Re: [Xen-users] help convert vmdk to xen

["Nick Couchman" <Nick.Couchman@xxxxxxxxx>]

If you execute the "file" command on the teamhalprin.com-flat_vm.vmdk file, you should get the following output:
teamhalprin.com-flat_vm.vmdk: x86 boot sector, GRand Unified Bootloader, code offset 0x48

If so, that file can be used directly with Xen.  The config line for Xen would look something like this:
disk=[ 'file:/path/to/teamhalprin.com-flat_vm.vmdk,hda,w', ]

that's assuming you're using an HVM domU on Xen - if you want to do a PV domU, you'd probably do this, instead:
disk=[ 'file:/path/to/teamhalprin.com-flat_vm.vmdk,xvda,w', ]

(the only difference is that hda from the first example changes to xvda).  I've never tried to use one of these in Xen and then go back and use it with the original descriptor file in VMware, so I don't know if that works.  I would imagine so, but it's possible that VMware does some sort of check to make sure that it hasn't been modified without their knowing.

-Nick

--
Nick Couchman
Manager, Information Technology
SEAKR Engineering, Inc

-----Original Message-----
From: christopher andrews <khris4@xxxxxxxxx>
To: Nick Couchman <Nick.Couchman@xxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: [Xen-users] help convert vmdk to xen
Date: Mon, 2 Mar 2009 00:04:48 -0500

This is what i have 
Other Linux 2.6.x kernel.vmem  Other Linux 2.6.x kernel.vmx   teamhalprin.com-flat_vm.vmdk.lck  vmware.log
Other Linux 2.6.x kernel.vmsd  Other Linux 2.6.x kernel.vmxf  teamhalprin_vm.vmdk
Other Linux 2.6.x kernel.vmss  teamhalprin.com-flat_vm.vmdk   vmware-0.log

Would have an idea of what the config should look like for the vmdk in xen?  I know there are lot of way to include the image in xen config for different type of setupz.


On Sun, Mar 1, 2009 at 11:59 PM, Nick Couchman <Nick.Couchman@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>     Well, it only works if you have the right type of VMDK.  If you have a <diskname>-flat.vmdk file, it probably will work - you can just point the Xen configuration at that file and Xen will read the disk.  If you have a multiple-slice disk, where you have <diskname>-s001.vmdk, <diskname>-s002.vmdk, etc., you'll need to do the conversion - the easiest way, as has already been mentioned, is using qemu-img to convert each of the -s00*.vmdk files to raw format, then cat them all into a single file.
>      
>     -Nick
>     
>     >>> christopher andrews <khris4@xxxxxxxxx> 2009/03/01 21:56 >>>
>     
>     
>     Would you know how I can use my current vmdk file with xen? That would be a easy way to get thing working.
>     
>     
>     
>     On Sun, Mar 1, 2009 at 11:52 PM, Nick Couchman <Nick.Couchman@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> >         Note that, depending on the type of VMDK file you're using, it's already in a state where you can use it in Xen. I'm not sure about VMware Server 2, but in VMware ESX/ESXi, there are two files for each disk - <diskname>.vmdk, the descriptor file, and <diskname>-flat.vmdk, the data. The -flat.vmdk file is essentially the same as a Xen RAW file, so you can use it directly with Xen.
> >     
> >         
> >     
> >         -Nick
> >         
> >         >>> christopher andrews <khris4@xxxxxxxxx> 2009/03/01 16:43 >>> 
> >     
> >         
> >         I have vmware server 2.0 vmdk that is using lvm within the vmware vmdk. I can i convert it so i can use it with xen, i been trying ever on the web but have found a solution that work. 
> >     
> >         
> >         
> >     
> >         Here is the vmdk fstab runing centos 5.2
> >     
> >         /dev/VolGroup00/LogVol03 / ext3 defaults 1 1
> >     
> >         /dev/VolGroup00/LogVol00 /var ext3 defaults 1 2
> >     
> >         /dev/VolGroup00/LogVol02 /tmp ext3 defaults 1 2
> >     
> >         /dev/VolGroup00/LogVol04 /home ext3 grpquota,suid,dev,usrquota,exec 0 2
> >     
> >         LABEL=/boot /boot ext3 defaults 1 2
> >     
> >         tmpfs /dev/shm tmpfs defaults 0 0
> >     
> >         devpts /dev/pts devpts gid=5,mode=620 0 0
> >     
> >         sysfs /sys sysfs defaults 0 0
> >     
> >         proc /proc proc defaults 0 0
> >     
> >         /dev/VolGroup00/LogVol01 swap swap defaults 0 0
> >     
> >         
> >         
> >     
> >         
> >         
> >

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