New Import Wizard Available for Migrating VMware ESXi Based Virtual Machines

[Ketanest]

Great thing, thank you!

But I unfortunately have issues importing a Windows VM with EFI. I migrated as described in the wiki but even with different import settings the VM on Proxmox won't boot. It boots in recovery mode everytime. If I import without changing any settings, boot screen looks this:


If I detach the boot disk and reattach it as SATA or IDE disk, the VM boots directly into EFI Shell:


I already tried https://pve.proxmox.com/wiki/OVMF/UEFI_Boot_Entries but no success.

Don't know if this is an migration issue or something else but I hope anyone can help me.

Thanks!

 

[Allcloud]

@Ketanest which filetype did you use? If you want to boot a windows virtual machine which is migrated, you need to use the virtio drivers. You could go to the command prompt and navigate to the virtio cd drive and go to the following path: vioscsi/(windows version)/amd64

Now that you're there, use the command drvload vioscsi.inf. Now that you've done this, the bootdisk becomes visible (the disk where windows is installed on.) Now you need to use the following command: dism /image:[drive letter]:\ /add-driver /driver:vioscsi.inf

Now you only need to change the bootorder and set the windows bootdisk to first and you're ready to go!

 

[Ketanest]

@Allcloud what exactly do you mean with filetype? qcow2? This is what I used. I already know the problem with the VirtIO thing so I imported the VM with "Prepare for VirtIO-SCSI" which results in a SATA-Harddisk and in my opinion should be able to boot. But even if I add the drivers before booting it always boots in the efi shell.

Some more information: I tried to import the VM again with default options (which is "Prepare for VirtIO-SCSI" checked, too) ending up the VM booting into recovery mode. If I try to start command prompt it asks me for Administrator Password. The disk seems to be readable because otherwise it could not suggest the Admin-Accounts for logging in...

 

[devaux]

I'm experiencing the same error during live migration and at least 50% of the time I lose the ability to connect to ESXi storage from PVE until I reboot the ESX host. It also seemed to brick my mgmt access to vsphere for the host on one attempt, but not sure if that was directly related.

Once you get "blocked", you can restart the "Management Agents" directly in the ESXi Console:


But yes, getting this error message after bout 15GB, too on a vSphere 7.03u. (2 ESXi Hosts+vCenter with a MSA SAN)
Strangely enough, my first attempt worked on this host

EDIT: I think the migration which worked was made over "Storage" of the vCenter and not the ESXi-Host directly. This could explain this behaviour.
Gotcha! Using the vCenter instead of the ESXi directly works for me. Any ideas how to use the ESXi in future migrations?

Issues with migration from vCenter are so far:
- Sometimes it can't download the information from the virtual machine and i get a timeout when starting the import-dialog
- Quite slow (~30MB/s) as described in the reference docs

 

[Falk R.]

And please please please provide more GUI-actions for "VM unlock" or "HA Error Reset" etc.

I this is no good idea.
Normally you don't have such tasks. I've been running clusters for customers for a few years and the customer doesn't know the commands because everything is running properly. If you like tinkering, you can do something like that on the CLI, because then you sometimes think about why you have to do it.

 

[Falk R.]

Great thing, thank you!

But I unfortunately have issues importing a Windows VM with EFI. I migrated as described in the wiki but even with different import settings the VM on Proxmox won't boot. It boots in recovery mode everytime. If I import without changing any settings, boot screen looks this:
View attachment 65465

If I detach the boot disk and reattach it as SATA or IDE disk, the VM boots directly into EFI Shell:
View attachment 65466

I already tried https://pve.proxmox.com/wiki/OVMF/UEFI_Boot_Entries but no success.

Don't know if this is an migration issue or something else but I hope anyone can help me.

Thanks!

Do you have change the boot order after change the controller type?

 

[Ketanest]

Seems not to be problem with migration / import wizard. Even when manually copying the vmdk to proxmox and then importing it with qm disk import I have the same issue.

 

[Ketanest]

I also tried bootrec fixmbx, fixboot and rebuildbcd but this commands say "Total identified Windows Installations: 0"...
Don't know what to do here... Some VMs could be "migrated" with fresh installation and then configuring without much configuration expense (DCs, Fileserver / DFS) but there are some which I would not like to install fresh (CA, Custom Application Servers, ...)

 

[DeBuurman]

Very nice feature. Can't wait to test it

 

[gringao]

hi,
nice work, import offline works great.

just missed the vlan field in addition to the bridge configuration field. I can't try live migration whitout this I think.

Best Regardes,

 

[devaux]

Great thing, thank you!

But I unfortunately have issues importing a Windows VM with EFI. I migrated as described in the wiki but even with different import settings the VM on Proxmox won't boot. It boots in recovery mode everytime. If I import without changing any settings, boot screen looks this:
View attachment 65465

If I detach the boot disk and reattach it as SATA or IDE disk, the VM boots directly into EFI Shell:
View attachment 65466

I already tried https://pve.proxmox.com/wiki/OVMF/UEFI_Boot_Entries but no success.

Don't know if this is an migration issue or something else but I hope anyone can help me.

Thanks!

Don't forget to set the boot-order and enable the disk in the "options"


If it always boots into the recovery console, try to switch to virtio-scsi-single and include the virtio-storage driver:
1. Switch your controller to Virtio SCSI Single and add the virtio-iso to your cdrom-drive
2. Boot into Windows-Recovery Console
3. Load virtio driver:
drvload.exe D:\viostor\w10\amd64\viostor.inf (D: is the virtio-ISO). You should have access to your Windows-Installation now. Check dispart or try&error your drive letter
4. Include the virtio driver into your Windows-Installation:
dism /image:c:\ /add-driver /driver:d:\viostor\w10\amd64\viostor.inf
C: is your Windows (can vary. Check diskpart) and d: is the virtio-iso

Also i had a 100% success-rate converting into virtio-scsi within the Wizard so far without having to do anything manually with the viostor-drivers...

 

[bleevht]

Everyone, I posted a write-up on the process to install and migrate VMs using the new VMware ESXi wizard here if anyone wants to take a look at the process: https://www.virtualizationhowto.com/2024/03/proxmox-new-import-wizard-for-migrating-vmware-esxi-vms/

 

[Ketanest]

Don't forget to set the boot-order and enable the disk in the "options"

I did already.

If it always boots into the recovery console, try to switch to virtio-scsi-single and include the virtio-storage driver:
1. Switch your controller to Virtio SCSI Single and add the virtio-iso to your cdrom-drive
2. Boot into Windows-Recovery Console
3. Load virtio driver:
drvload.exe D:\viostor\w11\amd64\viostor.inf (D: is the virtio-ISO). You should have access to your Windows-Installation now. Check dispart or try&error your drive letter
4. Include the virtio driver into your Windows-Installation:
dism /image:c:\ /add-driver /driver:d:\viostor\w10\amd64\viostor.inf
C: is your Windows (can vary. Check diskpart) and d: is the virtio-iso

I tried to do this with vioscsi driver. Maybe that was the problem?
EDIT: But the HDD is attached via SATA first. So the driver should not be a problem, right?

Also i had a 100% success-rate converting into virtio-scsi within the Wizard so far...

Lucky you I'm sitting here 9 o'clock in the morning trying to get things running...

I am wondering why it seems to work at many other people but I am having issues...

 

[devaux]

I did already.

I tried to do this with vioscsi driver. Maybe that was the problem?
EDIT: But the HDD is attached via SATA first. So the driver should not be a problem, right?

Lucky you I'm sitting here 9 o'clock in the morning trying to get things running...

I am wondering why it seems to work at many other people but I am having issues...

You want to use VirtIO SCSI single controller with virtio-block-Disks whenever possible

 

[aaron]

You want to use VirtIO SCSI single controller with sata-Disks whenever prossible

The SCSI controller has no affect on SATA based disks. It will affect SCSI disks.

 

[Ketanest]

The SCSI controller has no affect on SATA based disks. It will affect SCSI disks.

That was my information, too. To be able to boot at all I wanted to boot with SATA disk, add a SCSI (because of the drivers) and then change the boot disk to SCSI as recommended.

I started now to fresh install the possible devices, I think I will backup the other ones with Veeam Agent and recover them with recovery iso. Workaround but yeah, I have to finish migration soon...

 

[devaux]

That was my information, too. To be able to boot at all I wanted to boot with SATA disk, add a SCSI (because of the drivers) and then change the boot disk to SCSI as recommended.

I started now to fresh install the possible devices, I think I will backup the other ones with Veeam Agent and recover them with recovery iso. Workaround but yeah, I have to finish migration soon...

Yes, missed this. Sorry.
You have to detach and reattach the disk as virtio-block-device. If you get a Bluescreen, you have to add the virtio-drivers in the Recovery Console.

 

[Ketanest]

Yes, missed this. Sorry.
You have to detach and reattach the disk as virtio-block-device. If you get a Bluescreen, you have to add the virtio-drivers in the Recovery Console.

Nope, does not change anything. I think there is a problem with the harddisk itself and not with the mounting way.

 

[Ketanest]

That was my information, too. To be able to boot at all I wanted to boot with SATA disk, add a SCSI (because of the drivers) and then change the boot disk to SCSI as recommended.

I started now to fresh install the possible devices, I think I will backup the other ones with Veeam Agent and recover them with recovery iso. Workaround but yeah, I have to finish migration soon...

What the hell. Backup with Veeam Agent and BareMetal-Recovery with the just generated ISO doesn't work either...

 

[Ketanest]

Ok new update on this: Seems like a migration from ESX (Intel) to Proxmox (AMD) causes trashy results. I tried to migrate some VMs from Intel ESX to Intel Proxmox and every of them worked fine. I don't know why one of the ESX Intel VMs worked finde on the AMD Proxmox. Crazy things going around here