Convert VMware VM to KVM

[IamSpartacus]

Has anyone here successfully converted their VMware VM's to work in UnRAID?  I have a Linux Ubuntu Svr VM and a Windows Server 2012 VM I'd like to convert over to run on my UnRAID box.

[jfeeser]

Not sure if you ever got this done, but if anyone else finds this topic, here's how i did it:

 

1)  Stop the VM in ESXI

2)  Export the VM as an OVF template

3)  Make a folder on your unraid box called /mnt/user/domains/<NameOfVM>

4)  Copy the VMDK file from the export folder to the folder you created in step 3

5)  Run the following command:  "qemu-img convert -p -f vmdk -O raw <vmdkfile> <vmdkfilename>.img".  This will convert the file to the KVM/OVirt format. 

6)  Create a new VM, change the bios to "SeaBIOS", and choose the .img file created in step #5 for the first hard drive.

 

At this point, if it's a linux machine, you can boot it and it pretty much Just Works (tm).  If it's a windows box, you've got a couple more steps.

 

7)  Boot the windows box, let it freak out that there is a bunch of new hardware and attempt to install drivers for it.  Let it do it's thing - it'll probably reboot a couple times.

8 ) go to add/remove programs and uninstall vmware tools

9)  As part of the creation process, you'll end up with a D (or first available) letter drive with the OVirt client VM files (basically vmware client for OVirt).  Open that up, go to the client install folder and install it.  Reboot.

10) after the reboot, go to device manager and install drivers for anything that wasn't detected properly.  All the drivers you need should also be on that D drive disk.  

11)  Reboot one last time and you should be good to go!

 

That's pretty much it.  The only other snag i noticed is that a couple VMs that i converted that had static IPs flipped back over to DHCP (my assumption is because of the change in virtual network hardware), so make sure to check that.  Let me know if you (or anyone else) runs into any issues!

[itimpi]

Strictly speaking step 5 is normally not necessary as KVM can handle .vmdk files directly.   To do so you need to enter the path to the .vmdk file directly into the template as the unRAID  GUI does not offer such files automatically.

[Whizadree]

would this method work for OSX?

[Mattyice]

Hello so everything works except for the network settings is this an issue with the conversion? I'm running a linux system specifically Ubuntu.

duxx1-diagnostics-20221106-2357.zip

[ghost82]

7 hours ago, Mattyice said:

everything works except for the network settings

Is the issue that you don't have internet inside the vm or the message guest agent not installed?

If it's the latter, just install qemu guest agent into your linux vm.

Package name could differ for different linux distribution, for example it can be qemu-guest-agent.

After installation enable it, for example:

systemctl enable qemu-guest-agent
systemctl start qemu-guest-agent

Then check if it's running correctly, for example:
 

systemctl status qemu-guest-agent

 

If you don't have internet change network type from e1000 to virtio or virtio-net or e1000-82545em

Edited November 7, 2022 by ghost82

[Mattyice]

4 hours ago, ghost82 said:

Is the issue that you don't have internet inside the vm or the message guest agent not installed?

If it's the latter, just install qemu guest agent into your linux vm.

Package name could differ for different linux distribution, for example it can be qemu-guest-agent.

After installation enable it, for example:

systemctl enable qemu-guest-agent
systemctl start qemu-guest-agent

Then check if it's running correctly, for example:
 

systemctl status qemu-guest-agent

 

If you don't have internet change network type from e1000 to virtio or virtio-net or e1000-82545em

Correct I don't have internet in the VM at all so I can't install anything.

[Mattyice]

I've done what you recommended and I'm unable to enable qemu-guest-agent as it has to be installed and even chaging the VM network types nothing works.

[ghost82]

Check in the guest vm if the virtual network adapter is there, open a terminal and type:
 

lspci

then press enter.

It should list the adapter at 02:01.0 if you didn't change your xml.

[Mattyice]

Didn't change the xml at all, the device is at 04:00:00

[ghost82]

If it's not changed from the xml in your diagnostics, I cannot explain, the address is there, and also it was e1000 and now it's virtio.

Anyway, 04:00.0 or 02:01.0, e1000 or virtio, doesn't make any difference, you have the virtio network inside the vm, the issue is inside the vm, not related to qemu or libvirt, maybe you just need to configure the connection inside the vm (networkmanager?)

Edited November 8, 2022 by ghost82