Select a VMware Infrastructure Virtual Machine Source

You can convert a virtual machine that resides on an ESX host or ESX host that vCenter Server manages.

You cannot convert a running or suspended virtual machine.

Prerequisites

GRUB must be installed as the boot loader to convert multiboot virtual machines. LILO is not supported.

If you connect to a vCenter Server that is part of a multi-vCenter Server environment, Converter Standalone displays only ESX hosts managed directly by the currently connected vCenter Server.

Procedure

1	On the Specify Source page, select VMware Infrastructure virtual machine from the Select source type drop-down menu.

2	Provide the IP address or host name and credentials to authenticate with the ESX host or the VMware vCenter Server.

3	Click Next.

The Machine Name page appears, displaying the IP address and the inventory of the ESX host or the VMware vCenter Server.

4	From the inventory list, select the virtual machine to convert.

5	(Optional) If you are connected to a VMware vCenter Server, select an option from the Specify machine with drop-down menu.

Option	Description
Hosts and Clusters View	Provides a view of the set of virtual machines that run on a particular host, cluster, or resource pool. This view does not provide a complete list of available virtual machines and templates in the vCenter Server.
VM and Templates View	Displays all virtual machines and templates.
VM List	Provides an alphabetical list of all virtual machines and allows you to search them by name. Note This search is not case-sensitive.

6	(Optional) To view more details about the machine you are converting, click View Source Details.

7	Click Next.

The Specify Destination page appears.

What to do next

You can now select the destination for your new virtual machine.

Related tasks

Select a Destination for the New Virtual Machine