Need some help with virtual server migration

[Ser James Acinonyx of Compactis]

I will make the case, but before that, keep in mind: This is a school assignment. Not a personal decision, or a business decision. School assignment.

 

So, I have a Windows Server 2012 R2, with Hyper-V installed. The last task on my assignment sheet is to use the VHD file to move the virtual machine to another physical server.

I cannot find any good info on this on the web, so I figured I'd ask here. What would be the best and easiest way to do this? I don't suppose I can make the VHD an image of the VM and install on the second physical machine.

[Rohime]

23 minutes ago, Ser James Acinonyx of Compactis said:

I will make the case, but before that, keep in mind: This is a school assignment. Not a personal decision, or a business decision. School assignment.

 

So, I have a Windows Server 2012 R2, with Hyper-V installed. The last task on my assignment sheet is to use the VHD file to move the virtual machine to another physical server.

I cannot find any good info on this on the web, so I figured I'd ask here. What would be the best and easiest way to do this? I don't suppose I can make the VHD an image of the VM and install on the second physical machine.

What is the exact wording of the question?

 

Two obvious choices, but depends on the constraints of the question.

 

either a) Live Migration  or   b) Boot another machine direct from a file copy of the VHD.

[Gwersebe]

Are you on a domain if you are there is a feature that was introduced where you can have live migration but that requires a little extra work in the beginning but if not just go to hyper-v manager export machine and then on the other server click import machine and you should be good.

[leadeater]

34 minutes ago, Ser James Acinonyx of Compactis said:

I will make the case, but before that, keep in mind: This is a school assignment. Not a personal decision, or a business decision. School assignment.

 

So, I have a Windows Server 2012 R2, with Hyper-V installed. The last task on my assignment sheet is to use the VHD file to move the virtual machine to another physical server.

I cannot find any good info on this on the web, so I figured I'd ask here. What would be the best and easiest way to do this? I don't suppose I can make the VHD an image of the VM and install on the second physical machine.

Live Migration is a free feature of Hyper-V and is used for moving virtual machines between servers, this is the easiest and proper way to do it if the VM is not stored on shared storage that is visible to both Hyper-V hosts.

 

The other option is to just copy the VHD file to another server and the VM configuration files and just import it, works fine but not the best way to do it.

 

Basically, well exactly, what @Rohime said to do.

[Gwersebe]

Also with Live migration both systems have to be running server 2012.

[Ser James Acinonyx of Compactis]

54 minutes ago, Rohime said:

What is the exact wording of the question?

How do I migrate a WS 2012 R2 virtual machine and run it on a different physical server as the main system?

52 minutes ago, Gwersebe said:

Are you on a domain if you are there is a feature that was introduced where you can have live migration but that requires a little extra work in the beginning but if not just go to hyper-v manager export machine and then on the other server click import machine and you should be good.

The two physical machines are not connected to each other. They are fully separate entities.

43 minutes ago, leadeater said:

Live Migration is a free feature of Hyper-V and is used for moving virtual machines between servers, this is the easiest and proper way to do it if the VM is not stored on shared storage that is visible to both Hyper-V hosts.

 

The other option is to just copy the VHD file to another server and the VM configuration files and just import it, works fine but not the best way to do it.

 

Basically, well exactly, what @Rohime said to do.

Not entirely sure if what you explained answers my question, mostly because I am unclear on the subject.

36 minutes ago, Gwersebe said:

Also with Live migration both systems have to be running server 2012.

From what I understood, the VM I currently have would replace (if that's possible) the Server 2012 on the second physical machine.

[leadeater]

20 minutes ago, Ser James Acinonyx of Compactis said:

How do I migrate a WS 2012 R2 virtual machine and run it on a different physical server as the main system?

The two physical machines are not connected to each other. They are fully separate entities.

Not entirely sure if what you explained answers my question, mostly because I am unclear on the subject.

From what I understood, the VM I currently have would replace (if that's possible) the Server 2012 on the second physical machine.

What I understood from the question is they want you to move the VM from one physical server to another, it'll stay as a VM but just be running on different hardware after the move.

 

Live Migration copies the entire VM and it's configuration while running from one physical server to another, VM doesn't need to be shut down hence the name Live Migration .

 

I'd suggest getting clarification on the task but I find it unlikely they want you to move the VM to another server and not run it as a VM. If this is the case you can use BCDEdit to add another boot option to boot the physical server using the VHD file.

[unijab]

Should also be an export/import option..

[Ser James Acinonyx of Compactis]

15 minutes ago, leadeater said:

What I understood from the question is they want you to move the VM from one physical server to another, it'll stay as a VM but just be running on different hardware after the move.

 

Live Migration copies the entire VM and it's configuration while running from one physical server to another, VM doesn't need to be shut down hence the name Live Migration .

 

I'd suggest getting clarification on the task but I find it unlikely they want you to move the VM to another server and not run it as a VM. If this is the case you can use BCDEdit to add another boot option to boot the physical server using the VHD file.

First, I interpreted it as them wanting me to run the VM as non-VM on the second server machine. That's what I asked about.

 

As for paragraph 3, when I think on it, it does sound a bit special. I will ask when I get the chance, because some tasks have been worded oddly. I am just not lucky to have the teachers being 100% available so I can ask them about the assignments I get.

[unijab]

boot virtual and physical machines with winpe and imagex/ dism image from one place to another.

 

Boot a live linux cd and use dd over ssh to copy the disk image on the fly.

[leadeater]

7 minutes ago, Ser James Acinonyx of Compactis said:

First, I interpreted it as them wanting me to run the VM as non-VM on the second server machine. That's what I asked about.

 

As for paragraph 3, when I think on it, it does sound a bit special. I will ask when I get the chance, because some tasks have been worded oddly. I am just not lucky to have the teachers being 100% available so I can ask them about the assignments I get.

If this is the case then BCDEdit is what you want, copy the VHD file of the VM to the new physical server and create a new boot option that points to that VHD file. Then when you boot the server you'll get two boot options, one to boot to the standard OS (C:\) and one to boot to the VHD.

 

https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh825691.aspx (skip to step 4)

https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/canitpro/2015/02/23/step-by-step-testing-windows-server-2012-r2-via-boot-to-vhd/

 

Edit:

Just keep in mind this is very uncommon practice and typically only used for testing, hence I went with the standard advice steps of how to move a VM between physical servers keeping it as a VM.

[Ser James Acinonyx of Compactis]

14 minutes ago, leadeater said:

Just keep in mind this is very uncommon practice and typically only used for testing, hence I went with the standard advice steps of how to move a VM between physical servers keeping it as a VM.

I appreciate the help anyway, no matter how unorthodox this assignment task seems.

[Rohime]

11 hours ago, leadeater said:

Just keep in mind this is very uncommon practice and typically only used for testing, ...

Very true statement.  

 

BUT: The assignment (if it is a "return to physical as VHD" question) refelects one of those capabilities that new users of VM's always ask for IE: somebody will say "i need a capability to return to running on physical in case Virtual don't work".    Almost all medium and large shops want such a process.  I've only ever seen it used once (as a revert to physical activity) because the app didn't support virtualization (old versions of Fox Base Pro run like a snail).

 

 

[leadeater]

3 hours ago, Rohime said:

new users of VM's always ask for

Pretty rare find now days in our region . Oceania is the most virtualized region in the world by a long way and we were the first to really dive right in to it and make the move. Sure a lot of it has to do with most networks around here being much smaller than in other places so we don't typically fully utilize a physical server without using virtualization.

 

Microsoft classifies New Zealand as 97% SMB, in the US it's around 10%. SMB is defined by them as 250 FTE employees, not necessarily network users. 

 

It is one plus of Hyper-V over VMware that you can so easily boot the server directly on a physical host though without having to run any conversions.