Re: [Xen-users] Convert physical server to VM

[Marc Patino Gómez <mpatino@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi,

the problem is that you only copy the filesystem with tar command. You 
must copy the FULL disc, to do this follow use dd, as I post before
dd if=/dev/hda | ssh root@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx "/bin/dd of=/xen/images/myimage.img"


so the process will be:

1- dd if=/dev/zero of=image.img bs=1M count=4096 (if you have a 4GB HD, if your 
physical HD is 4GB)
  remember, the image must be at least the same size than your original HD)

2- stop old box, and boot with a LiveCD

3- Copy the disc to your XEN server
  dd if=/dev/hda | ssh root@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx "/bin/dd 
of=/xen/images/myimage.img"


Good luck,

Marc

Chiu, PCM (Peter) wrote:
> Thanks, Marc, for your speedy response.
>
> I was hoping to set up a guest VM on existing Suse9/10 and Redhat4/5 systems.
>
> Still, I use tar to copy the whole of the root directory tree on a running 
> Linux system
> into the loop mounted image.
>
> Here are the steps I took:
> dd if=/dev/zero of=image bs=1k seek=10240k count=1
> mkfs -t ext3 image
> mount -o loop image /mnt/temp
> cd /mnt/temp
> ssh remote "tar -zaxHS -f - /" | tar -zxpf -
> cd
> umount /mnt/temp
>
> I then use Yast2 xen to create a guest VM configuration
> and start it.  But it fails with the "Boot loader didn't return any data" error.
>
> I also tried to re-create a vm configuration file by copying a working Suse 
> 10.2 one,
> but still hit the same fault.
>
> So I suspect something is missing to make the above image to be bootable.
>
> Any idea?
>
> Peter
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Marc Patino Gómez [mailto:mpatino@xxxxxxxxxxxx] 
> Sent: 23 August 2007 14:24
> To: Chiu, PCM (Peter)
> Cc: Simon Gao; xen-users@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: Re: [Xen-users] Convert physical server to VM
>
>
> Hi,
>
> Chiu, PCM (Peter) wrote:
>   
> > Hi, there,
> >
> > I am watching this thread with interest.
> >
> > Marc, can you repeat the actual steps you do to set up Linux guest 
> > VMs, especially the ones using 2.4 kernels.
> > I have tried similar steps you mentioned, apart from the cp -pr 
> > /lib/modules into the guest OS disk, but when I start up the guest VM, 
> > it complains
> >   
> >     
> If you are going to "full virtualitzed" a linux box you don't need to copy the 
> kernel's modules, you will use the unmodified old OS kernel ones, and the old kernel (of 
> course).
>   
> > "boot loader didn't return any data!"
> >   
> >     
> Have you copy the full HD? or only the partition?
>   
> > It looks like something is missing to turn the root copied file system 
> > to be bootable as a guest VM.
> > Thanks.
> >
> > Peter
> >   
> >     
> Good luck Peter,
>
> Marc
>   
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: xen-users-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 
> > [mailto:xen-users-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Marc 
> > Patino Gómez
> > Sent: 23 August 2007 12:05
> > To: Simon Gao
> > Cc: xen-users@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> > Subject: Re: [Xen-users] Convert physical server to VM
> >
> > Hi,
> >
> > rsync works great on production enviroments, I had paravirtualized some servers 
> > with these method:
> >
> > rsync -ave ssh --exclude=/proc --exclude=/sys --exclude=/dev (if you 
> > are using udev) root@runingserver:/  /mnt/newserverimage/
> > after this:
> >
> > mkdir /mnt/newserverimages/proc
> >
> > mkdir /mnt/newserverimages/sys
> >
> > mkdir /mnt/newserverimages/dev
> >
> > review your fstab, and copy the kernel modules:
> >
> > cp -pr /lib/modules/2.6.16-xenU /mnt/newserverimages/lib/modules/
> >
> > more or less .... this is the way
> >
> > Also I have full virtualitzed some old GNU/Linux boxes with kernels 2.4, I used 
> > GNU/Linux live CD on the old box and dd utility:
> >
> >
> > dd if=/dev/hda | ssh root@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx "/bin/dd 
> > of=/dev/vg00/newvserver"
> > I hope it will be helpfull
> >
> >
> > Marc
> >
> > Simon Gao wrote:
> >   
> >     
> > > Hi,
> > >
> > > Anyone has any suggestions on programs, utility or instructions on 
> > > how to convert a physical server to domU VM?
> > > Thanks,
> > >
> > > Simon
> > >
> > > _______________________________________________
> > > Xen-users mailing list
> > > Xen-users@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> > > http://lists.xensource.com/xen-users
> > >   
> > >     
> > >       
> > _______________________________________________
> > Xen-users mailing list
> > Xen-users@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> > http://lists.xensource.com/xen-users
> >   
> >     
>   

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