Convert VMware Virtual Machines to Hyper-V

Question

I recently encountered some issues while importing VMware virtual machines into Hyper-V. I need to import these virtual machines for use in a production environment.

When importing a virtual machine into Hyper-V Manager, there are three options available:

• Register the virtual machine in place (use the existing unique ID)
• Restore the virtual machine in place (use the existing unique ID)
• Copy the virtual machine (create a new unique ID)

What is the difference between these three options?

Answer 1

the unique ID is the machine ID for the vm. it can be used for licensing, machine identification, etc. (real hardware has this in the BIOS). your VM files reside on disk (location)

When you import you can control the location and if you get a new id.

Register - use import location and unique id
Restore - import to new location and use import unique id
Copy - restore with new unique id

Answer 2

Hi,

When importing a virtual machine into Hyper-V Manager, the three options available have distinct purposes:

1. Register the virtual machine in place (use the existing unique ID):
   • This option registers the virtual machine using the files in their current location without moving or copying them.
   • The virtual machine retains its original unique ID.
   • This is useful if you want to quickly register a VM that is already in the correct location and you don't need to create a new copy.
2. Restore the virtual machine (use the existing unique ID):
   • This option restores the virtual machine to a specified location, creating a copy of the VM files.
   • The virtual machine retains its original unique ID.
   • This is useful if you need to move the VM to a different location but want to keep the same unique ID12.
3. Copy the virtual machine (create a new unique ID):
   • This option creates a new copy of the virtual machine with a new unique ID.
   • The original VM files remain unchanged, and a new set of files is created in the specified location.
   • This is useful if you need to create a duplicate of the VM for testing or other purposes without affecting the original VM.

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/virtualization/hyper-v/deploy/export-and-import-virtual-machines

Best Regards,

Ian Xue

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