I.3 Configurable .ini Files (Jobs) You Can Use with the Tool

When you install the PlateSpin Migrate Client, the installation creates a separate directory for a number of preconfigured jobs (actually, .ini files) that can do the following:

  • Workload conversion (that is, a migration operation)

  • Server Sync

You execute a job by using the run command at the command line. The values in the files are the optional parameters that run along with the job. Each of these functions has a “default” .ini file version that runs with basic settings, and one or more “platform-specific” .ini file(s) that run with custom settings:

  • Conversion-Default.ini

  • Conversion-Windows.ini (customized)

  • Conversion-Linux.ini (customized)

  • ServerSync-Default.ini

  • ServerSync-Windows.ini (customized)

  • ServerSync-Linux.ini (customized)

  • IncrementalImaging-Default.ini

  • IncrementalImaging.ini (customized)

This section includes more details about these jobs.

I.3.1 Conversion Jobs

The CLI tool supports converting Windows and Linux workloads (source) to Hyper-V, vCenter, or ESX servers (target). There are two types of .ini files, one for a basic job configuration, and one for custom configurations. While the job is running you can abort the job or check its status.

Before you start a conversion job, ensure that you run the discover command on the source computer and then on the target platform. The following is example syntax for running the discover command:

discover /machineaddress=10.10.10.10 /username=administrator /password=anything@123 /type=vmware_vcenter

The tables in this section are named by the respective conversion jobs .inifiles they represent. The table contents include the file section names within the .ini and the available settings you can configure according to your conversion needs:

IMPORTANT:For conversions to Hyper-V Generation 1 or BIOS machines, you must ensure that the boot volume is always mapped to Disk1 irrespective of the number of disks on the target machine. So, in the .ini file, you must ensure that the MapTo= setting in the[Volume] section that has VolumeToCopy mapped to boot volume is set to Disk1.

Sample of the settings in Conversion-Windows.ini file:

[Volume1]
VolumeToCopy=boot_volume
FreeSpace=
MapTo=Disk1
[Volume2]
VolumeToCopy=non_boot_volume
FreeSpace=
MapTo=Disk2

Conversion-Default.ini

Table I-2 Details of Conversion-Default.ini

File Sections and Default Settings

Comment

[Type]

 

Conversion=X2V

{required} This value must be used for every conversion.

[JobConfig]

 

Default=true

 

[Source]

 

Address=

{required} Specify an IP address for the source workload.

UserName=

{required} Specify a username credential for the source workload.

Password=

{required} Specify a password credential for the source workload.

TakeControlAddress=

 

SubnetMask=

 

DefaultGateway=

 

DNS=

 

[TargetContainer]

 

Address=

{required} Specify the IP address for the target platform depending on how it is discovered.

For example:

  • If ESX is discovered, specify the IP Address of the ESX irrespective of whether the ESX is discovered via VCenter or via Direct ESX discovery.

  • If Hyper-V is discovered, specify the Hyper-V IP Address.

UserName=

{required} Specify the username for the target platform depending on how it is discovered.

For example:

  • If ESX is discovered via VCenter, specify the vCenter username.

  • If ESX is discovered via Direct ESX discovery, specify the ESX root username.

  • If Hyper-V is discovered, specify the Hyper-V username.

Password=

{required} Specify the password for the target platform depending on how it is discovered. For example:

  • If ESX is discovered via VCenter, specify the vCenter password.

  • If ESX is discovered via Direct ESX discovery, specify the ESX root password.

  • If Hyper-V is discovered, specify the Hyper-V password.

[NewMachine]

 

DisplayName=

{required} Specify the name you want to display in the target platform console.

HostName=

{required} Host name of the target machine.

Conversion-Windows.ini

You can skip system volume.

Table I-3 Details of Conversion-Windows.ini

File Sections and Default Settings

Comment

[Type]

 

Conversion=X2V

{required} This value must be used for every conversion.

[JobConfig]

 

Default=false

 

[Transfer]

 

TransferType=VSSFileBased/VSSblockBased/FileBased

Possible settings shown. If the Windows source machine support VSS snapshotting, use the VSS setting, if it does not support VSS, use the Filebased setting.

LiveTransferEnabled=true/false

Possible settings shown. This setting is dependent on the TransferType setting. Offlline migrations (false) are not supported.

[Source]

 

Address=

{required} Specify an IP address for the source workload.

UserName=

{required} Specify a username credential for the source workload.

Password=

{required} Specify a password credential for the source workload.

EndState=ShutDown/Donothing/Reboot

Possible settings shown.

TakeControlAddress=

 

SubnetMask=

 

DefaultGateway=

 

DNS=

 

[TargetContainer]

 

Address=

{required} Specify the IP address for the target platform depending on how it is discovered.

For example:

  • If ESX is discovered, specify the IP Address of the ESX irrespective of whether the ESX is discovered via VCenter or via Direct ESX discovery.

  • If Hyper-V is discovered, specify the Hyper-V IP Address.

UserName=

{required} Specify the username for the target platform depending on how it is discovered.

For example:

  • If ESX is discovered via VCenter, specify the vCenter username.

  • If ESX is discovered via Direct ESX discovery, specify the ESX root username.

  • If Hyper-V is discovered, specify the Hyper-V username.

Password=

{required} Specify the password for the target platform depending on how it is discovered. For example:

  • If ESX is discovered via VCenter, specify the vCenter password.

  • If ESX is discovered via Direct ESX discovery, specify the ESX root password.

  • If Hyper-V is discovered, specify the Hyper-V password.

VirtualNetwork=

Specify the target platform virtual network name you want to use.

TakeControl=static/dhcp

Specify static or dhcp, depending on your networking configuration.

TakeControlAddress=

 

SubnetMask=

 

DefaultGateway=

 

DNS=

 

[NewMachine]

 

DisplayName=

{required} Specify the name you want to display in the target platform console.

DataStore=

Specify the name of datastore you want to use for configuration files.

  • On ESX: datastore1

  • On Hyper-V: E:

ConfigPath=

  • On ESX: Specify the complete path where you want to create the .vmx file.

    For example: /folder_name/vmx_file_name

    The .vmxfile is created in the specified folder within the datasource.

  • On Hyper-V: Specify the path to the folder where you want to create the configuration file.

    For example: Drive:\folder_name\config_file_name

Memory=

Specify the amount of RAM you want for the target computer. The setting can be in MB or GB and must be specified with integers (no decimal values).

InstallTools=true/false

Possible settings shown. Default is true.

NumberofCPU=

Specify the number of CPUs you want for the target computer.

HostName=

{required} Specify the target host name.

WorkGroup=

{optional} Specify the workgroup name you want to join.

Domain=

 

DomainUserName=

 

DomainUserPassword=

 

EndState=VMPowerOFF/VMPowerON/VMSuspend

Possible settings shown.

ScsiType=

(On VMware) Specify the SCSI Adapter type. If you do not specify a type or specify an unsupported adapter type, the default adapter type is used.

ResourcePool=

(On VMware) Specify the ResourcePool name in the vCenter. If the resource pool is nested, then use \ to separate names. For example, windows\local.

UseThinDisks=

To use thin disks, specify true. Else, specify false.

BootMode=

(On Hyper-V for Windows workload) Specify the boot mode (BIOS or UEFI) supported on the target machine.

[EthernetNic1]

You can repeat this section of the .ini file for every NIC at the target platform. For example, the second NIC section would be named [EthernetNic2]. Configuration settings would be specified for each NIC section in the file.

DHCPEnabled=true/false

Specify true for DHCP and false for static IP.

VirtualNetwork=

Specify the target platform virtual network name you want to use.

Address=

Specify the IP address for the target machine.

SubnetMask=

 

DefaultGateway=

 

DNS=

Specify one or more DNS names separated by commas.

[DriveGeneral]

If you have multiple disks at the source, you can specify them here. You can specify as many disks as there are at the source.

DataStore1=

Specify the datastore on the target platform. For example:

  • On ESX: datastore1

  • On Hyper-V: E:

Disk1=

Specify the path to the configuration file on the target platform. For example:

  • On ESX: /win2k8r2/win2k8r2.vmdk

  • On Hyper-V: \win2k8r2\win2k8r2.vhdx

DataStore2=

 

Disk2=

 

[Volume1]

You can repeat this section of the .ini file for every volume at the target platform. For example, the second volume section would be named [Volume2]. Configuration settings would be specified for each volume section in the file.

VolumeToCopy=

Specify the volume to copy to the target.

MapTo=

Specify the disk to map.

FreeSpace=

Specify the amount of free space, in MB or GB, available on the target for File-Based conversion.

Conversion-Linux.ini

The sections in the Conversion-Windows.ini and in the Conversion-Linux.inifile are identical, except for the settings in [Transfer] section, along with the settings for workgroup and domain configuration. The differences for the Linux source job are shown in the following table.

Table I-4 Conversion-Linux.ini: Differences in Setting Details of the [Transfer] section

File Sections and Default Settings (differences only)

Comment

[Transfer]

 

TransferType=BlockBased/FileBased

Possible settings shown. Linux does not support VSS.

LiveTransferEnabled=true/false

Possible settings shown. This setting is dependent on the TransferType setting. Offline migration (false) are not supported.

[Source]

 

[NewMachine]

 

ScsiType=

(On VMware) Specify the Scsi Adapter type. If you do not specify a type or specify an unsupported adapter type, the default adapter type is used.

ResourcePool=

(On VMware) Specify the ResourcePool name in the vCenter. If the resource pool is nested, then use \ to separate names. For example, windows\local.

UseThinDisks=

To use thin disks, specify true. Else, specify false.

[EthernetNic1]

 

DNS=

Specify one or more DNS names separated by commas.

[LVMGroup]

 

Group1=

Add enteries depending on the number of groups you want. If you have two groups, then add the following:

Group1=

Group2=

Name of the LVM group in the source.

[Volume1]

 

FreeSpace=

Specify the amount of free space, in MB or GB, available on the target for File-Based conversion.

I.3.2 ServerSync Jobs

Use serversync command to perform the Server Sync operation. There are two types of .ini files, one for a basic job configuration, and one for custom configurations. While the job is running you can abort the job or check its status. If you specify the required settings, it will start the job. Then, when it runs, the job populates the other values with default settings.

The tables in this section are named by the respective Server Sync jobs .inifiles they represent. The table contents include the file section names within the .ini and the available settings you can configure according to your conversion needs:

ServerSync-Default.ini

Table I-5 Details of ServerSync-Default.ini

File Sections and Default Settings

Comment

[Type]

 

Conversion=Sync2V

{required} This value must be used for every Server Sync operation.

[JobConfig]

 

Default=true

 

[Source]

 

Address=

{required} Specify an IP address for the source workload.

UserName=

{required} Specify a username credential for the source workload.

Password=

{required} Specify a password credential for the source workload.

TakeControlAddress=

 

SubnetMask=

 

DefaultGateway=

 

DNS=

 

[TargetContainer]

 

Address=

{required} Specify the IP address for the target platform depending on how it is discovered.

For example:

  • If ESX is discovered, specify the IP Address of the ESX irrespective of whether the ESX is discovered via VCenter or via Direct ESX discovery.

  • If Hyper-V is discovered, specify the Hyper-V IP Address.

UserName=

{required} Specify the username for the target platform depending on how it is discovered.

For example:

  • If ESX is discovered via VCenter, specify the vCenter username.

  • If ESX is discovered via Direct ESX discovery, specify the ESX root username.

  • If Hyper-V is discovered, specify the Hyper-V username.

Password=

{required} Specify the password for the target platform depending on how it is discovered. For example:

  • If ESX is discovered via VCenter, specify the vCenter password.

  • If ESX is discovered via Direct ESX discovery, specify the ESX root password.

  • If Hyper-V is discovered, specify the Hyper-V password.

[ExistingTargetMachine]

 

DisplayName=

{required} Specify the display name of the target machine where you want to sync.

HostName=

{required}

ServerSync-Windows.ini

For prepare for Sync, the ServerSync command uses target platform and network details from TargetContainer and machine name from ExistingTargetMachine file sections.

Table I-6 Details of ServerSync-Windows.ini

File Sections and Default Settings

Comment

[Type]

 

Conversion=Sync2V

{required} This value must be used for every Server Sync operation.

[JobConfig]

 

Default=false

 

[Transfer]

 

TransferType=VSSFileBased/VSSblockBased/FileBased

Possible settings shown. If the Windows source machine support VSS snapshotting, use the VSS settings, if it does not support VSS, use the Filebased setting.

LiveTransferEnabled=true/false

Possible settings shown. This setting is dependent on the TransferType setting. Offline migration (false) is not supported.

[Source]

 

Address=

{required} Specify an IP address for the source workload.

UserName=

{required} Specify a username credential for the source workload.

Password=

{required} Specify a password credential for the source workload.

EndState=ShutDown/Donothing/Reboot

Possible settings shown.

TakeControlAddress=

 

SubnetMask=

 

DefaultGateway=

 

DNS=

 

[TargetContainer]

 

Address=

{required} Specify the IP address for the target platform depending on how it is discovered.

For example:

  • If ESX is discovered, specify the IP Address of the ESX irrespective of whether the ESX is discovered via VCenter or via Direct ESX discovery.

  • If Hyper-V is discovered, specify the Hyper-V IP address.

UserName=

{required} Specify the username for the target platform depending on how it is discovered.

For example:

  • If ESX is discovered via VCenter, specify the vCenter username.

  • If ESX is discovered via Direct ESX discovery, specify the ESX root username.

  • If Hyper-V is discovered, specify the Hyper-V username.

Password=

{required} Specify the password for the target platform depending on how it is discovered. For example:

  • If ESX is discovered via VCenter, specify the vCenter password.

  • If ESX is discovered via Direct ESX discovery, specify the ESX root password.

  • If Hyper-V is discovered, specify the Hyper-V password.

VirtualNetwork=

Specify the target platform virtual network name you want to use.

TakeControl=static/dhcp

Specify static or dhcp depending on your networking configuration.

TakeControlAddress=

 

SubnetMask=

 

DefaultGateway=

 

DNS=

 

[ExistingTargetMachine]

 

DisplayName=

{required} Specify the display name of the target machine where you want to sync.

HostName=

.

InstallTools=true/false

.

WorkGroup=

Specify the workgroup name if you want to join workgroup.

Domain=

.

DomainUserName=

.

DomainUserPassword=

.

EndState=VMPowerOFF/VMPowerON/VMSuspend

Possible settings shown.

[EthernetNic1]

You can repeat this section of the .ini file for every NIC at the target platform. For example, the second NIC section would be named [EthernetNic2]. Configuration settings would be specified for each NIC section in the file.

DHCPEnabled=true/false

Specify true for DHCP and false for static IP.

VirtualNetwork=

Specify the target platform virtual network name you want to use.

Address=

Specify the IP address for the target machine.

SubnetMask=

 

DefaultGateway=

 

DNS=

 

ServerSync-Linux.ini

The sections in the ServerSync-Windows.ini and in the ServerSync-Linux.inifile are identical, except for the settings in [Transfer] section, along with the settings for the workgroup and domain configuration. For prepare for Sync, the ServerSync command uses target platform and network details from TargetContainer and machine name from ExistingTargetMachine file sections.

The differences for the Linux source job are shown in the following table.

Table I-7 ServerSync-Linux.ini: Differences in Setting Details of the [Transfer] section

File Sections and Default Settings (differences only)

Comment

[Transfer]

 

TransferType=BlockBased/FileBased

Possible settings shown. Linux does not support VSS.

LiveTransferEnabled=true/false

Possible settings shown. This setting is dependent on the TransferType setting. Offline migration (false) is not supported.