Should I convert a Win 2003 Server to a VM?

[mraikes]

I have a getting-long-in-the-tooth Windows Server 2003 (not SBS). It's basically a file & print server and a bit more. It's running fine, and I have ample backups, but nevertheless I do a lot of thinking about "what if . . ."

It's a machine where even a short downtime is a really big deal.

So, I've been wondering about converting it to a virtual machine. My imagination tells me I could then create occasional backups of the VM (and still do daily backups of the data/files on it), and then if something went wrong I'd just kill the damaged VM, fire up a backup VM and have everyone back online in very short order.

But would it really work that way?

The fact is, I don't know what I'm doing. I can fire up VMware or VirtualBox or whatever and create a machine from scratch, but I've never converted an existing physical machine to virtual. Would I run into licensing issues? I wouldn't run multiple machines at once, but still . . .

And is a Physical-to-VM conversion somehow hardware agnostic? So if needed I could fire up the VM on another, non-identical, machine and everything would mostly work?

These sound like newbie questions even to me, but it's just an area I have no experience in.

 

[SAG]

I have a getting-long-in-the-tooth Windows Server 2003 (not SBS). It's basically a file & print server and a bit more. It's running fine, and I have ample backups, but nevertheless I do a lot of thinking about "what if . . ."

That's one of the signs of a good tech.

It's a machine where even a short downtime is a really big deal.

So, I've been wondering about converting it to a virtual machine. My imagination tells me I could then create occasional backups of the VM (and still do daily backups of the data/files on it), and then if something went wrong I'd just kill the damaged VM, fire up a backup VM and have everyone back online in very short order.

So if I understand you correctly - you want to convert the physicial to virtual, retire the hardware, and run the VM?

But would it really work that way?

Well, pretty much, yes.

The fact is, I don't know what I'm doing. I can fire up VMware or VirtualBox or whatever and create a machine from scratch, but I've never converted an existing physical machine to virtual. Would I run into licensing issues? I wouldn't run multiple machines at once, but still . . .

Personally I'd rather run the VM on ESXi than VMW Workstation or Virtualbox - but that's just me.
As for licensing issue, I guess that all depends on the type of license used for the physical server.

And is a Physical-to-VM conversion somehow hardware agnostic? So if needed I could fire up the VM on another, non-identical, machine and everything would mostly work?

These sound like newbie questions even to me, but it's just an area I have no experience in.

The hardware the VM sees is software - so a VM on my desktop here running VMW Workstation should run on your desktop running VMW Workstation etc.

I have done this a *few* times.
Using VMW Standalone Converter to snap the physical to virtual. Then use the program to "prep" the image (install the VM drivers, etc). Then fire the VM up in VMW Workstation or transfer to an ESXi host.

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

An old server that is running on old hardware that is getting slow, or you're worried about having issues with that older hardware...yes it's quite common for us to "convert to virtual" and suck them into a virtual environment. The process of converting "physical to virtual" is nicknamed "P2V".

Most hypervisors have tools which allow the conversion. You install it..shut down services on the OS...and then run the conversion. Depending on size, amount of data, performance of hardware on both ends, network connection speed, the time to convert can vary.

Once it's converted...I fire it up and typically uninstall all prior hardware drivers from the new guest (such as RAID controllers, old NIC drivers, old video drivers, other specialized, etc)....and then install the "tools" of the hyper-visor host which which will improve GUI performance (video/mouse)...and install the virtual NIC...and then you can connect it.

 

[mraikes]

Ok, so it sounds like I'm on the right track. I just need to give it a whirl.

So my plan is to run a P2V conversion on the server, creating a VHD, copy the VHD to one of our beefier workstations currently running Win 7 Pro, and see if I can get it to boot up in Virtualbox (or ESXi which I'll checkout). The workstation would be offline of course so as not to interfere with the "real" server.

Keeping my fingers crossed.

 

[SAG]

Ok, so it sounds like I'm on the right track. I just need to give it a whirl.

So my plan is to run a P2V conversion on the server, creating a VHD, copy the VHD to one of our beefier workstations currently running Win 7 Pro, and see if I can get it to boot up in Virtualbox (or ESXi which I'll checkout). The workstation would be offline of course so as not to interfere with the "real" server.

Keeping my fingers crossed.

ESXi is a bare-metal (I dislike that term, but I'll use it) Hypervisor. It *is* the operating system.
In your case, VMW Workstation would be used.
Of course, I'm talking only about VM Ware products here.

Virtualbox (whcih I use on my Macbook) is similar to VMW Workstation.

ESXi is more akin to Xen Server and the like.
Think of ESX as a VERY stripped down version of linux that pretty much ONLY runs/manipulates/controles virtual machines using a (AFAIK) windows only piece of software called VSphere Client to connect to it.
Of course, you can ssh into it and do more on the command line, but I'll not get into that.

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

So my plan is to run a P2V conversion on the server, creating a VHD, copy the VHD to one of our beefier workstations currently running Win 7 Pro, and see if I can get it to boot up in Virtualbox (or ESXi which I'll checkout). The workstation would be offline of course so as not to interfere with the "real" server..

Uhm....depending on the load on this server....may want to think about the hardware you put in on. A Windows 7 Pro box...even if called "beefy"....dunno if I'd consider that ...but I don't know the load of this server. If it's just a file or two at a time between 3 of 4 users...tolerable. But if it's a bigger file server sharing out to a large group of people...it may struggle trying to run on single SATA disk on workstation hardware.

 

[mraikes]

Uhm....depending on the load on this server....may want to think about the hardware you put in on. A Windows 7 Pro box...even if called "beefy"....dunno if I'd consider that ...but I don't know the load of this server. If it's just a file or two at a time between 3 of 4 users...tolerable. But if it's a bigger file server sharing out to a large group of people...it may struggle trying to run on single SATA disk on workstation hardware.

Point well taken. But right now I'm just at the proof of concept stage. Since the VM I'm trying to create won't be used for production, there will be no users and no files except what I access just to see if it works.

After I demonstrate an ability to complete the P2V and get it to start up and run in a VM on another machine, I'll consider the hardware side for actual use.

For now, my only goal (like Dr. Frankenstein's) is to someday shout "It Lives!!"

 

[altrenda]

Good luck. Prepare to learn a lot. When it's all working think how much smarter you'll be.

It's nice to see someone learning on their own stuff instead of the clients.

 

[drjones]

Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't another problem with taking this 2003 box virtual is that you are just prolonging the inevitable upgrade? Eventually you'll simply be required to upgrade from 2003 for some reason or other; you just won't be able to run it forever.

I think you should go forward with the virutalization in the meantime, but make it clear that they'll have to upgrade sooner rather than later.

There are so many other compatibility problems that will arise down the road by keeping such old stuff running for so long.

 

[nesrinamb]

Definitly off to a good start.

@drjones

Yes eventually upgrading is needed but we keep a few vms for clients up and running because they have really old programs that run very old machines. For them an upgrade isn't possible so vm is the best thing to do.

 

[freedomit]

I have done this for a client and a few tips...

We P2V'd the SBS2003, when we hooked up to 2008R2 HyperV it would start to boot and then blue screen. We had the mount the VHD in disk manager and it came up as having an unrecognised partition. We used a small application (cant remember the name) which repaired the boot sector and it then booted fine.

The Server will recognised the new hardware and need to be re-activated, as part of this process you will lose all CALs you have added to screenshot the keys before you do it.

Transferring OEM software to new hardware is not permitted under MS licencing terms. We did it as a temporary measure before a migration but its not a long term solution.

Oh and SBS2003 booted in seconds on a 15K SAS Raid 10

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

The Server will recognised the new hardware and need to be re-activated, as part of this process you will lose all CALs you have added to screenshot the keys before you do it.

It's not normal to lose the cals doing a P2V with SBS03...it's probably due to the MFT being whacked, and SBS03 licensing is notorious for blowing up if C drive gets tight.

However...easier way to maintain it...as I learned years ago, soon as you take the time to add all those 5x user CAL packs in SBS licensing, make a backup of the licenses (via the wizard)..I keep the backup in the Admins My Docs folder. On the occasion SBS's licensing barfs...it's a 10 second restore of all of them in about 3 mouse clicks.

 

[MobileTechie]

This problem of not being unable to move OEM OS to VM is annoying. I'd like to virtualise a few of my clients but all of them have OEM server OS's that came with the old server they are running on.

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

This problem of not being unable to move OEM OS to VM is annoying. I'd like to virtualise a few of my clients but all of them have OEM server OS's that came with the old server they are running on.

One of the reasons we are glad we started doing microsoft volume licensing for our clients years ago...when putting new servers in.