VMware: Migrating Running VMs to Different Datastores without Storage vMotion in vSphere Essentials Plus

Migrating Running VMs to Different Datastores without Storage vMotion in VMware vSphere Essentials Plus

Introduction:

This article provides step-by-step instructions for administrators to migrate running Virtual Machines (VMs) to different datastores in VMware vSphere environments without using Storage vMotion. The process outlined below overcomes the limitations imposed by vSphere Essentials Plus licensing, allowing efficient VM distribution across datastores. Also, it includes a workaround for vSphere Storage vMotion to achieve selective disk-level migration.

Table of Contents:

Prerequisites
Symptoms
Purpose
Resolution

• Migrating VMs
• Workaround for vSphere Storage vMotion (Selective Disk-Level Migration)
• Extra Steps for vCenter Migration

vSphere Essentials Plus Limitations

Prerequisites:

• VMware vSphere environment with vSphere Essentials Plus licensing
• At least two ESXi hosts in the environment.

Symptoms:

• Inability to use Storage vMotion for migrating running VMs between datastores.
• Limited licensing with vSphere Essentials Plus, which does not include Storage vMotion functionality.
• Backup failures due to insufficient free capacity on the datastore

Purpose:

This guide provides administrators with the necessary steps to migrate running VMs to different datastores within VMware vSphere environments without relying on Storage vMotion. It also presents a workaround for achieving selective disk-level migration using a combination of cloning and copying techniques.

Resolution:

Migrating VMs:                                                                  

1. Log in to the vSphere Client or vSphere Web Client using administrator credentials.
2. Ensure that there are at least two ESXi hosts available in your environment.
3. Identify the VMs to be migrated to different datastores.
4. From the vSphere Client or vSphere Web Client, perform the following steps:
   a. Right-click the VM to migrate and select "Migrate" from the context menu.
   b. In the Migration wizard, choose the option "Change both compute resource and storage" to migrate both the VM and its storage.
   c. Select a target host or cluster to move the VM.
   d. Choose a target datastore or datastore cluster to store the VM’s files.
   e. Review the compatibility check results to ensure successful migration.
5. Click "Finish" to start the migration process.
6. Monitor the migration progress to ensure it completes successfully.
7. Repeat steps 4-6 for each VM that must be migrated.
8. After the migration process is complete, verify that the VMs are running on the desired datastores.

Workaround for vSphere Storage vMotion (Selective Disk-Level Migration):

Selective disk-level migration is not directly supported in vSphere Essentials Plus. However, it can be achieved using a workaround involving cloning and copying techniques.

Step 1: Create a New Datastore:

• Ensure that there is an additional datastore available on your vSphere Essentials Plus environment in order to migrate the VM’s disks.

Step 2: Clone the Virtual Machine:

• Log in to the vSphere Client with appropriate credentials.
• Locate the VM to be migrated in the inventory panel.
• Right-click the VM and select "Clone to Virtual Machine."
• In the "Select a Name and Folder" section, give the clone a unique name and choose a location for it in the inventory.
• Proceed to the next steps in the cloning wizard without changing the configuration.

Step 3: Remove Unnecessary Disks:

• Once the cloning process is complete, right-click the newly created clone VM in the inventory panel.
• Select "Edit Settings" to open the VM’s settings.
• In the "Hardware" tab, review the list of virtual disks attached to the VM.
• Identify the disks that you want to migrate to the new datastore.
• Make note of the names of these disks (e.g., Hard Disk 1, Hard Disk 2, etc.).

Step 4: Remove the Clone VM:

• This step is essential to avoid conflicts with the original VM and to prevent any potential IP or hostname conflicts. Right-click the cloned VM and select "Remove from Inventory."

Step 5: Copy the VM Disks:

• Enable SSH on the ESXi host that holds the VM’s disks. You can do this by connecting to the ESXi host through the vSphere Client, navigating to "Configuration" > "Security Profile," and enabling the "SSH" service.
• Use an SSH client (e.g., PuTTY) to connect to the ESXi host.
• Browse to the VM’s directory on the datastore using the command line. The location is usually /vmfs/volumes/datastore_name/vm_name/.
• Use the vmkfstools command to copy the virtual disks from the current datastore to the new datastore. The command syntax is as follows:

 vmkfstools -i source_disk_path -d thin destination_disk_path

For example:

 vmkfstools -i /vmfs/volumes/source_datastore/vm_name/source_disk.vmdk -d thin /vmfs/volumes/destination_datastore/vm_name/destination_disk.vmdk 

• Repeat this command for each disk to migrate.

Step 6: Register the VM:

• After copying all the disks, go to the new datastore using the vSphere Client.
• Right-click the .vmx file of the original VM (not the clone) and choose "Add to Inventory."
• Follow the prompts to add the VM back to the inventory.

Step 7: Power On and Verify:

• Power on the VM from the new datastore and ensure that everything works as expected.
• Verify that the VM is using the disks from the new datastore.

Additional Steps for vCenter Migration:

Regarding vCenter:

1. Power down vCenter.
2. Connect to the host directly (as vCenter will be down).
3. Right-click the vCenter VM and choose to unregister or remove it from the inventory (do not delete the VM).
4. Navigate to the datastore where the vCenter VM resides. Right-click the VM directory and choose "Move."
5. Select the new datastore as the destination for the vCenter VM.
6. Once the transfer completes, go into the directory and right-click the .vmx file and select "Register VM" (or "Add to Inventory").

vSphere Essentials Plus Limitations:

vSphere Essentials Plus is an entry-level edition of VMware vSphere designed for small businesses. It comes with some limitations compared to more advanced editions like Standard, Enterprise, or Enterprise Plus. Here are the main limitations of vSphere Essentials Plus:

• Number of Hosts: vSphere Essentials Plus supports a maximum of 3 physical ESXi hosts.
• vCenter Server: vSphere Essentials Plus includes a license for vCenter Server Essentials, which is a limited version of vCenter Server that can only manage up to 3 hosts.
• vSphere Features: Some advanced features available in higher editions, like Storage vMotion, Distributed Resource Scheduler (DRS), and High Availability (HA), are not included in vSphere Essentials Plus.
• RAM and CPU Limitations: Essentials Plus has certain limitations on the amount of RAM and CPU cores that it can support per host.
• No Fault Tolerance (FT): Fault Tolerance, a feature that provides continuous availability for VMs, is not available in vSphere Essentials Plus.
• No vSAN: vSphere Essentials Plus does not include the vSAN feature, which enables the creation of shared storage using local disks.

Sources:

Moving or copying virtual disks in a VMware environment
https://kb.vmware.com/s/article/900

Cloning and converting virtual machine disks with vmkfstools
https://kb.vmware.com/s/article/1028042

How to migrate running VMs to different datastores without Storage vMotion
https://virbeaver.com/2019/11/21/how-to-migrate-running-vms-to-different-datastores-without-storage-vmotion/

Migrate vCenter to a new datastore Without vMotion.
https://communities.vmware.com/t5/VMware-vCenter-Discussions/Migrate-vCenter-to-a-new-datastore-Without-vMotion/td-p/2253230