How to import a .vmdk from vmWareWorkstation to vSphere?

[cabac]

Hello everybody,

I want to

1. create a disk on my local machine
2. prepare the disk local (partitioning, formating and store files on it)
3. then copy/move the disk to a vspere virtual machine
4. add the disk as a second harddisk to the virtual machine on vSphere

What I did:

1-2 from above (as I usual do) without Problems

Then, I used the vsphere client, logged in, switched to the correspondig data store, used "browse datastore" and uploaded the .vmdk file

which contains the partitioned, formated virtual disk. After uploading, I added the vmdk to the virtual machine - no problem.

When starting the virtual machine, I got the error message:

     virtual machine can´t be switched on, because : Failed to open disk scsi0:1

     Unsupported and/or invalid disk type 7.    

     DId you forget to import the disk first? ...

So, I looked at my VmWare Workstation and it says on creating a virtual machine, that it is compatible with ESX4.x

I did not find any import options on the vSphere client.

My Questions:

1. How can I use a vmdk from workstation (7.1.3 build-324285) on vSpere4 (4.1.0) on ESX4i (4.0.0) ?

2. where can I find the "import the disk" button? (I only found the upload button)

Thank you for your help,

Carsten

[thorsten_tritts]

Hi,

easiest possibility is to use the VMware vCenter Converter, you can do both things you want inside this tool. You'll find the converter here : http://www.vmware.com/products/converter/

It's free - no need to go the hard way .. :-)

/Thorsten

[nkrishnan]

2 options are availalble.

1) Install Standalone Vmware converter, Latest version is 4.3

Invoke the software, you can provide the WS VM details and ESX details where you want to deploy the WS VMs.

2) Install vCenter converter for vSphere , available along with VC installer Package. Install converter plugin using vCenter server plugin manager

Right click on the ESX host, you will get an option to import the VM

Thanks

Nithin

[idle-jam]

Hi and welcome.

You will need VMware Converter to convert it to vSphere readable format.

[cabac]

Hi,

thank you for your help. As I see there is no "direct" way. I have to convert

the vmdk.

Many thanks, Carsten

[vickey0rana]

guys,

If you are using vmware workstation 7, you dont have to convert it, its already the same virtual hardware version 7 (If you dont change the ver when creating it)
Uninstall the vmtools in the guest OS
Stop the VM, upload the VM files to esx datastore
Start the VM, reinstall vmtools
You need to reinstall vmtools becoz vm workstation 7 vmtools is a bit different/version