Following Broadcom’s acquisition of VMware, many customers have reported dramatic prices increases and a shift to mandatory subscription models. While OpenStack is an open-source platform. This software itself is free to use.
So, to reduce costs associated with deploying and maintaining virtual environments, lots of enterprises turn to OpenStack and look for a way to migrate VMware to OpenStack. Additionally, OpenStack gives enterprises greater control and flexibility. This is also a key reason why people choose OpenStack over VMware.
In this article, we will explore VMware to OpenStack Migration tools and guide you how to complete the migration and give you critical data protection strategies for a successful transition.
Method 1. Migrate VMware to OpenStack using QEMU & VirtIO
This is the core technical process for a non-automated “lift-and-shift” VMware to OpenStack migration, focusing on the open-source tools necessary to migrate VM from VMware to OpenStack.
Step 1. Install VirtIO Drivers
Download the Stable VirtIO-Win ISO (e.g., from Fedora) and attach it to the VM as a CD/DVD drive.
Within the Windows guest OS, manually install the VirtIO SCSI/Block (vioscsi/viostor) and VirtIO Network (netkvm) drivers using the Device Manager or the appropriate installer/utility.
Ensure the relevant registry settings are updated to load the viostor service at boot.
Step 2. Uninstall VMware Tools
Shut down the cloned VM. And in Windows or Linux guest OS, it is suggested to completely uninstall VMware Tools and all related drivers. Leaving them installed can cause system instability or conflicts in the new environment.
Step 3. Export the Disk Image (VMDK)
Copy the VMDK disk files from the VMware ESXi host or datastore to your dedicated Linux staging Server.
Step 4. Convert the Disk Format
OpenStack’s Glance Image Service primarily uses the QCOW2 (QEMU Copy-On-Write) format, which offers advantages like smaller file size and snapshot capabilities.
Execute the conversion command on the Linux staging server:
$$ \\ \text{qemu-img convert -f vmdk -O qcow2 source\_vm.vmdk destination\_image.qcow2}$$
$$$$
Step 5. Upload the Image to Glance
Use the OpenStack CLI or Horizon dashboard to upload the converted QCOW2 file.
CLI Example:
openstack image create –disk-format qcow2 \
–container-format bare \
–file destination_image.qcow2 \
–public –name “Migrated-VM-Name”
Step 6. Create and Launch the Instance
Using the OpenStack Nova Compute service, provision a new instance from the uploaded image.
Configuration:
- Source: Select the new image created in Step 6.
- Flavor: Choose an OpenStack Flavor that matches the CPU/RAM of the original VMware VM.
- Network: Attach the instance to the correct Neutron network(s), ensuring correct Security Groups are applied.
- Volumes: If the original VM had multiple disks, attach the corresponding converted Cinder volumes now.
Method 2. Automated VMware to OpenStack Conversion using virt-v2v
For admins seeking greater efficiency and a more streamlined process than manual conversion with qemu-img, virt-v2v is the premier open-source tool. It is specifically designed to convert VMs from proprietary hypervisors like VMware ESXi to KVM-based platforms, including OpenStack.
The major benefit of virt-v2v is its ability to intelligently inspect and modify the guest operating system during the conversion process.
Note: Although virt-v2v automates the technical conversion, it is still a cold migration.
Step 1. Setup and Prerequisites
Conversion Host: Deploy a Linux virtual machine (often called a “Conversion Host”) in your OpenStack target environment. This host must have the virt-v2v package installed and network connectivity to both your OpenStack services (Keystone, Glance, Cinder) and your source VMware environment (vCenter/ESXi).
VMware Access: Ensure the Conversion Host can reach vCenter on necessary ports (e.g., 443, 5480) and that you have the required vCenter credentials for the conversion.
OpenStack Access: Configure the OpenStack environment variables (openrc file) on the Conversion Host so virt-v2v can authenticate and write to the correct tenant (project) and services.
Step 2. Execution and Conversion
The command integrates the input, the output, and the VM to be converted into a single operation.
Input Mode (-i): Specify the source as VMware vCenter using a URI format (e.g., -ic vpx://user@vcenter.example.com/Datacenter/ESXi_Host ‘VM-Name’).
Output Mode (-o): Specify OpenStack as the target (e.g., -o openstack). This directs the output to be automatically uploaded to Glance or Cinder.
Example virt-v2v Command
virt-v2v -ic vpx://user@vcenter.corp.local/DC1/Cluster1 \
-o openstack \
-oo server-id=UUID_of_Conversion_Host \
-n neutron-network-name \
‘VM_to_Migrate_01’
virt-v2v connects to vCenter, converts the VM disk, injects the necessary KVM drivers, removes VMware Tools, and uploads the resulting image/volume to your OpenStack environment.
Method 3. Easiest solution to Migrate VMware to OpenStack
Although these methods support basic cold VM conversion, they rely on complex procedures and manual tasks that may introduce errors. Therefore, they are not ideal for large-scale migrations with minimal disruption.
In this condition, i2Migration can be the best option. It is a unified enterprise data migration platform built for seamless, non-disruptive system and data migration across heterogeneous platforms, including migrating from VMware to OpenStack.
Key features of i2Migration:
- Hot Migration: It uses block-level and file-level hybrid replication to migrate the entire virtual machine without shutting down the production workload.
- Data Consistency: Strict transactional consistency validation for databases and hash verification for file systems.
- Automatic OS Compatibility: The platform handles the underlying challenges of migrating the guest OS, including support for legacy Windows and Linux versions, ensuring the migrated system boots successfully on the KVM-based OpenStack environment.
- Resume-From-Breakpoint Transmission: If network interruption, disk corruption, or other abnormal situations occur, there is no need to start the transfer from scratch.
- High Availability Solution: If you need to copy VMware to OpenStack for quick failover in case of data disaster. Information2 Software also provides a comprehensive migration and HA solution to ensure business continuity.
Just check the video to see how Information2 help you migrate VMware to Openstack and create a high availability architecture.
You can click the button below to download and install this solution:
Conclusion
If you are looking for a way to migrate VMware to OpenStack, this article can help you. Whether you choose manual qemu-img, virt-v2v, or a dedicated platform, the core objective remains the same: a successful migration ensuring data integrity and business continuity are unaffected.
By contrast, Info2Soft’s i2Migration can be the best option, especially for large-scale and complex environments. It eliminates the manual operation and ensure the data consistency after transmission.