Convert to Virtual: store on ESX Server ?

[Ray_Arts]

Ls.

I've tried to convert a recovery point to a vmdk and store it directly on an ESX 3.0.2 server. Conversion succeeds but I do not see any transmission to the ESX box. I have provides userID/password credentials and selected the vmfs folder on the specified ESX server.

What functionality is actually included converting a recovery point to an ESX server ?

Regards.

[Bill_Felt]

Hello,

The service pack will include updates to the process of uploading/importing a converted VMDK file to an ESX server.  In the meantime, the following may help a bit.  I think number 3 relates most to your situation.

In order to provide support for ESX, we perform a local conversion first (i.e. to some location the the Windows workstation has access to), then upload the new VMDK file to a location on the ESX server, and finally import the uploaded VMDK into the correct format and final location in the VMFS filesystem so that it is usable by VM's on ESX.

1. When browsing for target upload/import directories on an ESX server, we show entries that are listed as directories when using a standard "ls" command under SFTP. Currently this means that symbolic links are excluded since the extended information (i.e. where the link goes) isn't returned as part of this command.

2. In order to try and speed things up getting the VMDK file(s) onto ESX, we always create growable files since they are the smallest type available. Since we have to upload a VMDK file via SFTP and then import the resulting VMDK files into the appropriate location under the VMFS filesystem, we create the smallest file possible for the upload process and then import the uploaded file to the final location. The import process creates the correct disk type (with the .VMDK and -flat.VMDK files).

3. When specifying credentials to use when communicating to the ESX server, the specified user should have necessary rights (writeable access) to the specified upload/import folders. Also, the vmkfstools utility needs to be in the default path for the user. If it is not, you can create a symbolic link for /usr/sbin/vmkfstools in /usr/bin.

Thanks.

[Netguru_2]

Bill,

Your points help a lot to understand this process, but I'm having some difficulty making this conversion work. I'm running BESR Server Edition V7.0.0.20351 and I'm current with LiveUpdate. Below are the observations I've seen in trying to get this to work:

1) When I run the BESR 7 convert option, sometimes when browsing the ESX server destinations for upload and import directory, the application hangs with a not responding message. Nothing I do will free this up - I need to kill the BESR task to get out of the hang. There should be a cancel button to end this browse step if something is wrong.  

2) If I get past the browsing problem, then the conversion starts, it successfully creates the local .vmdk file on the Windows server, then the process can immediatly end and say it was successful when it never copies the file to the ESX server. It has also started copying but to a Linux file structure that can only handle 2GB files max (which I wasn't aware of at the time and the .vmdk in this case is around 12GB), the copy will stop at this point and never end or finish, and cannot be canceled without killing the BESR task again.

3) Once I get the upload directory target set to a linux area that can handle the file size (in the folder in the VMFS volume), the process ends  and says it was successful. Looking for the final file in the import directory, it is not there. Investigating finds that the copy process that creates the file does not have permission to rename the file from the temporary name to the final name. The BESR tool says it completes successfully but in reality it did not.

 4) I fix this problem and run the tool again and it copies the file up successfully and then says it completes successfully but the file is not there again. I read in a VMWARE forum that this problem is most likely caused by the VMKFSTOOLS object needs to be in the /usr/bin path for this to work. I will have to create a symlink to make this happen.

It seems that there are quite a few gotchas using this tool that are not documented. The BESR tool needs to have better error handling and not just hang when browsing directories or complete with a success message when the last three steps don't work. 

One more request: Each time I try this, it takes 2-3 hours for the copy process to run. If I have chosen the option to leave the intermediate files, you could have the tool use those instead of starting over each time.  

Questions for you:

1) In your post from 3-15-07  you mention a service pack for BESR 7, but I don't see one available in downloads yet. Do you know when this will be available? Will it correct/improve these issues?

2) Could you provide the VMKFSTOOLS command line options to convert the Windows side VMDK file into the correct ESX VMDK file format?  In order to make this conversion more reliable in our DR planning, I was using the BESR tool to create the local VMDK file only, then manually copy the Windows file to the ESX server using WINSCP, and then manually running the VMKFSTOOLS command, but I cannot get the import step to work correctly trying various options.

Thank you!

[Gilly-Bhoy]

I have been using VMWare Convertor to bring the VMDK file into my ESX server.

Might get you out of a fix??

Gilly

[Netguru_2]

Hello Gary,

Thanks for the suggestion. The VMWare converter tool will work for BESR and live state images created with BESR 6.5 or earlier. When you use this tool with BESR 7.x images, it says it's an invalid format. VMWare says they are working on a newer version of the converter that will work with BESR 7.x files but it's not available yet. 

[Bill_Felt]

Hello,

Yes, the BESR 7.01 service pack does address a few of the ESX issues you have described in your post.  You should be able to receive a download link for 7.01 by contacting our technical support department.

Thanks.

[Netguru_2]

Bill,

Thank you for the update, I will definitely try the patch, but I'm having trouble finding how to download it. It is not in the download links under product support for BESR and it is not in any KB article. Using Symantec File Connect and my serial number I can see a full download of 7.0.1 but not a service pack to update the product when it is already installed.

Is the only way to get the service pack by calling in to technical support, since the product doesn't have email support? This seems overly difficult and time consuming, both to me and Symantec. But I will do this if it is the only way.

You did not address my second question about the VMKFSTOOLS command line to convert the BESR produced .VMDK file to ESX server format. I would like to know what this is even if the BESR converter works after applying the service pack.

Thank you!

Message Edited by Netguru on 08-23-200707:51 AM

[Netguru_2]

I found the answer to the service pack question - there isn't a separate service pack. You need to download a whole new version, 7.0.1, and install it over the existing product. That's why it's not in the downloads section and why you need to call in to get the link to the download.

If you have fileconnect.symantec.com access to the BESR 7 product using your serial number, the 7.0.1 download there is the same product as calling in for the SP1 version.

Message Edited by Netguru on 08-23-200708:31 AM

Message Edited by Netguru on 08-23-200708:32 AM