VMDK disk image file format : ready for production ?

[ghusson]

Hello, I recently remarked that Proxmox VE (at last v4.4) now supports VMDK disk image file format.
I couldn't find any documentation on that (maybe because I always fall on migration procedure with qemu-img convert with my internet searchs). Same on kvm documentation at RedHat. The kvm manual shows an example of overlay writing over a HTTP stored flat disk image in vmdk format hosted on VCented (wahouuu .
Anyway some customers need to migrate from VMWARE to Proxmox VE. Should we still use the conversion method or can we use native .vmdk files ? Has it been tested / is it ready for production ?

Thank you.

 

[LnxBil]

This is more a QEMU-related question and VMDK is supported there for a long time. I cannot say something about production ready, but I seldomly use vmdk yet never had any problem with it.

The migration with qemu-img has also advantages like cleaning up old, unused space inside of the VM, yet on your host (free blocks) and QCOW2 is a fine format with more options as vmdk (also known as shinking, flattening or just discarding unused data). I never tried to snapshot a vmdk in PVE, so I do not know if this is already supported in QEMU or the PVE GUI (if that is what you're referring to). This also depends on the underlying storage type, e.g. SAN with LVM or ZFS is required to have raw devices, so no other container format around.

 

[mir]

Anyway some customers need to migrate from VMWARE to Proxmox VE. Should we still use the conversion method or can we use native .vmdk files ? Has it been tested / is it ready for production ?

Consider vmdk a migration format to proxmox from vmware or from proxmox to vmware. You should never use it in production since performance is bad and missing a number of important enterprise features.

 

[fireon]

Yes never use the vmdk in production. It is easy to convert to raw and then to everything you want.

 

[ghusson]

Thank you for sharing you experience guys.
qemu-img convert will still be my firend

 

[LnxBil]

qemu-img convert will still be my firend

and it is a very dear one.

 

[ghusson]

Now we can try : https://pve.proxmox.com/wiki/Qemu/K...ing_virtual_machines_from_foreign_hypervisors