| Vmware to openvz ? [message #32267] |
Tue, 29 July 2008 07:42  |
divisionmd
Messages: 3
Registered: July 2008
Location: Sweden
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Junior Member |
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Hello,
Interested in starting to test/use OpenVz.
Just a question: can i convert my vmware images to OpenVZ?
My vmware images are today Linux installations and based on debian. I only have two vmware images that are based on Windows 2003 Server. Would like to convert all this to run on OpenVZ.
Thanks for help,
Best regards,
Johan
[Updated on: Tue, 29 July 2008 07:44] Report message to a moderator |
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| Re: Vmware to openvz ? [message #32271 is a reply to message #32267] |
Tue, 29 July 2008 14:59  |
kenjy
Messages: 50
Registered: July 2008
Location: Mexico
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Member |
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Well it is possible with some job, the first difference between vmware and openvz is that vmware its a Full Virtualization Level and OpenVz its a Operating system Level Virtualization, OpenVz don't have a virtual HardDisk/Network Card/Audio Card etc for each virtual machine, the first step its droping out all the filesystem of a Vmware machine preserving permissions, then you need to debug it because a Virtual Environment in OpenVz don't needs to load for example ... a kernel, you need to adapt the filesystem dad you got from the Vmware Machine to a OpenVz VE way, that means some job and a lot of Linux know lead.
Yes it is not impossible so I can say that its possible ... but with some job.
http://kenjy.net |Live net !!!
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| Re: Vmware to openvz ? [message #32276 is a reply to message #32267] |
Wed, 30 July 2008 03:42 |
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dowdle
Messages: 261
Registered: December 2005
Location: Bozeman, Montana
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Senior Member |
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First off, OpenVZ is *ONLY* for Linux on Linux virtualization... so you will never be able to run your VMware Windows virtual machines on OpenVZ. Also, OpenVZ is more geared toward containers that do not contain GUI environments. While you can use GUI environments inside of containers, you aren't going to get runlevel 5 to work... and have a graphical login screen for your container. If you really work at it, that might be possible but the vast majority of people use vnc, ssh -X, or something like xorg-xnest/zypher... or no machine.
As kenjy said (and his native language is Spanish by the way), OpenVZ does NOT use disk images... so there is not a process for converting a VMware disk image into an OpenVZ disk image format. Containers exist as a directory inside of /vz/private (or perhaps something similar under /var depending on the host node distro you are using). Container 199 would be /vz/private/199 and in that directory you will find all of the directories and files you'd expect on a Linux / filesystem. When the container is running, you'll also see files under /vz/root/199. The /vz/root/{CTID} does not take up actual disk space and is just a remounted (although I couldn't tell you the exact process) private directory. As you would imagine it is a good idea to put /vz on a partition of it's own. I believe some folks like to use LVM partitions for their container directories so they can use LVM's live snapshots feature for easy backups.
For converting VMware Linux virtual machines to OpenVZ, you can probably just try the Physical to Virtual recipe given on the wiki. I realize that VMware virtual machines are NOT physical, but the p2v method should work. You can find it here:
http://wiki.openvz.org/Physical_to_container
Before you start trying to migrate machines though I'd recommend you spend some time with OpenVZ and get to know it some by creating a few new containers and playing with them. Learn the vzctl command and read the vzctl man page. Play with vzctl's various options. Once you gain some confidence using vzctl and working with containers... then you might start trying to do some p2v migrations.
--
TYL, Scott Dowdle
Belgrade, Montana, USA
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