Specifications

Table Of Contents
VMware Server Administration Guide
134 VMware, Inc.
NOTE These!instructions!assume!that!you!are!using!a!virtual!disk!!stored!in!one!or!
more!.vmdk!files!on!your!host!computer.
It’s!always!safest!to!make!backup!copies!of!all!the!files!in!your!virtual!machine’s!
directory!before!you!start!a!process!like!this.!
CAUTION VMware!recommends!you!not!migrate!a!Red!Hat!Linux!7.3!or!7.2!virtual!
machine!between!hosts!when!one!host!is!running!on!an!AMD!processor!
and!the!other!is!running!on!an!Intel!processor.!For!more!information,!read!
the!Known!Issues!sections!for!these!guest!operating!systems!in!the!
VMware!Guest
!Operating!System!Installation!Guide,!available!on!the!
VMware!Web!site.
The!following!sections!further!describe!moving!a!VMware!Server!virtual!machine:
! “Virtual!Machines!Use!Relative!Paths!on!page 134
! “Preparing!Your!Virtual!Machine!for!the!Move”!on!page 134
! “Moving!a!Virtual!Machine!to!a!New!Host”!on!page 135
Virtual Machines Use Relative Paths
The!path!names!for!all!files!associated!with!a!VMware!Server!virtual!machine!are!
relative,!meaning!the!path!to!each!file!is!relative!to!the!currently!active!directory.!For!
example,!if!you!are!in!the!virtual!machine’s!directory,!the!relative!path!to!the!virtual!
disk!file!is!<machine name>.vmdk.
Preparing Your Virtual Machine for the Move
1Shut!down!the!guest!operating!system!and!power!off!the!virtual!machine.!If!the!
virtual!machine!is!suspended,!resume!it,!then!shut!down!the!guest.
2Do!one!of!the!following:
! If!you!are!moving!the!virtual!machine!to!a!new!host!and!have!a!network!
connection!between!the!original!host!machine!and!the!new!host,!you!are!
finished!with!the!preparations!on!the!original!host.!If!you!do!not!have!a!
network!connection,!you!need!to!have!a!way!of!moving
!the!virtual!disk!
(.vmdk)!files!from!the!virtual!machine’s!directory!to!the!new!host.!You!could!
move!them!to!a!shared!network!directory,!for!example,!or!burn!them!to!
CDROMs!or!DVDs.
Once!you!know!how!you!are!going!to!move!the!virtual!machine,!go!to!
“Moving!a!Virtual
!Machine!to!a!New!Host”!on!page 135.