VMware VM Importer, allows us to convert virtual machines from: VMware Workstation or VMware Player or VMware Server or VMware GSX Server or Microsoft Virtual PC or Microsoft Virtual Server or Symantec Ghost or Symantec LiveState images in VMware ESX or VMware Workstation or VMware Player or VMware Server or GSX Server format. To do this,, we will need to download and install the VM Importer 2 from the www.vmware.com.

Once downloaded, we begin the installation which is a simple wizard, “Next” to install it,

We accept the license agreement by checking “I accept the terms in the license agreement” & “Next”,

We indicate the name and organization & “Next”,

Click on “Install” to get started with the installation of this product.

… We wait while you install…

“Finish”, Installed successfully,

GOOD, Now we open the product, click on the “VMware Virtual Machine Importer 2” to open it,

An assistant will appear that tells us what this application can do, we are moved by the format of the virtual machines among those we are interested in, converts format between VM Workstation/WM Player/VM Server/VM GSX/VM ESX/VM VirtualCenter servers. And you can also convert Microsoft Virtual PC/Microsoft Virtual Server/Symantec LiveState and Symantec Ghost format 9 to VMware format. “Following”,

Select the option that interests us, if importing from a virtual machine, or import from an ESX server or other types of virtual machines. In the case I will now use it will be a migration of a virtual machine with Microsoft Virtual PC, I select my option, “Following”,

Since “Browse…” I select the VM image file, “Following”,

This message tells me that it does not detect the OS. of the virtual machine, that I run a risk that it doesn't work, It's because my MV is a linux, VMware Importer seamlessly imports virtual machines running Microsoft Windows NT/2000/XP/2003, the others he does not ensure 100%. “Following”,

We select the format of the target virtual machine that we will create, if we want to use it with VMware Workstation, VMware Player, VMware Server, VMware GSX Server or VMware ESX Server or for VirtualCenter2. “Following”,

It detects the name of the Virtual Machine, and select where we want to save it and of course the version we are interested in, if Workstation 5.x, VMware Player 1.x or VMware Server; o Workstation 4.x, WMware ACE 1.x or GSX Server 3.x. “Following”,

We marked that he does a complete cloning which is the interesting thing, and if we want we can check to reserve the disk space for better performance and/or to separate the disk into 2Gb files. “Following”,

We carry out the checks and if everything is OK, We give “Following” so that it can convert it for us,

… It will take depending on the size of the image and the resources of this PC/Server…

“Finish” The virtual machine has already migrated to us, now it is to boot it with VMware Workstation/Server or the one we have specified. And we'll save the other one as backup lest we have problems in the near future.

www.bujarra.com – Héctor Herrero – Nh*****@bu*****.cOm – v 1.0