Convert Hyper-V VM into VMware VM

In this blog I will go through the steps followed to convert a Hyper-V virtual machine into VMware virtual machine in my lab. I am using VMware vCenter Converter Standalone to perform this.

Using converter we can migrate a Hyper-V VM directly into vCenter. Since, I don't have connectivity from a single place to both Hyper-V and vCenter server, I am doing it in a two step process.

Create and Convert a Hyper-V VM

I installed Hyper-V in a Windows server 2022 VMWare virtual machine.

Enabled Hyper-V and related roles from the server manager but the validation check failed with error:

Hyper-V cannot be installed: The processor does not have required virtualization capabilities

Fixed this by enabling "Expose hardware virtualization to the guest OS" in the CPU setting of the VM

• Created a VM from Hyper-V manager

• Installed ubuntu (minimal) guest OS. I didn't configure the network interface as this is only for testing.

• Powered off the VM

• Installed VMware Converter Standalone in another VM (Converter VM)

• Opened VMWare converter -> Convert machine

• Source:

  Powered off, Hyper-V Server -> enter Hyper-V server details

Now, VMWare converter will try to install agent on the Hyper-V server. This step failed with error:

VMWare VCenter Converter Standalone "insufficient permissions to connect to ""xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx\$ADMIN$ "

I copied the Converter standalone agent installer from "C:\Program Files (x86)\VMware\VMware vCenter Converter Standalone" in the converter VM into Hyper-V server and installed.

• Selected VM

  VM selection failed with error:

Permission to perform this operation was denied

I was using the domain user credential, to overcome this error I used local administrator credentials of the Hyper-V server.

• Destination:

  Type: VMware workstation

  Select the location to store the VM files

  Provide the target path credentials

• Verify the details and submit the job

• Once the job finished I checked the target path. There were vmdk and vmx files.

Restore the converted VM into vCenter

• Copied VM files into a machine from where I have the connectivity into vCenter

• Used Converter to deploy the VM into vCenter

  VMware Converter -> Convert machine

  Source: Powered off VMware workstation or other virtual machines

  Browse and select the copied vmx file

  Destination: VMware Infrastructure Virtual machine

  Provide vCenter details

• Provide the VM name and inventory location

• Select the cluster and datastore

• Verify the details and submit the job