On the Virtual Machine Configuration page, select the number of processors and
RAM to use on the new VM. The number of processors available for selection is
limited by the number of physical processors available in the source computer. The
default amount of memory specified by the wizard is equal to the amount of physi-
cal RAM in the source computer.
9. On the Select Virtual Machine Host page, select the most suitable host to deploy the
new VM on, as shown in Figure 10.3. Each host has a star rating (from zero to five
stars) indicating its suitability to host the new VM.
FIGURE 10.3 Selecting the VM host.
Download at www.wowebook.com
ptg6432687
308
NOTE
If a large number of hosts are listed, the administrator can use the Host Group, Look
For, or Group By fields to display a smaller set of possible hosts.
The Details tab displays the status, operating system, virtualization software platform,

virtualization software status, and names of the VMs running on the selected host.
The Rating Explanation tab explains what the star rating means for the selected host
and tells what requirements are met for the VM by this host.
The SAN Explanation tab describes the suitability of the host to connect to a SAN
for VM storage. Items listed here include Fibre Channel host bus adapters (HBAs)
installed and iSCSI initiators installed.
NOTE
The ratings can be customized using the Customize Ratings button. Here, the adminis-
trator can select multiple criteria and assign weights of importance for each compo-
nent, such as processor load, memory used, network utilization, and so forth.
Select the host on which to deploy the new VM and click Next.
10. On the Select Path page, select the folder where the files associated with the new VM
should be placed. The default folder is %SYSTEMDRIVE%\Documents and
Settings\All Users\Documents\Shared Virtual Machines. Accept the default or click
Browse to select a different path. Click Next.
11. On the Select Networks page, the Virtual Network drop-down list will display all the
current networks available on the selected host. Select Not Connected or the appro-
priate virtual network for the VM to use. Click Next.
12. On the Additional Properties page, configure the following:
. Automatic Start Action—Select the action to perform for this VM when the
physical host starts. Available actions are as follows:
Never automatically turn on the VM.
Always automatically turn on the VM.
Automatically turn on the VM if it was running when the physical
server stopped.
. Automatic Stop Action—Select the action to perform for this VM when the
physical host shuts down. Available actions are as follows:
Save state. This action is similar to the Windows Hibernate function.
Turn off VM. This action is equivalent to turning the power off and does
not provide a graceful shutdown.

Shut down guest OS. This provides a graceful shutdown of the operating
system.
10 Creating Guest Images from Existing Production and Virtual Systems
Download at www.wowebook.com
ptg6432687
309
Performing a P2V Conversion
10
13. The Summary page displays a summary of the settings selected in the Convert
Physical Server Wizard. Carefully review these settings and click Create to proceed
with the P2V conversion or click Previous to go back and change the configuration.
An optional check box can be selected to start the VM immediately after deploying
it to the host.
As with many actions performed from the VMM Administrator console, the Convert
Physical Server Wizard offers a View Script button. This option enables the adminis-
trator to view, modify, and save the PowerShell commands that the wizard will
execute to perform the P2V conversion, as shown in Figure 10.4.
14. In the Jobs view of the Administrator console, the administrator can monitor the
progress of the P2V conversion and confirm that the VM is created successfully. If
the job fails, read the error message in the Details pane for information about the
cause of the failure and the recommended course of action to resolve the issue.
The P2V process will take several minutes and consists of the following steps:
. Collect the machine configuration information.
. Add the source machine agent.
. Create the VM.
FIGURE 10.4 Convert physical server script.
Download at www.wowebook.com