Windows Various ESXi questions including running an Active Directory Domain Controller

[Chicken76]

Let's consider a scenario with an IBM, a Dell and a HP server. If they all used the same CPU, would a Windows guest see different hardware when moved between hosts? The storage and network adapters are all virtualized, and if there's no pass-through of host devices involved, what would actually be different for a guest?

I bet Linux will run on any host without a hiccup (provided everything that's needed is compiled into the kernel)

[Zoon]

Don't get me wrong, I agree that it should be that simple, but its just not. You can relatively smoothly - possibly even seemlessly - live migrate between two Intel servers which have same-generation CPUs i.e. Core2 duo E6600 to E8400 and the same network card models but don't expect to go from a Core 2 Duo to a Core 2 Quad or a Xeon E5500 to an E2-1275 or something.

Equally don't expect to be able to go from an Intel network card in your host to a Broadcom.

Both Windows and Linux can relatively easily tolerate a cold-migration using VMware Converter through the above, but Live Migration - as far as I know - won't even let you set up a HA cluster between disparate environments because of the issues.

[faugusztin]

Zoon, vmware converter ? He is taking a vmx+associated files from one ESXi 5.0 host to another ESXi 5.0 host. Where is the need to convert ?

Edit: Ok, i read that that is the tool to use if he has no vMotion... Still, i don't understand what issues can he ran into if he takes a offline VM from one host and puts it in different.

[Zoon]

I can only tell you what I've experienced using both scalable HA datacentres on identical hardware and small single-host labs. YMMV.

[Votick]

Going to give this ESXi a go. Moving my boxes from Various server onto one host box.

[Chicken76]

Zoon, I understand that moving a running VM between hosts is very tricky and the hardware has to be as close to identical as possible, but that's just not my concern. I'm only talking about what you called "cold migration". In this scenario, if the differences between hosts are not that big, is the use of VMware Converter still necessary? Can one just stop a VM and then import and start it on a different host without major redetection in Windows? (I'm not worried about Linux)

[Zoon]

I've only ever used VMware Converter to do that so I can't really comment I'm afraid. There's a difference between 'not recommended' and 'won't work' - so just ensure you have backups if you try it??