I had mentioned in my last post about the benifits of virtualization in the SMB world.
Today I will discuss the process of actually converting your physical server and/or workstations into VMware virtual machines!
VMware has a product called "VMware Converter" , formaly known as the "VMware P2V assistant". VMware converter enables you to convert local and remote physical servers (P2V) with NO DOWNTIME!
Moreover, performing multiple P2V conversions is possible all through one centralized console.
Are you currently using a different virtualization platform (i.e. MS Virtual PC, MS Virtual Server, etc) and are looking to switch up to VMware? You will be able to perform this seamlessly with this product.
Even if you do not have complete faith in running parts or all of your infrastructure on a virtual platform, VMware Converter can still be a powerful disaster recovery tool.
Through the use of VMWare Convertrer you will have the ability to clone\backup physical machines to virtual machines as part of your DR plan.
As with most VMware products VMware converter is FREE!
However, not all feature are supported on the free edition. For those in need of the fully robust version of the application, look into obtaining VMware Converter Enterprise
There are some differences between the two versions of the product which may or may not make a difference depending on what you are looking to get out of it.
You can click on the following link to see a side by side comparision of the two versions and find links for the product download.
http://www.vmware.com/products/converter/get.html
In my next post we will discuss the step by step process of the P2V conversion from aquireing the software to powering off your "physical" machine.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
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