Server 2008 & VHD conversions

[Anthony_Murfet]

Greetings,

Am I the only customer needing to setup a Windows 2008 server using Hyper-V (Virtual Server 2008 to the uninitiated) to perform recoveries of Exchange 2007 servers as virtual machines? Exchange 2007 is 64-bit so the only solution in a Microsoft environment is to use Hyper-V to recover 64-bit virtual machines.

Am I dumb to expect System Recovery v8 to be able to convert an image created with BESR703 to a VHD that will run in Hyper-V. I thought BESR8 was designed to work with Server 2008. Where can I get the scoop on this?

All I get is an error stating that "Microsoft Virtual Server does not support 64-bit guests" when in fact I am using Hyper-V. Or is it that the backup must first be performed by BESR8? Help! Anyone..

..and thanks for any help.. Anthony Murfet.

[Rich_L]

Hi Anthony,

The current version of Backup Exec System Recovery (BESR 8.0.1) does not support Hyper-V.

Good News is that the next version (BESR 8.5) will support Physical to Virtual (P2V) for 64-bit VHD to run on Hyper-V.  8.5 will support P2V and P2P (Physical to Physical) of Hyper-V Host as well.

Backup Exec System Recovery 8.5 will be release late this year (Q4?), but still no specific date/time frame.  Please continue to check the Forums for more specific release date information.

Cheers,

Rich L

[TMurfet]

Rich,

Thanks for the info. So how do I apply to beta test version 8.5? Is there a link I can go to? Also is there a known workaround? Anyone? Maybe a method such as:

Restore to 64-bit hardware, then use a Microsoft conversion method to convert to a virtual machine that will run under Hyper-V?

Cheers Anthony Murfet

Message Edited by TMurfet on 05-22-2008 10:09 AM

[Rich_L]

Anthony,

I am looking into the Beta request.  Once I receive this information, I will send this information to you in a personal message.  Look for this message this week.

There is no known work around that I am aware of.  However, the method you describe is very likely to work.  Restore an image using BESR 8.0.x to 64-bit hardware, then use a Microsoft conversion method to get it converted to a virtual machine that will run in Hyper-V.

I'm sorry i do not have more information than this.  I will try to gather more and pass it on to you.

Cheers,

Rich L

[Anthony_Murfet]

For the benefit of others who may be reading this - I am making progress using Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 Beta. I have succeeded in recovering a 64-bit Exchange server and I hope to use MSCVMM to convert the recovered server to a virtual machine running under Hyper-V on Windows 2008 Server. The dissadvantage with SCVMM is it will only convert a running physical server - so I have to use BESR802 to recover it first.

Cheers, Anthony Murfet

[Clifton_Hasting]

Anthony - I am in the same boat as you.  Here are my thoughts.

1.  Install either Windows Server 2008 x64 or Windows Server 2003 x64 (whatever your exchange 2007 environment is running on) into a temporary Hyper-V VM.

2.  Install the Hyper-V Integration Components (Drivers) into the VM.

3.  Install full BESR 8.0.2 on the VM.

4.  Run the Recovery Disk Wizard and let it detect the Hyper-V drivers and add them to your existing SRD.

5.  Delete the temporary VM, and then create a new one to hold your restored Exchange Server.

6.  Boot the new VM off of your new SRD disk that has the Hyper-V drivers installed.

7.  Restore your BESR image of your Exchange Server into the new VM using Restore Anywhere and preserve your domain token.

8.  When the VM reboots hopefully it won't bluescreen and it will run mini-setup, detect the Hyper-V drivers, and you'll be on your way.

I don't have any Hyper-V boxes set up right now but this is what I am going to try when I do.  If you get a chance to try this or if you already have tried it let me know.

Thanks!

Cliff Hastings

[TMurfet]

Well I tried your suggestion Cliff. I got as far as running the Recovery Disk Wizard. It failed to discover the HyperV drivers. It did find the virtual NIC drivers. I also got a warning from the wizard indicating that 64-bit drivers were not supported but they can be added manually (or words to that effect). I suspect we are dealing with a "half-way" build; 8.0.2 has partial 64-bit driver support but doesn't actually work. Then I thought to myself, how hard would it be for Symantec to provide a custom SRD image that would work in this scenario (recovering to a running 64-bit VM).

Symantec: Question -- How long do we have to wait for a solution? HyperV is now released. I signed up for the beta test of 8.5 but have heard nothing. I am testing a version of System Center VMM 2008 that does work as far as converting a running 64-bit server to a VM. Is Symantec actually working on a solution? It would be polite to let customers know what is going on...

Cheers, Tony

[Clifton_Hasting]

Hi Tony,

I found a workaround.  What I ended up doing was simply using the BESR console to convert the images I needed to .VHD files.  When you boot up on them in Hyper-V and run the Integration Services setup it first has to replace the HAL and reboot.  After it does that it goes ahead and installed the Hyper-V drivers and voila!  I was up and running.  Of course, that was for a 32 bit version of Windows.  What happens if you try to convert the image to a .VHD file?

Cliff

[AJT]

See BESR 8.5, it now performs a better P2V to Hyper-V and now supports V2P to dissimilar hardware.

Enjoy 

[Jacob_A]

Just for future reference, to sign up to be a beta tester you can go to the following address: https://symbeta.symantec.com