Can't import appliance

[brent3600]

I'm trying to move a virtual machine from VMware Workstation 7.1 to Oracle VirtualBox 3.2.8. The approach I'm using is to export the virtual machine from VMW as an appliance in OVF format, and then import that appliance into VB. The command line I've used for the export is the following:

Code: Select all

ovftool --hideEula "VM Windows 7 x64\VM Windows 7 x64.vmx" "VM Windows 7 x64 as OVF\VM Windows 7 x64.ovf"

All seems well until I to import the OVF into VirtualBox. First, I get an error message "Failed to import appliance . . . Unknown resource type 1 in hardware item, line 95". So I locate the offending item in the "VM Windows 7 x64.ovf", remove it, and try to import again.

Now, I get the error message "Failed to import appliance . . . Cannot register the hard disk . . . disk1.vmdk with UUID {some uuid} because a hard disk . . . disk1.vmdk with UUID {some other uuid} already exists in the media registry . . . (.VirtualBox\VirtualBox.xml)."

I've tried correcting the existing UUID in the VirtualBox.xml file, but when I try to import the edited file, the original value has been restored and I get the same error message again. Has anyone else experienced this? Any suggestions as to what to do next?

FYI, my host and guest operating systems are both Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit.

[Sasquatch]

It seems that during the first import, the disk got registered just fine, but it fails now because of that. Open the media manager and unregister the disk image. Then import the OVF again.

[brent3600]

I lost track of all the gyrations I was trying, so I repeated the process of generating the OVF from VMware Workstation. Knowing the import into VirtualBox had choked on the unknown hardware item (my sound card, for whatever reason), I took the precaution of editing the offending item out of the .ovf file. Then I re-ran the import, with the following results.

After running for quite a while, I got the error message "Failed to import appliance C:\users\ . . VM Windows 7 x64.ovf. The SHA1 digest of VM Windows 7 x64.ovf does not match the one in VM Windows 7 x64.mf"

The "VM Windows 7 x64.mf" file only includes the following:

Code: Select all

SHA1(VM Windows 7 x64.ovf)= 04e9792489af41afc156b8601fe2df3d73f21fe6
SHA1(VM_Windows_7_x64-disk1.vmdk)= 30418839d6b98574eb341d694f5d171d9234cf91

On the one hand, if I try to import the OVF as originally generated by VMware, the import fails because of the unknown device in the manifest. On the other hand, if I remove the unknown device from the manifest, then I get the above error message. My guess is that I either need to somehow "fix" the unknown device entry or edit the .mf file. I don't know how to do either one. Is there a solution?

[Perryg]

IIRC When exploring something like this with the DEVs they suggested that I renamed or deleted the manifest file.
Seems there may be some issue with the import portion of VBox, but I make no promise it will work.

[brent3600]

Perryg,

Thanks. I tried your suggestion and got much much closer to success. Still no cigar, but I think we're on the right track now. I renamed the .mf file, and the import appliance process went along quite happily without it. It did eventually error out after having reached well over the half-way mark.

"Failed to import appliance . . . Could not find a storage controller named 'SCSI Controller'."

'SCSI Controller' is the name that VMware Workstation has given my eSATA controller card. I'm concluding that it would be helpful to disconnect all hardware possible while in VMware, prior to exporting the OVF, because VMware and VirtualBox don't seem to use the same identifiers for hardware. Has that been anyone else's experience?

[ChipMcK]

Perhaps, Disk2vhd.exe http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysi ... 56415.aspx

I tested successfully with a Win 7 VM of VMware Fusion.
VBox will run the VHD file, which may be converted later to VDI

Oh, the contoller - did need to specify SAS in VBox when I defined the VBox vm to match Fusion's SAS

[brent3600]

ChipMcK

Thanks, this approach is promising. I've tried opening the .vmdk virtual disk (VMware) directly in VirtualBox, which VirtualBox is supposed to be able to do, but it goes into an infinite loop trying to boot Win 7. A BSOD flashes by but I can't catch the message because it goes by so fast.

So my next attempt will be to convert the .vmdk to a .vhd. I'm going to run vmdk2vhd (http://vmtoolkit.com/files/folders/conv ... ntry8.aspx) tonight. I'll let you know how it goes.

If that doesn't work, I may alternatively try .vmdk to .vdi conversion, per http://www.sysprobs.com/vmdk-vdi-windows

[ChipMcK]

Remember to Uninstall VMware Tools first

[brent3600]

OK. I've converted the .vmdk to .vhd. And I've uninstalled VMware Workstation. VirtualBox attaches to either one OK. But when I start the virtual machine, I'm still getting the infinite loop, albeit a somewhat different one. Now it gets farther into the process, but ultimately I get a screen giving me the option to "Launch Startup Repair (recommended)" or "Start Windows Normally". If I select the latter, I just come back to the same screen again. If I select the former, startup repair runs for quite a while but ultimately comes back saying there was no known error and it couldn't fix it.

Whatever the problem is, it is happening somewhere in the log right about here, I think:
00:26:06.071 Changing the VM state from 'RESETTING' to 'RUNNING'.
00:26:06.072 Guest Log: BIOS: VirtualBox 3.2.8
00:26:06.072 PIT: mode=2 count=0x10000 (65536) - 18.20 Hz (ch=0)
00:26:06.116 PIIX3 ATA: Ctl#1: RESET, DevSel=0 AIOIf=0 CmdIf0=0xa0 (-1 usec ago) CmdIf1=0x00 (-1 usec ago)
00:26:06.116 PIIX3 ATA: Ctl#1: finished processing RESET
00:26:06.116 ATA: Ctl: RESET, DevSel=0 AIOIf=0 CmdIf0=0x30 (-1 usec ago) CmdIf1=0x00 (-1 usec ago)
00:26:06.116 ATA: Ctl: finished processing RESET
00:26:06.117 Guest Log: BIOS: ata2-0: PCHS=16383/16/63 LCHS=1024/255/63
00:26:06.117 PIT: mode=2 count=0x48d3 (18643) - 64.00 Hz (ch=0)
00:26:06.134 Display::handleDisplayResize(): uScreenId = 0, pvVRAM=0000000010070000 w=640 h=480 bpp=32 cbLine=0xA00
00:26:08.571 Display::handleDisplayResize(): uScreenId = 0, pvVRAM=0000000000000000 w=720 h=400 bpp=0 cbLine=0x0
00:26:08.572 PIT: mode=2 count=0x10000 (65536) - 18.20 Hz (ch=0)
00:26:08.572 Guest Log: BIOS: CDROM boot failure code : 0004
00:26:08.573 Guest Log: BIOS: Boot from CD-ROM failed
00:26:08.577 Guest Log: BIOS: Booting from Hard Disk...
00:26:08.774 Display::handleDisplayResize(): uScreenId = 0, pvVRAM=0000000010070000 w=1024 h=768 bpp=24 cbLine=0xC00
00:26:46.497 Display::handleDisplayResize(): uScreenId = 0, pvVRAM=0000000010070000 w=640 h=480 bpp=0 cbLine=0x140
00:26:47.581 Changing the VM state from 'RUNNING' to 'RESETTING'.

Any ideas?

[ChipMcK]

I've converted the .vmdk to .vhd. And I've uninstalled VMware Workstation.

Did you uninstall first or second?
How did you convert to VHD?

How is the Hard Drive controller defined in VMware? How is the hard drive defined in VMware? The VBox definitions must match.
- Device Manager in Windows is easiest place to find out

In VBox definition 'System', I have Enable IO APIC, Enable VT-x/AMD-V and Enable Nested Paging checked.
In Vbox definition 'Storage', IDE Controller (for CD/DVD) is PIIX4 with Use host IO cache; IDE Secondary Master

[TechGeek]

I was unable to move a windows 2008 server from vmware to virtuabox recently. Just get a bluescreen at boot and a reboot. Keeps getting stuck at the crcdisk.sys file. In safe mode it lists the files as it loads them. I tried everything I could think of and still nothing. Really pissin me off as I NEED to get away from VMware server.

[Perryg]

Might want to read this. http://blogs.msdn.com/b/virtual_pc_guy/ ... 84461.aspx
I think it has something to do with your install. IIRC, I have simply renamed the intelppm.sys to get past this.

[TechGeek]

Thanks Perryg. I will give it a try and see what happens.

[brent3600]

ChipMcK,

I converted the .vmdk to .vhd using Vmdk2Vhd.exe

I de-installed VMware Workstation after making the above conversion

As to the matching hardware descriptions, I've found it very confusing to try to figure out what needs to match what. VMware and VirtualBox seem to use completely different terminology - I'm not sure how to map from one to the other. There are an amazing number of device names, descriptions, identifiers, etc., that it's outside my skill set. I've taken a couple of good stabs at it but no joy. At this point I'm concluding that I'm going to have to do a clean install inside of VirtualBox.

[ChipMcK]

I converted from VMware Fusion and the the controller and drive descriptions matched so-so.
I went into Windows Device Manager (under Fusion) to see how Windows was configured and then I was able
match up the VMware defs and VBox defs, especially for the controllers as Fusion .vmx file
was not of much help.

Fusion has a Tools package that uninstalls when under Fusion - doing so outside of Fusion
is very tedious as it will not cleanly uninstall in one pass.