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xen-users
Re: [Xen-users] P2V Migration of Windows
Henning Sprang wrote:
Hi Bill,
On 1/12/07, Bill Denney <denney@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
I'm wanting to migrate some windows boxes P2V, and I was wondering if
there were any tools out there by the Xen community? I found Platespin
and Leostream, and I was wondering if anyone had any experience with
either of them. Are other tools out there that I didn't find?
I don't understand what these p2v tools really do and why one would
use them. I mean, they must do something special but only copying
files - but what?
A good P2V tool for windows will help you install the correct drivers
for your new platform and put the correct HAL on as well. Often windows
boxes will bluescreen if you try to take something unmodified from
physical to virtual.
For sure they can't migrate all running processes of all services
anybody runs on his windows servers seamlessly without interruption.
That is nearly impossible - it's basically what Xen migration is
about. Doing that without an hypervisor, to migrate to a hypervisor?
This is not the same. Migrations are for moving without downtime. P2V
is just what it says, moving physical to virtual.
Last but not least, why do you want such thing?
When installing a system on a new hardware (basically, starting to run
a system in Xen is from most perspectives of the running system
nothing else than that), a new installation is a good idea, I think.
If you cannot reconstruct your setup easily (e.g. because no
documentation exists and the person who did it isn't available), then
you should take the opportunity to install it newly, but this time
document it so it can be reconstructed the next time - the next crash
is always around the corner - better know you setup before.
There are several other reasons to do P2V instead of reinstallation:
* Maintain a stable system. If a system has been stable for months or
years without needing significant modifications, do you really want to
mess with that.
* Unable to reinstall. What if a system has software from a company
that went out of business and the tech before you broke the only
installation CD for the software or there is an online requirement to
installing the software and their website doesn't exist.
* Save time. Why take hours of human time when it can be done in
minutes of human time (though still possibly hours of computer time).
These are just the ideas off the top of my head for why you may want to
do a P2V migration.
Bill
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