Migration from vmware: prevent auto reboot on boot failure

[frantek]

Hi,

I try to migrate a Linux VM from vmware to PVE. It starts booting but the boot fails and immediately reboots so I can't see any messages.

Is there a way to tell Quemu to wait, regardless what happens? Any further hints for migration besides https://pve.proxmox.com/wiki/Migration_of_servers_to_Proxmox_VE#VMware_to_Proxmox_VE_.28KVM.29 ?

TIA
Matthias

 

[fireon]

Maybe the "stop cpu flag" (it is an flag at the options) is helping you. But in this case i easy do an little Movie.

How have you done the migration? With rsync? We have done this always this way. It is easy and have always worked for use.

 

[frantek]

What do you mean by "stop cpu flag"? Can't find some thing like this in the Qemu documentation.

I've just moved the VMDK files in and converted them.

 

[fireon]

What do you mean by "stop cpu flag"? Can't find some thing like this in the Qemu documentation.

I mean that - see attached file.

I've just moved the VMDK files in and converted them.

I've tested the vmdk import feature not yet. But normaly you import an set everyting to vmware. Not tested. After that is running you can change everything to virtio/scsi... but this is the windows way.

What we do, and everytime worked this that:

• start at vmware with an livedisk (clonezilla, ubuntu, what you like)
• create a new vm on pve target host, with new devices (for Linux scsidisk and virtio network)
• choose also the qemu-guest-agent
• make partition and format it with your filesystem
• mount it
• go the the vmware and copy the whole disk with rsync to the target vm
• on the target choose the right UUID, edit fstab, right grub, reboot
• ready

For Linux this is the easiest way. What OS you like to migrate? Problems with this methode you have only with old VM's like centos5 or an old suse with kernel 2.6.

 

[frantek]

When I use "Freeze CPU at startup" the system will not boot. I just see "Guest as not ininitialized the display (yet)." and the "Start" button turns to "Resume". When I click "Resume" I'm back in the boot loop. So "Freeze CPU at startup" does not have the desired behavior.

Despite it is a Linux based setup cloning by a live a system is no option here as it is some kind of appliance I've less access to compared to a normal Linux setup.

 

[fireon]

Despite it is a Linux based setup cloning by a live a system is no option here as it is some kind of appliance I've less access to compared to a normal Linux setup.

Than you have a problem, without full access... how would you like to migrate all datas? Ok....

So what have you done? Step by step please. And post your vmconfig. Thanks

 

[frantek]

I've done exactly this:

https://pve.proxmox.com/wiki/Migration_of_servers_to_Proxmox_VE#VMware_to_Proxmox_VE_.28KVM.29

as far as it was possible. The system only boots with the LSI SCSI controller.

Normalized VMDKs, converted them, created a VM with E1000 NIC like in the vmware VM with the same MAC and moved the disk images to the correct location.

 

[fireon]

Did you know that article?

 

[frantek]

All this does not help. I need to stop the auto reboot. Otherwise I will not be able to fix this.

 

[fireon]

What is with boot a livedisk and analyse (chroot) and repair the linux-guest-system.

 

[frantek]

I don't know what to repair ... grub loads, Linux kernel starts to load but I can't see what the problem is because it reboots. I need to stop the auto reboot.

 

[fireon]

I need to stop the auto reboot.

But it reboots from inside the VM, so take a livedisc. Proxmox can't reboot a vm. Only start and stop.