If you have the time you can migrate Windows physical servers to virtual machines (P2V) or virtual machines back to physical servers (V2P) with Windows Backup. Use or your P2V tool of choice for faster conversions. VMConverter Starter Edition is free, .
Here’s a high level walk through of how it’s done with Windows Backup:
- On your source server run Windows Backup (Start > Applications >System Tools)
- On the What to backup window (screenshot) choose to backup “All information on this computer”
- Choose a location with enough disk space to save the .bkf file too.
- I recommend a network share, but a locally attached USB drive could also be used.
- If you use a USB drive you will have to change the What to backup option to “let me choose what to backup” and manually select everything but the USB drive. Be sure to also do a System State backup.
- Run the backup and be prepared to wait.
- 40 GB drives take anywhere from 4 to 10 hrs depending on your environment.
- Your server will not be down during the backup, but I would still recommend you start it at night or over the weekend.
- when you are prompted to create a floppy click cancel.
- While you are waiting for the backup to finish build a new target
VM and install the same OS, service packs, and updates as your source
server.
- Don’t worry about installing your applications as they will be installed when you restore in the next steps.
- Install vmware tools - do this before updates and patches and before the restore step below.
- Run Windows Backup on the target VM and do a restore.
- Select the .bkf you created earlier.
- Be prepared to wait again.
- I recommend your new VM be on a local only network until you are ready to decommission the source server.
- Test boot the VM after the restore while it is still on your local only network.
- You should have all of your application, data, and configurations as your source server
- When ready power down the source physical server, switch the VM to the LAN vSwitch, and boot the VM.
The same process can be used if the source server is a VM and the target is a physical server.
Here’s an older blog post that has a lot of comments and discussion about the Windows Backup method: