物理直连的两台ESXi服务器间虚拟机(VM)迁移与副本同步方法咨询

Hey there! Let's walk through how to copy and sync your VMs between those two directly connected PowerEdge T440s running ESXi 7 Update 2, since you mentioned you don't see the migrate button and want a straightforward way to keep your VMs identical.

First, why you don't see the "Migrate" button #

The vMotion migrate button you've seen in videos requires VMware vCenter Server to manage your ESXi hosts as a cluster. Since you're working with standalone ESXi hosts (no vCenter), that option isn't available by default—totally normal!

Method 1: Copy VM files directly via the ESXi Host Client (GUI) #

This is the most straightforward approach for beginners:

1. Set up the direct connection for storage access
   • On both ESXi hosts, create a VMkernel port on your gigabit direct link. Assign static IPs on the same private subnet (e.g., 192.168.100.1 for Host 1, 192.168.100.2 for Host 2) — this lets the hosts communicate directly for storage operations.
   • On Host 1, go to Storage > New Storage > Mount Remote Storage, then enter Host 2's VMkernel IP and select its datastore to mount it locally. Repeat this on Host 2 to mount Host 1's datastore.
2. Copy the VM folder
   • Shut down the VM you want to copy (cold copy is required without vCenter/Storage vMotion).
   • On Host 1, navigate to Storage, find the datastore where your VM lives, open its folder, and select the entire VM folder (it contains .vmx, .vmdk, .nvram, and other critical files).
   • Copy this folder to the mounted datastore from Host 2.
3. Register the VM on Host 2
   • On Host 2, go to Virtual Machines > Create/Register VM > Register an existing virtual machine.
   • Navigate to the copied VM folder, select the .vmx file, and follow the prompts to complete registration. You can choose to generate a new UUID here to avoid conflicts if you ever need to run both VMs at the same time.

Method 2: Fast copy via SSH command line #

If you prefer a faster, scriptable approach:

1. Enable SSH on both hosts
   • On each ESXi host's UI, go to Host > Services, find SSH, start it, and set it to start automatically with the host.
2. Copy the VM folder with scp
   • SSH into Host 1, then run this command (replace placeholders with your actual storage names and IP):

     scp -r /vmfs/volumes/[Host1-Datastore-Name]/Your-VM-Folder/ root@192.168.100.2:/vmfs/volumes/[Host2-Datastore-Name]/
     

   • This directly copies the entire VM folder over the direct gigabit link.
3. Register the VM on Host 2
   • Same as Step 3 in Method 1 — use the Host Client to register the copied .vmx file.

For ongoing sync (hot fixes, updates) #

• For occasional syncs, repeating the above methods works fine. If you want more streamlined updates:
  • Consider setting up a shared storage setup: Make one host's datastore accessible to the other via iSCSI (using the direct gigabit link), so both hosts can access the same VM files. Note: You should only run the VM on one host at a time to prevent data corruption.
  • For incremental updates after a hotfix, you can copy just the modified .vmdk delta files (if you use snapshots) or the updated VM configuration files, instead of the entire VM folder each time.

Key Notes #

• Always shut down the VM before copying unless you have vCenter + Storage vMotion (which you don't in this setup) — hot copying without proper tools can lead to corrupted VM files.
• Verify the direct gigabit link is working by pinging between the two VMkernel IPs from each host's ESXi shell.
• When registering the copied VM, generating a new UUID is a good idea if you plan to test both VMs simultaneously, but isn't necessary if you're only running one as a standby.

备注：内容来源于stack exchange，提问作者Brian Karabinchak