Must install on ESX, any chance?

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Proximate

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Feb 13, 2022
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I have a remote network where I want to try out proxmox.
However, I don' t have free hardware to run it on yet need to convert/import esx vms into proxmox to work out any bugs before getting hardware there.
The only way I can do this would be to install proxmox on esx but then of course, it has no direct access to the CPU's.

The installer seems to be ok with continuing but is there any point to it?

I basically just need a proxmox instance to convert then store vms on the network so I can convert one of the esx boxes to proxmox.

Is there any way of doing this?
 
So are you saying just keep on installing, even if the error shows and it will work as I need it?
 
The error was that the CPU doesn't have VT enabled. I can tell you that the host itself doesn't have VT enabled on the CPUs. Not even sure how that happened but shutting them down to get to BIOS is a major no no.

My instance of proxmox will only be used to convert esx vms to proxmox. This instance of proxmox will not be in production, it will be removed once the conversions are completed.

I'm not sure if I'm looking for Nested Virtualization since it's the host itself that doesn't have VT enabled.
 
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Wait now, maybe you just said something I wasn't aware of. I've read countless articles, many of them slightly different than the last and I figured I just need to try something and go from there.

Are you saying that if I install qemu-tools, that it's something like open-vm-tools and that would let me migrate all these Linux vms from esx to proxmox?
 
I installed an instance on esx and it seems to work as needed.
Then I used ovftool.

Imported to proxmox from esx;
ovftool vi://root@192.168.1.243:443/dev-site-01 .

Imported as a vm on proxmox;
qm importovf 103 /dev-site-01.ovf local-zfs

Now I just need to figure out why those imported vm's won't boot. More reading.

Thanks for the help.
 
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The challenge is those vms are in production, I cannot really just go changing things on those while they are in use.
You'd think this would be a lot simpler considering how long proxmox has been around and if they want more people to adopt their solution.

I can get to the point of having the vm in proxmox inventory and from there it's useless. Way too much work to be done messing with install CD's etc.
 
I always search and try on my own before posting. I found countless articles, almost all of them not complete or overly complicated so the point where it won't help someone just starting out. I'll keep working on it, thanks for your input.
 
@Proximate
You are doing a cross-hypervisor migration which is always (at least kind of) a pain.
What you are doing is ESXi -> KVM (proxmox uses KVM for VMs). KVM works completely different. Hence some things need to adopted.

Have been there as well and I am sure my migration method was the most complex possible for several reasons ;)

There are companies that offer cross a hypervisor migration utilities but of course you need to pay for that.

I am not sure in which situation you actually are regarding your tests. Is there any specific thing you still try to investigate?
 
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It's no problem, I was just trying to learn how to convert. Still a work in progress but making progress :).
Thank you.
 
Maybe that helps.
Took me a while to get the process straight. It was important to me to run through the whole process.


### For Windows Server 2012R2
# Temporary use e1000, megaraid SAS

### For Windows 8.1
# temporary use SATA disk and e1000

### Process:
# Boot up
# install virtio driver
# install guest agent
# add an additional disk with virtio type
# reboot
# let windows install the virtio driver for the disk
# shutdown
# switch boot-device to virtio type and NIC as well
# now boot the system - it should come up without issues
# uninstall vmware tools
 
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Installing proxmox on esx just didn't work since it cannot gain total access to the CPU.
Therefore, some things work, many don't so I gave up.

Your input is great apoc and I'll give that a try too.

Thank you for sharing it.
 
Proximate said:
Installing proxmox on esx just didn't work since it cannot gain total access to the CPU.
Click to expand...
It does work. I know for sure because I did it.
Make sure to enable "nested virtualization" on the esxi VM. This makes sure that the guest hypervisor has access to VT.
 
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