Move a virtual machine from one vCenter to another vCenter

Question

I have the following problem: There are two separate vCenters (ESXi). They cannot see each other or communicate in any way. I can create a virtual machine clone in vCenter1, but then I want to move this clone to vCenter2. Is there a way to copy Cloned VMs (files) to an external hard drive and transfer them to another vCenter?

Answer 1

I figured out a solution to my problem:

• Step 1: from the inside of the vSphere client connected to vCenter1, select the virtual machine, and then select “ Export ” → “ Export OVF template ” from the “ File ” menu (Note: make sure the VM is disabled, otherwise this function is not available - it will be gray). This action will allow you to save a virtual machine on your computer / laptop (like .vmdk, .ovf and .mf file).
• Step 2. Connect to vCenter2 with your vSphere client and select " Deploy OVF ... " from the File menu, and then select the location where the VM was saved in the previous step.

That's all!
Thanks!

Answer 2

Yes you can do it.

• Copy all the cloned VM files from its directory and place it in your target storage.
• On the VI client connected to the target vCenter, go to the Inventory-> Datastores view.
• Open the data warehouse browser in the data warehouse where you placed the VM files.
• Find the .vmx file that you copied and right-click it.
• Select "Register Virtual Machine" and follow all prompts. (Depending on your version of vCenter, this might be Add to Inventory or some other option.)

The VM registration process should complete using the cloned virtual machine used in the new vCenter!

Good luck

Answer 3

To move the virtual machine, you do not need to clone the virtual machine, just copy the VM files (after turning off the VM) to an external hard drive and register them on the target host.

Answer 4

An easier way to do this is to use the standalone VCenter Converter client and make P2V, but in this case V2V. This is much faster than copying all VM files to some storage location and copying them to the new vCenter. It takes a long time to copy or export it to an OVF template and then import. You can install the standalone vCenter to V2V converter client in one step and synchronize it, then include it in the new Vcenter and disconnect the old vCenter. Simply.

For me, using this method, I managed to move the VM from one vCenter to another vCenter in about 30 minutes compared to copying or exporting, which took 2 hours. Your results may vary.

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This process below, from another responder, will work even better if you can present this data warehouse to ESXi servers in vCenter, and then follow step 2. Eliminating the need to copy all virtual machines, follow the rest of the processes.

• Copy all the cloned VM files from its directory and place it in your target storage.
• On the VI client connected to the target vCenter, go to the Inventory-> Datastores view.
• Open the data warehouse browser in the data warehouse where you placed the VM files.
• Find the .vmx file that you copied and right-click it.
• Select "Register Virtual Machine" and follow all prompts. (Depending on your version of vCenter, this might be Add to Inventory or some other option.)

Answer 5

Copying virtual machine files to an external hard drive and then connecting to the destination will take a long time and will require several steps. Using vCenter Converter Standalone Client will do everything for you and will be much faster. No external hard drive required. Not sure where you got the cloning part. vCenter Converter Standalone Client simply copies the virtual machine files, importing and exporting them from the source to the destination, turning off the source virtual machine, and then registering the virtual machine at the destination and turning it on. All in one step. It takes about 1 minute to install this standalone vCenter Converter client.

Answer 6

You do not need to export your virtual machines at all. You can move the virtual machine and clone it to the TAXI host in vCenter 1. Then add the host to vCenter 2 and vMotion from any virtual machines to other hosts previously managed by vCenter 2. Upon completion, you can add the TAXI host back to vCenter 1.