VMware vCenter Converter is a free software to convert physical machines (local and remote) into virtual machines, as well as virtual machines into numerous formats. vCenter has version for Windows and Linux based operating system which includes Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2008 . The conversion of physical machines into VMs does not result in disruption or down time, which means that you can convert physical servers into virtual servers without causing any network disruptions.
VMware Center can also be used to convert multiple virtual machines simultaneously. The supported formats for physical machine conversion includes Microsoft Hyper-V, Microsoft Virtual PC and Microsoft Virtual Server. You can additionally, convert backup images into virtual machines such as a backup image of Symantec Backup Exec System Recovery or Norton Ghost.
To convert a physical machine click on Convert Machine and follow the steps of the conversion wizard. Similarly, the Configure Machine option enables converting virtual machines to other formats.
After clicking on Convert Machine, you can select “This Local machine” to convert the existing Operating system or provide IP, username, password and operating system type for a Windows or Linux remote machine to convert it.
You can also select a backup or VM image to convert it between separate formats from Configure Machine.
VMware vCenter Converter is a free product, but you can optionally buy customer support for $90. It works on
- Windows XP
- Windows Vista
- Windows 7
- Windows Server 2003
- Windows Server 2008
