VMware GSX 3 - Manual (Page 172)

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VMware GSX Server Administration Guide
Moving a VMware GSX Server 3
Virtual Machine
What do you do if you have created a virtual machine using GSX Server 3 and you
want to move it to a different computer? Or even somewhere else on the same
computer? The process is not difficult, and in most cases you can even move your
virtual machine from a Windows host to a Linux host — or vice versa. If the virtual
machine was created under GSX Server 3, follow the directions in this section.
Note: These instructions assume that you are using a virtual disk — stored in one or
more .vmdk files on your host computer.
It’s always safest to make backup copies of all the files in your virtual machine’s
directory before you start a process like this.
Caution: VMware recommends you do not migrate a Red Hat Linux 7.3 or 7.2 virtual
machine between hosts when one host is running on an AMD processor and the
other is running on an Intel processor. For more information, read the Known Issues
sections for these guest operating systems in the VMware Guest Operating System
Installation Guide, available on the console Help menu.
The following sections further describe moving a GSX Server 3 virtual machine:
• Virtual Machines Use Relative Paths on page 172
• Preparing Your Virtual Machine for the Move on page 172
• Moving a Virtual Machine to a New Host on page 173
Virtual Machines Use Relative Paths
The path names for all files associated with a GSX Server 3 virtual machine are relative,
meaning the path to each file is relative to the currently active directory. For example,
if you are in the virtual machine’s directory, the relative path to the virtual disk file is
<machine name>.vmdk .
Preparing Your Virtual Machine for the Move
1. Shut down the guest operating system and power off the virtual machine. If the
virtual machine is suspended, resume it, then shut down the guest.
2. Do one of the following:
• If you are moving the virtual machine to a new host and have a network
connection between the original host machine and the new host, you are
finished with the preparations on the original host. If you do not have a
network connection, you need to have a way of moving the virtual disk
(.vmdk) files from the virtual machine’s directory to the new host. You could