Something you can do if you convert (P2V) a physical Windows XP or Windows Server 2003 machine to a VMware virtual machine (VM) and it will not boot!

SO..... You just performed a Physical to Virtual (P2V)conversion of a computer and when you when to boot it (Crickets chirping)..... It did not come up!

Perhaps what you saw instead in the Vsphere Client Console was a black screen with only a dash (-) ?

Sometimes the road to virtualization and consolidaton of your infrasturcture as like real roads has "pot holes"..... This can be one of them :(

We have hit this problem before and 7 out of 10 times the following has been the problem and the resolution:

Master Boot Record (MBR)

The MBR basically is the partition or sector(the first) on a hard drive which contains the code the BIOS uses to boot an OS from the drive.

Problems with the MBR of a system may prevent the system from booting. Sometimes during the conversion process (using the vmware converter standalone) this happens.

What I usually do when this happens is I mount an .iso in the vSphere client for the OS that is affected (i.e. XP Pro, Windows Server 2003, etc) and start a recovery console session.

Heres How:

Boot with the Windows XP or Windows Server 2003 installation CD.

Shortly after the "Press any key to boot from CD" prompt you will be propted for a "Recovery Console Session" (believe it is F2), or you can wait till you are later prompted to press R to repair a Windows XP or Windows Server 2003 installation.

If you have multiple operating systems on your machine be sure to select the appropriate one from the menu. You will need to know the local administrator password when prompted!

Once you have got past that point you will be presented with a command prompt.

At the command prompt enter the command "fixmbr" (no quotes). After the warning messages of possible doom and gloom that will be displayed next, type "Y" and press "Enter" to start the repair process.

After it completes just type "Exit" to leave the recovery console rebooting your machine/vm.

Hope this helps!

Convert Physical Machines to Virtual Machines

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.

Consolidate and Grow your Small Business or Home Office Infrastructure with VMware or Virtual Server!

Having worked in both large and small server based environments, one truth always remains prevalent.

The majority of servers in a company’s production line up are severely under utilized!
More times than not an organization will purchase a piece of server hardware to serve a single process i.e. a work flow for a database, antivirus, patching etc.

These types of services are not “resource hogs” and most times barely make a footprint in comparison to what the said piece of server equipment is capable of handling.

Enter Virtualization:

Virtualization is a technology is being adopted by all types of forward thinking business entities, large, small and even SOHO or home based business.

“There is nothing small about small business”.

The only difference in most situations is budget. The cost of information systems on all levels can be pricey at times and often hard for a small business and especially a sole proprietorship to budget in.

The current cost of hardware, though decreasing over the years is only one of the main benefits to virtualize. Consolidation of physical machines reduces your hardware footprint and enables easier management. Power requirements are reduced, not just on the level of current that the server hardware is pulling, but at the air conditioning level (Which to me is a bigger savings)

Here is an example:

Shark PC is basically…..well…me. I am a sole proprietorship located in Charlotte, North Carolina. Like a majority of small office/home office (SOHO) businesses, to keep overhead cost down I operate out of my home. I run my own website and Exchange email services along side of my file and database entities.

At one point I had a half rack (25U) of equipment to cover my infrastructure needs (perhaps excessive I know). This amount of equipment not only was noisy, but produced a decent heat signature that caused the AC in my home during the spring and summer to run 24/7!

I was running at that time seven physical rack mounted servers and a switch.

Using VMware ESXi, I was able to reduce that to one physical server (host) and the switch. I was able to perform a physical to virtual (P2V) conversion of my existing server (Including Exchange) and shut down the all the unneeded hardware.

After only one month I was able to realize the savings potential when I received my power bill and saw the amount drop from the high $400 range to about $225…..really.

Aside of the obvious savings in my utilities, I am now able to “stand up” a new server entity (VM) in a fraction of the time of a physical one.

This is just skimming the surface here! There are many different VMware or Microsoft Virtual server implementations and configurations which I will cover in future blogs.

Though virtualization has been around for a bit, a lot of people are unfamiliar, not entrusting or misinformed when it comes to its usefulness and benefit.
I am always happy to answer any questions that people might have or find the people who have the answers I can’t give.

I will just leave you with these reasons to virtulize to chew on.
1. Reduced Hardware Expenditures & Better Use of Hardware
2. Reduced Power Expenditure
3. Reduced IT Department overhead
4. Easier provisioning of appliances
5. Power of a dedicated server with benefits of Virtualization

If you really want a sensory overload on virtualization technology you can get it straight from the masters themselves at the following links:

http://www.vmware.com/
www.microsoft.com/virtualization