Vmware to Proxmox: Ultimate Import Wizard for converting a virtual machine

Proxmox surprised us just before Easter 2024 by releasing a new import wizard to migrate VMs from VMware to Proxmox. The new wizard is available from WebGuI, making the conversion process much easier and straightforward.

Edit: Proxmox released end of April 2024 version 8.2. The Converter to VMware is now official.

Further, below, I describe the method used to convert a VM from VMware to Proxmox before the new import tool is released. I refer to it as the manual method,

Below is a short introduction to Proxmox in case Proxmox is new to you; otherwise, skip and go to my walkthrough.

Introduction Vmware to Proxmox migration

Migrating from VMware to Proxmox can be daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. This article will discuss the benefits of using Proxmox and walk you through the steps necessary to switch.

Proxmox offers several advantages over VMware, including increased flexibility and lower costs. It delivers the same features as VMware and many more. So, if you’re considering switching from VMware to Proxmox, read on to learn how to convert a VM.

Benefits of using Proxmox

Proxmox VE is an open-source server virtualization platform based on KVM and LXC. It provides integrated containers and full virtualization on a single platform, making it ideal for running virtual machines and containers. Proxmox VE is easy to install and manage and offers many features to meet your needs.

Walkthrough the steps necessary to convert a VM from VMware to Proxmox (new method)

Step 1: Add the test repository

• Log in to the Proxmox WebGUI
• Click on the Proxmox server on the left side and go to ‘Repositories.’

• You see that only Enterprise repositories are added from Proxmox.
• Click the ‘Add’ button and select the ‘No-Subscription’ and ‘Test’ repository.

I had to click the ‘Reload’ button until I got the newly added repository.

Step 2: Update Proxmox

As of this writing, I updated to 8.1.10

• Go to ‘Updates’ and click the ‘Refresh’ button
• You should see a lot of new packages in the list.
• Click the ‘Upgrade’ button.
• A window will pop up, and you must confirm to start the upgrade process. Depending on when you last updated the Proxmox Server, it may take a while.

Step 3: Verify the installation of the ESXI import tool

• Go to ‘Shell,’ the console will open
• Type in ‘dpkg -l | grep pve-esxi-import-tools’

• Reboot the Proxmox server

Step 4: Add the ESXI repository to Proxmox

• Navigate to ‘Datacenter’, and ‘Storage’ and click the ‘Add’ button
• You should see a new entry for ESXi

• It’s time to add your ESXi repository to the Proxmox environment.
• For the ID, use letters, not numbers. (I made a mistake in the screenshot)
• Use the IP address and credentials of your ESXi server. You can add the Vcenter IP, but Proxmox states that the migration will take longer.
• I don’t use a certificate for my ESXi, I checked the ‘skip.’ I like that Proxmox added this feature.

Step 5: Import a VMware ESXi VM

• On the left side, you will see the new ESXi storage.
• Click on it, and the right side, you will see all the VMs available.
• I import my ‘Test Server,’ which is a Windows Server.

Before clicking the ‘ Import ‘ button, here are a few things to mention.

• Click the ‘Import’ button, and the import wizard will appear. The wizard will recognize the settings from the ESXi VM as reliable.

• Click the ‘Import’ button to start the migration process.

In the right image, you see the task finished successfully

Real-world example:

I converted a VM from ESXi to Proxmox with three vHDs: 2×500 GB and 200 GB. The conversion took more than one day (see below).

Step 6: Start the converted VM

Now, it’s time to boot up the converted VM. The new VM will be visible on the left side.

As you can see from the picture below, the Windows VM booted, and the SCSI controller is type VirtIO.

How awesome is that from Proxmox!! Wow!!

Walkthrough the steps necessary to convert a VM from VMware to Proxmox (manual method)

I assume that you have already installed Proxmox and have local storage configured. My sample Proxmox installation for this article is on a Dell Poweredge T630. I have 6 Disk attached to a Dell PERC Adapter. I use Proxmox VE 8.1

Step 1: Locate the VM(s) in your VMware environment

Enable the SSH service in Vcenter or ESXI. It’s best to SSH with Putty or Kitty directly.

1. cd /vmfs/volumes is where the datastore is located
2. locate the storage where the VM reside
3. in my case, it is on the storage ‘Dell_SAS, cd /”Dell SAS”
4. I want to convert the VM ‘WindowServer2022’
5. We need to move both vmdk files to Proxmox

Step 2: Transfer the files with scp to the Proxmox environment

Go to the Proxmox environment and open the ‘shell’ console

scp -v root@192.168.1.56:/vmfs/volumes/5f57b3e1-433e2c24-0b26-2cea7f5aa14f/WindowsServer2022/WindowsServer2022-flat.vmdk /mnt/lvol/images/WindowsServer2022-flat.vmdk

for the flat vmdk file, repeat the same step for the vmdk file (shown in the picture above. My destination location is /mnt/lvol/images, which I configured earlier (not the scope of this article). SCP transfer may take a while, depending on the size of the vmdk files. Shut down the VM before the transfer and delete any snapshots. It is also a good idea to deinstall the VMware tools from the VM.

Step 3: Create a Proxmox VM with the GUI

There are two things to consider: choose the correct BIOS and select SATA as the type for the HD drive. The size of the hard drive doesn’t matter. My virtual machine has the ID 100

Step 4: Import the VMDK disk

qm importdisk 100 /mnt/lvol/images/WindowsServer2022.vmdk VMdata -format raw

The converted vmdk disk will automatically appear as ‘Unused Disk’ in the Proxmox GUI. Now highlight it and click ‘Edit’. Make sure the ‘bus/type’ is SATA too. A converted Windows VM would not boot in Proxmox without SATA as the bus type. In the next step, we are going to install the VIRTio drivers.

Go to ‘Options’, change the boot order, and ensure the newly attached disk is enabled.

Step 5: Start the VM and install the VirtIO drivers

You can download the VirtIO drivers from this page. Windows VirtIO. Depending on how you set up the local storage, you can upload the ISO directly to the Proxmox store

and attach them to the CD-ROM in the VM

Now we are ready to start the VM for the first time on the Proxmox environment.

Now we can install the drivers for Windows. Since I already attached the VirtIO driver ISO, it is mounted in the Windows VM. In most cases, it is the 64-bit driver’s virtio-win-gt-x64 to execute

After installation, shut down the VM, and then, you can change the SATA bus/type of the attached hard disk to ‘VirtIO’ for best performance. Also, you can remove the disk which was created when we set up the Proxmox VM.

Please note: Proxmox 8.1 has a new feature that injects VirtIO drivers with Windows guests.

When creating a Windows VM, you can conveniently add a second CD/DVD drive directly in the creation wizard. This allows for easier integration of the Windows VirtIO drivers ISO before starting the VM, streamlining the process.

Here, you will find VirtIO drivers.

I would love to get some feedback from you. Was this article helpful? Please share your opinion with me in the comment section below. Or, if you prefer a more personal touch, feel free to email me directly at info@edywerder.ch. Your thoughts and insights are always appreciated.