ESXI

[Olliedawg]

Question for you Vmware wizards

 

I have two hosts -

 

- Host A = ESXI 8.0

- Host B = ESXI 6.5 (i know don't yell at me!)

 

At the moment, all critical VM's are on Host A & I would like to move my second DC onto Host B, so there is some resiliency incase of a total failure of one of the hosts. The VM i'm trying to move was created on Host A & is running Server 2022.

 

I have tried using the Vmware Converter Client. This does happily move/copy across the VM to the other host, however I cannot get it to boot unless I boot into safemode.. When I look in device manager in safe mode, it says there is an issue with a "Generic PnP Monitor" Driver. I have tried uninstalling this/disabling while in safe mode, however no dice. If I leave the VM to run on the Boot splash screen with the windows logo, the circle just spins forever, sometimes even freezes all together.

 

Is there a compatibility issue with running a newer VM on an older ESXi? I would have thought that with it only being a couple of versions behind, it wouldn't have been an issue

 

One thing I haven't tried yet, is doing a full VM restore using Veeam, instead of using the converter.

[mrbios]

It'll depend on the VMs hardware compatibility level. If its hardware compatibility level is higher than v13 (The highest level available to esxi 6.5) the VM created on a newer host won't work on an older one.

 

See the compatibility matrix here:

https://kb.vmware.com/s/article/2007240

 

Worth noting that downgrading a VMs hardware compatibility level isn't supported, it's a one way street.

Edited December 21, 2023 by mrbios

[Olliedawg]

It'll depend on the VMs hardware compatibility level. If its hardware compatibility level is higher than v13 (The highest level available to esxi 6.5) the VM created on a newer host won't work on an older one.

 

See the compatibility matrix here:

https://kb.vmware.com/s/article/2007240

 

Worth noting that downgrading a VMs hardware compatibility level isn't supported, it's a one way street.

 

That explains it then, the VM is unsupported on the older ESXi. Maximum VM Compatibility I can select in the converter is 14.

 

Thank you!

[Davit2005]

If it is jus a VM running AD Directory Services/DNS can you jus not rebuild a DC on the old infrastructure and migrate the services?

 

A bit of work but I personally would not be mucking around to much with DCs, but would give you redundancy if you lost a host for any reason.

[Olliedawg]

If it is jus a VM running AD Directory Services/DNS can you jus not rebuild a DC on the old infrastructure and migrate the services?

 

A bit of work but I personally would not be mucking around to much with DCs, but would give you redundancy if you lost a host for any reason.

 

 

Yea its just a barebones secondary DC, has the basic roles installed & AAD connect setup in staging mode.. I left it as is & fired back up on original host when I discovered that I couldn't run the VM on the old host.

 

I'm going to either look at upgrading the ESXi on Host B to 8.0 (if it supports it, haven't had chance to check yet - HP ProLiant Gen 10), or replacing the server all together & buying lower spec Dell Poweredge just to run the second DC & some other stuff, so theres a bit of resilience in the event of a failure. We do have next day warranty on the main server, however its the downtime inbetween.

[3s-gtech]

It almost certainly does support it, and should work even if not certified unless that matters.

[Olliedawg]

It almost certainly does support it, and should work even if not certified unless that matters.

I couldn't seem to get it to boot once it was copied over to the host running ESXi 6.5 (unless i booted into safe mode).

[3s-gtech]

Your host should support 8.0, is what I mean!

[Olliedawg]

Your host should support 8.0, is what I mean!

 

 

Oh sorry haha! Yes going to look into over the holiday on a quiet day

[Olliedawg]

Working from home today - did a fresh ESXi install to 8.0 (to an SD card, not ideal but will do), I now have moved the secondary DC over to the other server so I have a bit of redundancy now! Hope you are all enjoying the Christmas break