One Stop Virtualization Shop

StarWind V2V Converter

Introduction
Versatility and convenience have made virtualization a worldwide trend in the IT sphere. Specifically, the
usage of virtual machines has become a daily routine for many companies. The diversity, however, has
provoked some VM format conflicts. Pretty much every vendor in this market has developed its own VM
on-disk format, thus there are many formats to work with. Besides, with the growth of a virtualization
demand, an easy migration from physical into virtual has become a critical question. StarWind V2V
Converter allows establishing a safe and reliable exchange between versatile VM formats. In addition,
the utility enables fast and safe P2V migration.

Problem
One hypervisor can’t use virtual machines created by another one, as different hypervisors use different
VM formats. A good example for that: a company is switching from vSphere to Hyper-V. All VMs must be
effectively moved to the new environment. However, it is impossible to achieve without converting the
virtual machine into the format of the needed hypervisor. Another case: an enterprise ROBO (Remote
Office & Branch Office) solutions may involve different hypervisors in the main office and on remote
locations, making it inconvenient to move VMs between them. In addition, when working with different
sets of hardware, moved VMs may experience compatibility issues. Having the ability to switch VM
formats on demand is essential for any virtual environment.

Migrating from a physical to virtual machine can be a complex and time-consuming process, especially in
multi-server environments. P2V involves the migration of an operating system (OS), application programs
and data from the source hardware to a virtual machine. In existing solutions, it requires time-consuming
manual operations on setting up hardware parameters, installing the operating system, and then adding
necessary applications to the OS inside the VM. In addition, a rough ride is observed because of the need
to solve conversion problems constantly. In the end, everything should be tested thoroughly to eliminate
data loss.

Solution
StarWind V2V Converter modifies virtual machines freely from one format to another. It works with
major VM formats, namely VHD/VHDX, VMDK, QCOW2, and StarWind native IMG. Both the source and
target VM copies exist simultaneously because the conversion procedure is more like a cloning process

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than a replacement. This way the chance of data corruption and loss during conversion is completely
avoided. As a convenient side effect, StarWind V2V Converter basically creates a backup copy of the
VMs, making the process even safer.

When converting the VM to VHDX format, StarWind V2V Converter enables the activation of Windows
Repair Mode. This way the virtual machine will automatically adapt to the given hardware environment
and negate any compatibility problems.

V2V migration: easy VMs migration with ensured data consistency

In comparison to hypervisors’ built-in converters that only work one way (converting to their original VM
format), StarWind V2V Converter is much more efficient, because it works both ways, converting any
format into another one and back.

StarWind V2V Converter allows for an easy migration of physical machines to virtual ones on Hyper-V and
ESXi servers. Running the utility on the source physical storage, you can easily convert the entire system
as is into the virtual machine located on a remote hypervisor server. In addition, StarWind V2V Converter
preserves data consistency by using VSS snapshots while reading disk data from the live machine.

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P2V migration: quick, easy and consistent convertion from physical into virtual

Сonclusion
StarWind V2V Converter helps to take advantage of the VM formats diversity. It allows converting VMs
from one format to another, basically “cloning” VMs and keeping the original copy intact at the same
time. The solution supports a variety of VM formats to convert them both one way and back in a safe
and reliable method. Moreover, the utility supports P2V migration to ensure easy and safe copying of
the physical system onto a virtual platform.

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