How to Convert VHDX to VMDK: Hyper-V to VMware

Different Disk Formats: VHDX vs VMDK

When it comes to virtualization and disk storage in the realm of IT, two prominent disk formats often take center stage: VHDX and VMDK. These formats are crucial for managing and storing virtual machine (VM) data in environments like Hyper-V and VMware, respectively.

VMDK is a disk image format created by VMware for their virtualization products. VMDK files come in two flavors: one-file (monolithic) and multiple-file (split) formats. VMDK offers several features, such as support for thin provisioning, which allows you to allocate storage on-demand, and snapshot capabilities, which enable you to create point-in-time copies of virtual machine disks. One of its notable features is compatibility with both VMware's ESXi hypervisor and other VMware virtualization products, making it widely used in VMware-based environments.

VHDX is introduced by Microsoft Hyper-V virtualization platform. VHDX provides several advantages over its predecessor - VHD, including increased disk size support, improved performance, and enhanced resiliency. VHDX files are more robust and have built-in support for 4K sector disks, which can result in better performance and reduced space wastage. They also include features like dynamic and differencing disks, making it easier to manage storage in Hyper-V environments. VHDX files are the default disk format for Hyper-V in Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012 and later versions.

For a quick overview of the differences about VMDK and VHDX disk image format, please check the table below:

Prerequisites of Converting VHD to VMDK

To convert VHDX to VMDK successfully, it's essential to be aware of the following prerequisites:

• Check that the VHDX file is in good condition and contains the virtual machine's disk data.
• Ensure you have administrative or root privileges on the system where you intend to execute the conversion tool.
• Ensure that the converted virtual machine will work seamlessly with your intended VMware environment.

To convert a VHD/VHDX to a VMDK, we will introduce two different methods, one involving the "qemu-img" tool and the other using the "VMware vCenter Converter Standalone" utility.

How to Convert VHDX to VMDK with QEMU-img

Qemu-img is a versatile command-line tool used in QEMU (Quick Emulator) for manipulating various disk image formats. It can be used for disk format conversion, resizing, and other disk-related operations.

Steps to Convert VHD to VMDK using qemu-img:

1. Open a command prompt or terminal on your system.

2. Navigate to the directory where the "qemu-img" tool is installed. You can download it as part of the QEMU package or get a standalone version for your specific operating system.

3. Use the following command to convert the VHD file to VMDK:

* Replace "input.vhd" with the path to your VHD file and "output.vmdk" with the desired name for the VMDK file.

4. Wait for the conversion process to complete. Once done, you'll have a VMDK file ready for use in VMware environments.

How to Convert VHDX to VMDK with VMware vCenter Converter Standalone

VMware vCenter Converter Standalone is a free utility provided by VMware that allows you to convert physical machines, virtual machines, and various disk formats to VMware virtual machine formats, including VMDK.

Steps to Convert VHD to VMDK using VMware vCenter Converter Standalone:

1. Download and install VMware vCenter Converter Standalone from the VMware website (https://www.vmware.com/products/converter.html).

2. Launch the Converter Standalone application.

3. Click "Convert Machine" in the Converter Standalone interface.

4. In Source Machine section, select the source type as "Powered off" and "Hyper-V server" as the source type. Then choose the source VHD file and provide the necessary information, such as the source machine's IP address or credentials.

5. In Destination System section, you can select the target VMware server > select VMware Infrastructure virtual machine as the destination type > input the credentials of the ESXi server.

6. Customize settings as needed, including the destination location for the VMDK file.

7. Start the conversion process and wait for it to complete. Once done, you will have a VMDK file that can be used in VMware virtualization environments.

The "qemu-img" method is a command-line approach that is more flexible, while VMware vCenter Converter Standalone offers a user-friendly GUI for the conversion process. Both methods provide effective ways to convert VHD to VMDK, and you can choose the one that suits your requirements and preferences.

How to Centrally Backup Your VMware and Hyper-V VMs

AOMEI Cyber Backup is a centralized backup and recovery software that supports both VMware and Hyper-V environments. You can also remotely manage backups on multiple systems from a central console, making it easy to oversee the backup activities for your entire virtualized environment.

✦ Image-level VM Backup: independent image-level VM backups can be used to create new VMs.
✦ Schedule Auto Backup Plan: create backup schedules to automate virtual machine protection.
✦ Easy-to-use: backup and restore multiple virtual machines via central console without complicated configuration and reinstallation.
✦ Centralized Backup: Perform multiple VMs backup simultaneously from a central console.

You can click the following button to download the perpetual free version of AOMEI Cyber Backup.

💡 Backing up your VMware and Hyper-V virtual machines (VMs) centrally using AOMEI Cyber Backup involves several steps:

1. Bind Devices: Access to AOMEI Cyber Backup web client, navigate to Source Device > VMware >+ Add VMware Device to Add vCenter or Standalone ESXi host. And then click…>Bind Device.

2. Create Backup Task: Navigate to Backup Task >+ Create New Task, and select VMware ESXi Backup as the Backup Type.

Set Task Name, Device, Target and Schedule settings:

▶ Device: navigate to the vCenter Server and select a datastore center, it will show all the VMs in the right pane. With one click, you can easily back up multiple virtual machines.

▶ Target: selecting to back up to a local path, or to a network path. Used paths will be saved in Favorite Storage for handy selection.

▶ Schedule: performing full, differential or incremental backup, and automate execution daily, weekly or monthly according to the frequency you specified.

▶ Start Backup: You can click Start Backup and select to Add the schedule and start backup now, or Add the schedule only.

3. Restore: Click Restore to restore entire VM to an available state from any historical restore point, saving the trouble of re-configuring the new VM.

✍ While the Free Edition covers most of the VM backup needs, you can also upgrade to Premium Edition to enjoy:
✦ Batch VM backup & restore: batch backup and restore large numbers of VMs managed by vCenter Server or on standalone ESXi hosts.
✦ Backup Cleanup: Specify retention policy to delete unwanted VM backups automatically, thus saving storage space and cost.
✦ Restore to new location: Easily make a clone of a virtual machine in the same or another datastore/host, without reinstalling or configuring a new VM.

Conclusion

By understanding these methods mentioned in this article, you can migrate and share virtual machine files, ensuring your virtual infrastructure remains adaptable and efficient. Whether using the qemu-img tool or VMware vCenter Converter Standalone, the process of converting VHDX to VMDK offers flexibility and compatibility with different virtualization platforms.