Citrix® XenConvert™ Guide

XenConvert 2.3
Revision 1
December 16, 2010
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Document Code: December 16, 2010
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 C ONTENTS

Contents

Chapter 1 Introduction
About This Document. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
Related Information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
About XenConvert . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
About Compatible Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
XenServer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
Provisioning Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
About Virtualization Formats. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
About XVA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
About OVF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
About Converting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
Choosing the Source . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Choosing the Destination . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Starting XenConvert . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
Reviewing the Log File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

Chapter 2 Release Notes

What’s New in This Release. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
Interoperability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
Known Limitations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
Windows Basic Disk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
Proxy Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
Remote Desktop Connection to Windows 2000. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
Extensibile Firmware Interface (EFI) Systems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
GUID Partition Table (GPT) Disk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
Open Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
File Systems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
Known Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
Network Drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
Problem Ejecting Citrix Virtual Hard Disk Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
2 Citrix XenConvert Guide

Chapter 3 Installing XenConvert

System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
Host Machine Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
Virtual Machine or Virtual Disk Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
Installing XenConvert Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21
Uninstalling XenConvert Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22

Chapter 4 Configuring XenConvert

XenConvert File Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23
Exclude . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23
Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23
Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24

Chapter 5 Using XenConvert

Converting From a Physical Machine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25
Preparing the Source Machine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26
Choosing Volumes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26
Physical Machine to Provisioning Services vDisk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29
Physical Machine to VHD. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30
Physical Machine to XenServer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31
Physical Machine to OVF Package. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32
Converting From VMware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34
Converting From VMware using OVF. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34
Converting From VMware like a Physical Machine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34
Converting From VMware using VMDK. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35
VMDK to XenServer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35
VMDK to VHD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36
Converting From an OVF Package . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37
Converting From an OVF Package to XenServer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37
Converting from a VHD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39
VHD to OVF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39
VHD to XenServer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40
Converting From XVA V2 to an OVF Package . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41
Converting a Single Volume . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42
3 Citrix XenConvert Guide

Chapter 6 Troubleshooting a Conversion

Windows AutoPlay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45
Windows Automount . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45
Security Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46
Failed to Discover Volume . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46
4 Citrix XenConvert Guide
 C HAPTER 1

Introduction

This chapter provides an introduction to XenConvert, which includes the

following information:
• “About This Document”
• “About XenConvert”
• “About Virtualization Formats”
• “About Converting”

About This Document

This document provides instructions on installing and using Citrix XenConvert
software. This document is organized as follows:
• “Release Notes” highlights new features and identifies known issues.
• “Installing XenConvert” describes how to install the XenConvert software.
• “Using XenConvert” describes how to use XenConvert to convert a
workload from one format to another that is compatible with Citrix
XenServer, and Provisioning Services.
This document is intended for XenServer and Provisioning Services system
administrators and software installers. It is assumed that readers are familiar with
basic installation and system management tasks for Microsoft Windows operating
systems.

Related Information
Additional information about Citrix XenServer and Citrix Provisioning Services
may also be required during installation and use of this product. This information
can be found at the following locations:
• XenServer: http://support.citrix.com/product/xens/
• Provisioning Services: http://support.citrix.com/product/provsvr/
6 Citrix XenConvert Guide

About XenConvert
Citrix XenConvert is both a physical-to-virtual (P2V) and virtual-to-virtual
(V2V) conversion tool.
As a P2V tool, XenConvert can convert a server or desktop workload from an
online physical machine running Windows, to a virtual machine for use with
XenServer or a virtual disk for use with Provisioning Services.
As a V2V tool, XenConvert can convert a server or desktop workload from an
virtual appliance or disk, containing any guest operating systems including
Windows and Linux, to a XenServer virtual machine.
Installing the Provisioning Services Target Device software before converting
enables the provisioning of a workload for streaming to a physical machine or
XenServer virtual machine.

About Compatible Products

The following Citrix products are compatible with XenConvert:
• “XenServer”
• “Provisioning Services”

XenServer
Citrix® XenServer™ is a complete server virtualization platform, optimized for
both Windows and Linux virtual servers, with all the capabilities required to
create and manage a virtual infrastructure. XenServer is, essentially, a control
program or hypervisor, that runs on the physical or host server to provide a
simulated computer environment. XenServer works by virtualizing the hardware.
Hardware virtualization abstracts characteristics, such as hard drives, resources,
or ports, of the system from the hardware and allocates it to the virtualized
computer(s) running on it. These virtualized "computers," are known as virtual
machines. They run operating systems and applications that are often referred to
as guest software.
XenServer lets you create virtual machines (VMs), take VM disk snapshots, and
manage VM workloads. XenServer runs directly on server hardware without
requiring an additional underlying operating system. XenServer can be managed
through XenCenter, a Windows administration tool, or via a command line
interface (CLI) running on Linux or Windows.
 Chapter 1 Introduction 7

Provisioning Services
The Provisioning-Services solution’s infrastructure is based on software-
streaming technology. Using Provisioning Services, administrators prepare a
device (master target device) for imaging by installing any required software on
that device. A vDisk (virtual disk image) is then created from the master target
device’s hard drive and saved to the network (on a Provisioning Server or storage
device). After the vDisk is available from the network, the target device no longer
needs its local hard drive to operate; it boots directly across the network. The
Provisioning Server streams the contents of the vDisk to the target device on
demand, in real time. The target device behaves as if it is running from its local
drive. Unlike thin-client technology, processing takes place on the target device.

About Virtualization Formats

This section provides an introduction to the following virtualization formats
supported by XenConvert:
• “About XVA”
• “About OVF”

About XVA
XVA is the original format of a Xen Virtual Appliance. There are two versions of
XVA, which are referred to as XVA V1 and XVA V2 in this document. XVA V1
includes the following files and folders.
• ova.xml; meta-data file defining the properties of a Xen VM
• hda; folder containing one or more compressed ‘chunks’ of a virtual hard
disk.
XVA 2 format is a single file archive of files that comprise a Xen Virtual
Appliance. XenCenter can import both formats but only exports in XVA V2.
XenConvert can convert XVA V2 to OVF.
8 Citrix XenConvert Guide

About OVF
OVF is the Open Virtualization Format. It is a standard defined by the Distributed
Management Task Force (DMTF) that describes virtual machines in the form of
an OVF Package or Open Virtualization Appliance (OVA) Package.
An OVF Package consists of a descriptor file (*.ovf) and any other files
representing the following attributes of the package:
Signature
Digital signature used by a public key certificate in the X.509 format to
authenticate the producer of the package.
Manifest
SHA-1 digest of every file in the package to verify its contents by detecting any
corruption.
Virtual disks
Files comprising virtual disks in the format defined by the virtualization product
that exported the virtual disks. VMware products export a virtual disk in the
Stream-Optimized VMDK format for an OVF Package. XenServer products
export a virtual disk in the Dynamic VHD format for an OVF Package..

Note A virtual disk can contain a Windows or Linux operating system.

An OVA package is a single archive file, in the Tape Archive (tar) format,
containing the files that comprise an OVF Package.
Refer to the following documents for more information about OVF:
• Overview of the Open Virtualization Format (http://support.citrix.com/
article/CTX121652)
• Open Virtualization Format Specification (http://www.dmtf.org/sites/
default/files/standards/documents/DSP0243_1.1.0.pdf)

About Converting
Converting with XenConvert consists of the following steps:
1. “Choosing the Source”
2. “Choosing the Destination”
3. “Starting XenConvert”
4. “Reviewing the Log File”
 Chapter 1 Introduction 9

The combination of source and destination types comprise a conversion type.

Choosing the Source

The choice of source depends on the form in which your workload exists:
• Physical machine
• OVF
• VHD
• VMDK
• XVA V2

Choosing the Destination

The destination for the conversion depends on the source type and your
environment, including connectivity to your XenServer or Provisioning Server
and the features of another virtualization platform.
Since the source type is known, the following table organizes conversions by
destination type.

Destination Summary Choose when...

XenServer A virtual machine that XenServer is reachable from the
includes one virtual disk on a machine that is or contains the
XenServer. source.
OVF Package A virtual machine that XenServer is unreachable from
includes one virtual disk in the the machine that is or contains
OVF residing on the local the source.
system.
Publishing a virtual appliance.
VHD A virtual disk in the VHD XenServer is unreachable from
file format on the local the machine that is or contains
system. the source.

All other methods were

unsuccessful.
Provisioning A virtual disk used with Citrix Using XenConvert on a source
Services Provisioning Services. machine with an active
vDisk connection to Provisioning
Services.
10 Citrix XenConvert Guide

Converting to any destination other than Provisioning Services vDisk requires

sufficient disk space for a workspace to store intermediate files. For best
performance, choose a local hard disk that has the fastest interface, doesn’t
include the source, and is not a network drive.

Starting XenConvert
To start XenConvert in attended mode using the wizard, from the Windows Start
menu, click All Programs > Citrix > XenConvert . The Citrix XenConvert
Welcome screen appears. Refer to “Using XenConvert” chapter for details.
To start XenConvert in an unattended mode from a console shell, from the
XenConvert installation directory, type XenConvert.exe followed by the
name, parameters, and options of a conversion in the following order:
start /b /wait XenConvert <Conversion Name> <Parameters>
[<Options>]

To show the names, parameters, and options specific to a conversion:

XenConvert /?

Note Only one instance of the XenConvert wizard can run at a time. More than
one instance of XenConvert can run at a time when started from the command
line. However, it is impractical to run more than one conversion from a physical
machine at a time. This is especially true on Windows Vista and Server 2008 and
later because XenConvert uses snapshots.

Reviewing the Log File

XenConvert logs informational, warning, and error messages to its log file,
XenConvert.txt. XenConvert also logs usage errors to its log file when run
as a console program. XenConvert returns an exit code of zero for success and
non-zero for failure.
After the conversion process completes, you can view the results by opening the
log file:
On Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, the
location of the log file is: %ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Application
Data\Citrix\XenConvert (for example: C:\Documents and
Settings\All Users\Application
Data\Citrix\XenConvert\XenConvert.txt).
On Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, Windows 7, and Windows
Server 2008 R2, the location of the log file is:
%PROGRAMDATA%\Citrix\XenConvert\XenConvert.txt.
Chapter 1 Introduction 11
12 Citrix XenConvert Guide
 C HAPTER 2

Release Notes

This chapter contains information relevant to this release of XenConvert

software. This information includes:
• “What’s New in This Release”
• “Known Limitations”
• “Known Issues”

What’s New in This Release

This release adds new conversion features.

Interoperability
This release of XenConvert works with XenServer 5.6, XenServer 5.6 FP1,
Provisioning Services 5.6, and Provisioning Services 5.6 SP1.
Note: XenConvert 2.3 encodes the OVF file in UTF-16. However, the XenServer
5.6 Appliance Import feature only decodes an OVF file in UTF-8. To import an
OVF file produced by XenConvert 2.3 into XenServer 5.6, first change the
encoding from UTF-16 to UTF-8. One method that can be used includes the
following:
1. Open the OVF file in Notepad.
2. Edit the file to change the encoding attribute from utf-16 to utf-8.
3. Select Save As... from the File menu.
4. Select UTF-8 from the Encoding pull down menu.
5. Click Save.
Support for Windows 2000 is deprecated in this release
14 Citrix XenConvert Guide

Known Limitations
This section describes known limitations for XenConvert.

Windows Basic Disk

XenConvert can only convert volumes on primary partitions on a disk configured
as a Windows Basic Disk, and not a Windows Dynamic Disk.

Proxy Server
XenConvert communicates with a XenServer using HTTP, a web protocol.
However, it cannot communicate through a proxy server. To workaround this
limitation, disable the use of a proxy server on the machine that is running
XenConvert before converting to XenServer.

Remote Desktop Connection to Windows 2000

XenConvert cannot run from a Terminal Services session when the Terminal
Server is a Window 2000 operating system because Windows 2000 does not
expose all devices created by XenConvert to a Terminal Session. Mounting a
VHD either fails after several minutes or does not appear to finish. This issue
does not occur when connecting using Virtual Network Computing (VNC).

Extensibile Firmware Interface (EFI) Systems

XenConvert cannot convert from Windows on an EFI system.

GUID Partition Table (GPT) Disk

XenConvert cannot convert a Windows System Volume from a Windows GPT
Disk.

Open Files
XenConvert cannot copy a file in use by another application or service on
Windows 2000, Windows XP and Windows Server 2003. To ensure that the file is
included in the conversion, stop the respective service before starting the
conversion. It is not recommended to convert a workload executing a critical
service that keeps critical files open that cannot be stopped (such as a Domain
Controller with Active Directory service).
 Chapter 2 Release Notes 15

File Systems
XenConvert only supports converting from a volume formatted with NTFS.
However, XenConvert does not reproduce the following optional attributes of a
file from its source volume to the target volume.
Data Streams
XenConvert converts only the default data streams but not named data streams.
Hard Links
XenConvert does not create hard links on the target volume. Instead, it
reproduces the file(s) referenced by the hard link. Consequently, the target
volume may require more free space than the source volume.
Compression
XenConvert does not configure NTFS to compress a file on the target volume that
had the compression attribute on the source volume. Consequently, the target
volume may require more free space than the source volume
Encryption
XenConvert does not configure NTFS to encrypt a file on the target volume that
had the encryption attribute on the source volume.

Known Issues
This section describes known issues for XenConvert. Wherever possible, a
workaround for the problem is included.

Network Drives
XenConvert cannot mount a VHD when a network drive was mapped to the next
available drive letter after the last local drive.
To workaround this limitation, remap the network drive to a drive letter other than
the lowest one available. For information about a similar issue, see http://
support.microsoft.com/kb/297694/. While this article pertains to Windows XP,
the problem also affects Windows Server 2003 when automount is enabled.
16 Citrix XenConvert Guide

Problem Ejecting Citrix Virtual Hard Disk

Messages
The following messages might appear during any conversion that creates an
intermediate VHD:
• Problem Ejecting Citrix Virtual Hard Disk: The device 'Generic volume'
cannot be stopped right now. Try stopping the device again later.
• Problem Ejecting Citrix Virtual Hard Disk: The device 'Citrix Virtual Hard
Disk' cannot be stopped because of an unknown error. Since the device is
still being used, do not remove it.
These messages may appear if applications or services, such as a virus scan or the
Windows Autoplay feature, open a file on the mounted VHD. This is because the
open file prevents a dismount.
Issue # 7308
 C HAPTER 3

Installing XenConvert

Download the XenConvert installer from the download page for XenServer or
from the download page for Provisioning Services (http://www.citrix.com).

System Requirements
The tables that follow provide the system requirements for:
• Host machine used to perform conversions (“Host Machine
Requirements”).
• Virtual machine or virtual disk being converted (“Virtual Machine or
Virtual Disk Requirements”).
18 XenConvert Installation Guide

Host Machine Requirements

The table that follows lists the minimum requirements for installing XenConvert
on the machine used for conversions.

Component Conversion Requirement

Operating Provisioning Microsoft Windows 32 and 64-bit
System used Services (vDisk ) Windows Server 2003 SP1; all editions
to create 5.1 SP 1, 2 and 3 Windows Server 2003 R2; all editions
virtual disks 5.6, 5.6 SP1 Windows Server 2008; all editions
for use with
Provisioning Windows XP Professional Edition
Services, Window Vista:
XenServer - Business Edition
- Enterprise Edition
- Ultimate Edition with retail licensing
Windows 7; all editions
Windows Server 2008 R2 (experimental
only)
XenServer Microsoft Windows 32-bit and 64-bit
Version 5.0 (with Windows Server 2003 SP1
updates 1, 2 and 3), - Standard
5.5, *5.6, 5.6 FP1 - Enterprise
*Note: If using an Windows Server 2003 R2
OVF Package
produced by - Standard
XenConvert 2.3 - Enterprise
with XenServer Windows Small Business Server 2003 SP1
5.6, refer to Windows Small Business Server 2003 R2
“Interoperability”. Windows Small Business Server 2008
Windows Server 2008
- Standard
- Enterprise
Windows XP Professional Edition
Windows 2000 SP4 with Security Update
Version 835732
- Professional
- Server
- Advanced Server
Windows Vista
Windows 7; all editions
Windows Server 2008 R2 (64-bit only)

.Net All .Net Framework 2.0 SP2

Framework Note: If necessary, XenConvert installs
.Net Framework 2.0 SP2
 Chapter 3 Installing XenConvert 19

Component Conversion Requirement

Disk Space For XenConvert 4 MB XenConvert x32
6 MB XenConvert x64
For .Net 1 GB Recommended
Framework 610 MB required for Net Framework x64
280 MB .required for Net Framework x86
For XVA to OVF Free disk space must be at least 200% of
the XVA size.
20 XenConvert Installation Guide

Virtual Machine or Virtual Disk Requirements

The following table lists the requirements of a virtual machine or virtual disk to
convert.

Requirements for a Virtual Machine or Virtual Disk to Convert

Supported Windows 64-bit
Guest Windows Server 2003; Standard, Enterprise SP1/SP2
Windows Server 2003 R2; Standard, Enterprise SP1/SP2
Windows XP SP1/SP2/SP3
Windows Server 2008; SP1/SP2
Windows Vista; SP1/SP2
Windows Server 2008 R2:
- Standard
- Enterprise
Windows 7

32-bit
Windows Server 2003; Standard, Enterprise SP1/SP2
Windows Server 2003 R2; Standard, Enterprise SP1/SP2
Windows Small Business Server 2003 SP1/SP2
Windows XP SP1/SP2/SP3
Windows 2000 SP4
Windows Server 2008; SP1/SP2
Windows Vista; SP1/SP2
Windows 7

Supported Linux 64-bit

Guests CentOS 5.2
Oracle Enterprise Linux 5.0
Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server 5.2
Novell SUSE Enterprise Linux 10 SP1/SP2
32-bit
CentOS 5.2
Oracle Enterprise Linux 5.0
Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server 5.2
Suse Linux Enterprise Server 5.2
Novell SUSE Enterprise Server 9 SP2/SP3/SP4
Novell SUSE Enterprise Server 10 SP1
Debian 4.0
 Chapter 3 Installing XenConvert 21

Requirements for a Virtual Machine or Virtual Disk to Convert

VHD Formats Fixed and Dynamic VHD from Microsoft Virtual Server
(*.vhd) 2005 R2 SP1
Fixed and Dynamic VHD from HyperV
VMDK Formats Stream-optimized VMDK
(*.vmdk) Flat Monolithic VMDK
Sparse Monolithic VMDK
Flat Extent VMDK
Sparse Extent VMDK
Virtual Machine OVF (*.ovf)
Formats XVA (*.xva)

Note When converting a virtual machine or virtual disk, the version of

Windows on the XenConvert host must be later than the version of Windows in
the virtual machine or virtual disk.

Installing XenConvert Programs

1. Remove any previously installed versions of XenConvert.

Note: For Windows 2000, the Microsoft Security Patch must be installed
(refer to KB 835732).
2. Start the appropriate installation wizard:
• XenConvert_Install.exe
• XenConvert_Install_64.exe
3. Click Next on the Welcome page. The License Agreement screen appears.
4. Click to select any of the following options:
• Print (optional) to print a copy of the License Agreement.
• I accept..... , then Next to continue the installation.
• I do not accept to terminate the installation.
The Destination Folder screen appears.
5. Click Next to install XenConvert in the default directory or click Change
to change the directory.
6. Click Next. The Ready to Install the Program screen appears.
22 XenConvert Installation Guide

7. Click Install. The Installing XenConvert screen displays, showing the

installation progress.
8. After the InstallShield Wizard Complete screen appears, click Finish.
For details on using the XenConvert Wizard, refer to the chapter titled “Using
XenConvert”.

Uninstalling XenConvert Programs

On Windows XP and Windows Server 2003
1) Open the Control Panel, then select Add or Remove Programs.
2) Select Citrix XenConvert, then click Remove.
On Windows 2000, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, Windows 7, and
Windows Server 2008 R2
1) Open the Control Panel, then select Programs and Features.
2) Select Citrix XenConvert, then click Uninstall.
 C HAPTER 4

Configuring XenConvert

Change the default behavior of XenConvert by changing a parameter in its

configuration file, XenConvert.ini, which is located in the installation
folder.

XenConvert File Format

The format of XenConvert.ini is the format of a INI file commonly used in
Windows. XenConvert recognizes the following sections:
• “Exclude”
• “Mode”
• “Parameters”

Exclude
The exclude section is a list of files to exclude from the conversion.

Mode
The mode section affects the lists of source and destination types shown in the
wizard. To limit the types only applicable to Provisioning Services, add the
following line to the mode section:
PVS=
24 Citrix XenConvert Guide

Parameters
The parameters section can contain zero or more of the parameters shown in
the following table:

Name Description
AutoDismountTimeoutAs Number of milliseconds to wait before retrying to
Ms automatically dismount a VHD. Default is 60
seconds.
Default is 60000 (60 seconds).
VhdPluginTimeoutAsMs Number of milliseconds to wait for a VHD to
mount.
Default is 600000 (10 minutes).
PartitionOffsetBase The absolute offset, measured in bytes, to place the
first partition. Use this parameter to align the first
partition on a boundary that is optimal for a storage
device.
For example, for some SANs, virtual disk access is
optimal when the offset is 1 MB.
For Provisioning Services, an offset that is a multiple
of the cluster size of the NTFS that stores a
Provisioning Services virtual disk.
Default is 258048 (63 * 4096) bytes for use with
Provisioning Services virtual disks on an NTFS with
a 4096 cluster size.
ServerClusterSize The number of bytes in a file system cluster on the
system serving a vDisk. Set this parameter to
optimize access of the vDisk by a system serving the
vDisk from a simple file, such as Provisioning
Services.
For example:
If a vDisk resides in a Provisioning Services store
that is located on an NTFS volume with a cluster
size of 16384, set the ServerClusterSize to 16384.

Set the value to zero to disable optimization.

Default is 4095.
WindowsFreePercentage The percentage of free space to reserve in the
volume on the vDisk that will contain the Windows
operating system.
Default is 25%.
 C HAPTER 5

Using XenConvert

This chapter describes how to convert a workload from the following sources:
• “Converting From a Physical Machine”
• “Converting From VMware”
• “Converting From an OVF Package”
• “Converting from a VHD”
• “Converting From XVA V2 to an OVF Package”
• “Converting a Single Volume”

Important The following Windows security privileges are required to convert

successfully.
- Backup files and directories
- Restore files and directories
- Manage auditing and security log
- Take ownership of files and other objects

Converting From a Physical Machine

Convert a physical machine, including up to four volumes, to one of the
following destinations:
• “Physical Machine to Provisioning Services vDisk”
• “Physical Machine to VHD”
• “Physical Machine to XenServer”
• “Physical Machine to OVF Package”
26 Citrix XenConvert Guide

All conversions from a physical machine have the following steps in common.
• “Preparing the Source Machine”
• “Choosing Volumes”

Preparing the Source Machine

Before Converting From a Physical Machine:
• Enable Windows Automount on Windows Server operating systems.
• Disable Windows Autoplay.
• Remove any virtualization software before performing a conversion.
• Verify adequate free space exists on the destination, which is approximately
101% of used space on the source volumes.
• Remove any network interface team because it is not applicable to a virtual
machine.

Choosing Volumes
When converting from a physical machine to a virtual machine or virtual disk,
XenConvert provides the options to:
• Select up to four volumes to include
• Resize those volumes in the virtual disk by changing the amount of free
space.
• Resize the entire virtual disk by changing the unallocated space (for
conversions to destinations other than Provisioning Services)
These options become available after the wizard’s Welcome page displays.
The tables that follow describe the properties and options of source and
destination volumes.
 Chapter 5 Using XenConvert 27

Source

Source Volume A volume on the physical machine identified by its

drive letter and label.

Choose up to four source volumes to include in the

conversion to primary partitions on the virtual disk
in the order shown.

Choose None to remove a volume from the

conversion.
Used Space The amount of space used by existing files on the
selected volume, which is required on the virtual
disk volume being created (displays in MB and as a
percentage of volume capacity).
Free Space The amount of file space that is available for use on
the selected volume (displays in MB and as a
percentage of volume capacity).
Capacity Maximum space of the original volume selected
(Used Space + Free Space).
File System File system format. Must be NTFS.

Destination

Destination Volume A volume on the virtual disk identified by drive

letter and label, taken from the source volume, to
assign after conversion.
Used Space The amount of space used by existing files on the
selected volume, which is required on the virtual
disk volume being created (displays in MB and as a
percentage of volume capacity).
28 Citrix XenConvert Guide

Destination Volume A volume on the virtual disk identified by drive

letter and label, taken from the source volume, to
assign after conversion.
Free Space The amount of space available to new files.
To resize the volume, change its free space.
To change the free space to a specific value, type the
number of megabytes.
To increment the free space by one megabyte, click
the up arrow button.
To decrement the free space by one megabyte, click
the down arrow button.
To change the free space to match the source
volume, click the reset button..
Capacity The maximum space on the original volume (Used
Space + Free Space).
This amount automatically changes when the free
space changes.
File System Type of file system associated with the selected
volume. Must be NTFS.
 Chapter 5 Using XenConvert 29

Disk

Allocated Space The amount of space allocated to used and free

space for all selected volumes.
Unallocated Space The amount of space not allocated to used or free
space of any volume.
To reserve space on the virtual disk for creating or
extending volumes later, change the unallocated
space.
To change the unallocated space to a specific value,
type the number of megabytes.
To increment the unallocated space by one
megabyte, click the up arrow button.
To decrement the unallocated space by one
megabyte, click the down arrow button.
To change the unallocated space to zero megabytes,
click the reset button.
Capacity The total amount of space for the virtual disk being
created (MB).

Note During the conversion process, if the Windows boot volume (contains the
Windows folder) and Windows system volume (contains the boot configuration
data) reside on separate partitions, XenConvert combines them onto the same
partition. Refer to http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314470 for
the definitions of the Windows boot and system volumes.
Note Windows Vista and later, will display a format dialog for every partition
being created. Cancel all format dialogs requests. XenConvert will automatically
format each partition.

Physical Machine to Provisioning Services vDisk

Use this method to convert a physical machine to a connected Provisioning
Services vDisk.
1. Start the XenConvert Wizard.
2. On the Welcome to Citrix XenConvert dialog, choose the following
conversion options, then click Next:
From
This Machine (your-computername)
To
30 Citrix XenConvert Guide

Provisioning Services vDisk

3. Choose the volumes to include in the conversion from the drop-down
menus. For details, refer to “Choosing Volumes”
4. Optional: check the Log copied files checkbox to log the name of each
copied file to XenConvert.txt.
5. If the vDisk image is going to be used by multiple target devices in
Standard Image mode, click the Optimize button.
Optimizer does not need to be run on Private Image vDisks.
6. Click Next.
7. Verify that the conversion information entered is correct, then click
Convert.
8. On the warning message that displays, click Yes to confirm the conversion.
The conversion is complete when the progress bar reaches 100% and the
Status field indicates if the conversion is successful or not.
9. After the conversion completes, click Finish to exit XenConvert, or click
Log to display the conversion log file in Notepad.

Physical Machine to VHD

Convert up to four volumes from any local disk on the machine to a single virtual
disk compatible with XenServer.
1. Start the XenConvert Wizard.
2. On the Welcome to Citrix XenConvert dialog, choose the following
conversion options, then click Next:
From
This Machine (your-computername)
To
XenServer Virtual Hard Disk (VHD)
3. Choose the volumes to include in this conversion from the drop-down
menu. For details, refer to “Choosing Volumes”.
4. Optional.
Note: To also use this VHD with Provisioning Services, install the
Provisioning Services target device software before converting.
A. In the Destination Volume section, under Free Space, change the
amount of free space using one or more of the following methods:
- Type a number in MB.
 Chapter 5 Using XenConvert 31

- Click a spin button to increment or decrement by 1 MB.

- Click the Reset button to match the size of the respective source
volume.
B. In the Disk section, under Unallocated Space, change the size of the
entire virtual disk by changing the amount of unallocated space.
5. Click Next.
6. Type or browse for the folder location where this virtual disk will be stored,
then click Next.
7. Optional. Check the Log name of converted files checkbox to log the
name of each converted file to XenConvert.txt
8. Verify that the source and destination conversion information is correct,
then click Convert. The conversion is complete when the progress bar
reaches 100% and the Status field indicates if the conversion completed
successfully or not.
9. Click Finish to exit XenConvert (this button displays after the conversion
completes or after cancelling the conversion process), or click Log to
display the conversion log file in Notepad.

Physical Machine to XenServer

Convert a machine, including up to four volumes, from any disk to a virtual
machine containing a single virtual disk on a XenServer. Store its virtual disk in
the default storage repository.
XenConvert captures the properties of the source machine and adds the resulting
virtual disk to an intermediate OVF Package that is not encrypted, compressed, or
signed.
1. Start the XenConvert Wizard.
2. On the Welcome to Citrix XenConvert dialog, choose the following
conversion options, then click Next:
From
This Machine (your-computername)
To
XenServer
3. Choose the volumes to include in this conversion from the drop-down
menu. For details, refer to “Choosing Volumes”
4. Click Next.
5. Provide information about the XenServer that will receive the VM:
32 Citrix XenConvert Guide

Hostname
Simple host name, fully qualified domain name, or IP address of a
standalone XenServer or the XenServer Pool Master.
User name
Name of the account with import privileges. Consult the XenServer product
documentation for information on account requirements.
Password
The password that is associated with User name.
Workspace
Path of the folder to store intermediate files such as OVF and VHD files.
6. Click Next
7. Optional. Check the Log name of converted files checkbox to log the
name of each copied file to XenConvert.txt
8. Verify that the source and destination conversion information is correct,
then click Convert. The conversion is complete when the progress bar
reaches 100% and the Status field indicates if the conversion was
successful or not.
9. Click Finish to exit XenConvert (this button displays after the conversion
completes or after cancelling the conversion process), or click Log to
display the conversion log file in Notepad.

Physical Machine to OVF Package

Convert a physical machine to an OVF Package that is optionally encrypted,
compressed, and/or signed.
1. Start the XenConvert Wizard (for details, refer to “Converting From a
Physical Machine”.)
2. On the Welcome to Citrix XenConvert dialog, choose the following
conversion options, then click Next:
From
This Machine (your-computername)
To
Open Virtualization Format (OVF) Package
3. Choose the volumes to include in this conversion from the drop-down
menu. For details, refer to “Choosing Volumes”
4. Click Next.
 Chapter 5 Using XenConvert 33

5. Choose a folder to store the OVF Package by typing or browsing for the
appropriate location.
6. Optional. Choose a EULA to include in the OVF Package by typing or
browsing for the appropriate location.
7. Optional, check:
Create Open Virtual Appliance (OVA)
Check this box to create an OVA Package from the OVF Package for
distribution.
Compress Open Virtual Appliance (OVA)
Check this box to reduce the size of the OVA. This option is only available
if the Create Open Virtual Appliance box is checked.
Encrypt
Select this option to encrypt the OVF Package. If the Create Open Virtual
Appliance (OVA) is selected, encryption occurs before creating the OVA.
Enter the passphrase with which to encrypt, in the Passphrase text box.
Confirm the passphrase by entering it again in the Confirm text box.
Sign with Certificate
Check this box to sign this OVF Package with a certificate in the X.509
format.
• Browse for the appropriate file to include using the File... button
• Enter the password in the Password textbox.
• Click View to view certificate information.
8. Click Next.
9. Optional. Edit the name of your new VM in the Name textbox. The OVF
Package will be given the same name as the VM.
10. Click Next.
11. Optional. Check the Log name of converted files checkbox to log the
name of each copied file to XenConvert.txt
12. Verify that the conversion information entered is correct, then click
Convert. The conversion is complete when the progress bar reaches 100%
and the Status field indicates that if conversion was successful or not.
13. Click Finish to exit XenConvert (this button displays after the conversion
completes or after cancelling the conversion process), or click Log to
display the conversion log file in Notepad.
34 Citrix XenConvert Guide

Converting From VMware

Important Remove all virtualization software from the source machine before
performing a conversion.

To convert from VMware, consider the following strategies in the order shown.
• “Converting From VMware using OVF”
• “Converting From VMware like a Physical Machine”
• “Converting From VMware using VMDK”
OVF is preferred because it is faster and can be simpler for a workloads
consisting of multiple virtual disks. You’ll need a tool, such as one of the
following, to create an OVF from VMware.
• Virtual Center 2.5 / ESX 3.5 Update 3

• VMware Workstation 6.5

• VMware Converter 3.0.3

• Ovftool

• VMware Studio 1.0

Converting From VMware using OVF

To create an OVF from a VMware, refer to “Converting From an OVF Package”.

Note If the selected XenServer is configured with bonded network interfaces,

you may need to reconfigure the NIC(s) of your new VM.

Converting From VMware like a Physical Machine

Treat a VMware VM like a physical machine. Remove any virtualization tool
programs from the VM and follow the steps in “Converting From a Physical
Machine”.
 Chapter 5 Using XenConvert 35

Converting From VMware using VMDK

Convert only the virtual disk from a VMware VM. This method is the simplest
but involves more manual steps for a VM consisting of multiple virtual disks. The
following conversions are supported:
• “VMDK to XenServer”

• “VMDK to VHD”

Note When selecting a VMDK descriptor file for conversion, do not select files
that include flat, ddddd, or dddd in the file name. For example:
example-flat.vmdk
example-dddd.vmdk
example-dddd.vmdk

VMDK to XenServer
Select this method to convert a single VMDK to XenServer.
1. Start XenConvert.
2. On the Welcome to Citrix XenConvert dialog, choose the following
conversion options, then click Next:
From
VMware Virtual Hard Drive (VMDK)
To
XenServer
3. Browse for the VMDK descriptor file to include in this conversion, then
click Next.
4. Provide the following conversion information, then click Next:
Hostname
Simple host name, fully qualified domain name, or IP address of the
XenServer.
User name
Name of the account with import privileges. Consult the XenServer product
documentation for information on account requirements.
Password
The password that is associated with User name.
36 Citrix XenConvert Guide

Workspace
Type or browse for the folder in which intermediate files should be stored.
5. Optional. Edit the name of your new XenServer VM in the Name textbox.
6. Click Next.
7. Verify that the conversion information entered is correct, then click
Convert. The conversion is complete when the progress bar reaches 100%
and the Status field indicates that the conversion was successful.
8. Click Finish to exit XenConvert (this button displays after the conversion
completes or after cancelling the conversion process), or click Log to
display the conversion log file in Notepad.

VMDK to VHD
Select this method to convert a single VMDK to a VHD.
1. Start XenConvert.
2. On the Welcome to Citrix XenConvert dialog, choose the following
conversion options, then click Next:
From
VMware Virtual Hard Disk (VMDK)
To
XenServer Virtual Hard Disk (VHD)
3. Browse for the VMDK file that contains the descriptor. Since some VMDK
types can consist of multiple files with the same .vmdk extension, it isn’t
obvious which file contains the descriptor. The following table lists the
types of VMDKs that can be converted, the number of files that comprise
those types, and their respective naming convention, which follow the
general convention: DiskName[-suffix].vmdk. The file without a
suffix in its name is usually the descriptor file:

Type Files File Naming Convention

Monolithic Sparse 1 DiskName.vmdk
Monolithic Flat 2 DiskName.vmdk
DiskName-flat.vmdk
 Chapter 5 Using XenConvert 37

Type Files File Naming Convention

Extent Sparse >=2 DiskName.vmdk
DiskName-s001.vmdk
DiskName-snnn.vmdk
Extent Flat >=2 DiskName.vmdk
DiskName-f001.vmdk
DiskName-fnnn.vmdk
Stream Optimized 1 DiskName.vmdk

Click Next:
4. Enter or browse for the folder where this VHD is to be stored, then click
Next.
5. Verify that the conversion information entered is correct, then click
Convert. The conversion is complete when the progress bar reaches 100%
and the Status field indicates that if the conversion was successful or not.
6. Click Finish to exit XenConvert (this button displays after the conversion
completes or after cancelling the conversion process), or click Log to
display the conversion log file in Notepad.

Converting From an OVF Package

Important Remove all virtualization software from the source machine before
exporting it to an OVF Package.

When converting from an OVF Package, the following conversions are

supported:
• “Converting From an OVF Package to XenServer”

Converting From an OVF Package to XenServer

Convert an OVF Package to XenServer. If the package contains a virtual disk in
the VMDK format, then XenConvert will first convert the virtual disk to the
Dynamic VHD format.

Important Remove all virtualization software from the source machine before
performing a conversion.
38 Citrix XenConvert Guide

1. Start the XenConvert Wizard.

2. On the Welcome to Citrix XenConvert dialog, choose the following
conversion options, then click Next:
From
Open Virtualization Format (OVF) Package
To
XenServer
3. Browse for the OVF Package to include in this conversion.
4. Optional. Select for the following checkbox options:
Verify Content
To verify the content in the manifest at conversion time, check this
checkbox.
Verify Author
To verify the author is the source of the manifest at conversion time, check
this checkbox.
If the manifest or source can not be found, a message displays and allows
you to select Yes to continue, or No to return to the previous dialog.
5. Click Next. After clicking Next, XenConvert must always check if the
package was encrypted. The amount of time to check for encryption is
proportional to the size of the package. If the OVF Package was found to be
encrypted, please enter the encryption passphrase in the text box in order to
continue.
6. Provide the following conversion information, then click Next:
Hostname
Simple host name, fully qualified domain name, or IP address of a
standalone XenServer or the XenServer Pool Master.
User name
Name of the account with import privileges. Consult the XenServer product
documentation for information on account requirements.
Password
The password that is associated with User name.
7. Click Next.
 Chapter 5 Using XenConvert 39

8. Verify that the conversion information entered is correct, then click

Convert. The conversion is complete when the progress bar reaches 100%
and the Status field indicates if the conversion was successful or not.
9. Click Finish to exit XenConvert (this button displays after the conversion
completes or after cancelling the conversion process), or click Log to
display the conversion log file in Notepad.
Note If the selected XenServer is configured with bonded network interfaces, it
may be necessary to reconfigure the Virtual Network Interface Card(s) for the
new Virtual Machine.

Converting from a VHD

When converting from a VHD, the following conversions are supported:
• “VHD to OVF”
• “VHD to XenServer”

VHD to OVF
Select this method to convert a single VHD to an OVF Package.
1. Start the XenConvert Wizard
2. On the Welcome to Citrix XenConvert dialog, choose the following
conversion options, then click Next:
From
Microsoft Virtual Hard Disk (VHD)
To
Open Virtualization Format (OVF)
3. Browse for the VHD to include in this conversion, then click Next.
4. Optional. Choose a EULA to include in the OVF Package by typing or
browsing for the appropriate location.
5. Optional, check:
Create Open Virtual Appliance (OVA)
Check this box to create an OVA Package from the OVF Package for
distribution.
Compress Open Virtual Appliance (OVA)
Check this box to reduce the size of the OVA. This option is only available
if the Create Open Virtual Appliance box is checked.
40 Citrix XenConvert Guide

Encrypt
Select this option to encrypt the OVF Package. If the Create Open Virtual
Appliance (OVA) is selected, encryption occurs before creating the OVA.
Enter the passphrase with which to encrypt, in the Passphrase text box.
Confirm the passphrase by entering it again in the Confirm text box.
Sign with Certificate
Check this box to sign this OVF Package with a certificate in the X.509
format.
• Browse for the appropriate file to include using the File... button
• Enter the password in the Password textbox.
• Click View to view certificate information.
6. Optional. Edit the name of your new XenServer VM in the Name textbox.
The OVF Package is given the same name as the XenServer VM.
7. Verify that the conversion information entered is correct, then click
Convert. The conversion is complete when the progress bar reaches 100%
and the Status field indicates if the conversion was successful or not.
8. Click Finish to exit XenConvert (this button displays after the conversion
completes or after cancelling the conversion process), or click Log to
display the conversion log file in Notepad.

VHD to XenServer
Convert a single VHD to a XenServer. This conversion requires a XenServer
accessible on the network and a valid account on that XenServer. The conversion
creates an intermediate OVF that remains on the host.
1. Start the XenConvert Wizard.
2. On the Welcome to Citrix XenConvert dialog, choose the following
conversion options, then click Next:
From
Microsoft Virtual Hard Disk
To
XenServer
3. Browse for the VHD to include in this conversion, then click Next.
4. Provide the following conversion information, then click Next:
Hostname
 Chapter 5 Using XenConvert 41

Simple host name, fully qualified domain name, or IP address of a

standalone XenServer or XenServer Pool Master.
User name
Name of the account with import privileges. Consult the XenServer product
documentation for information on account requirements.
Password
The password that is associated with User name.
5. Optional. Edit the name of your new XenServer VM in the Name textbox.
6. Verify that the conversion information entered is correct, then click
Convert. The conversion is complete when the progress bar reaches 100%
and the Status field indicates that the conversion was successful.
7. Click Finish to exit XenConvert (this button displays after the conversion
completes or after cancelling the conversion process), or click Log to
display the conversion log file in Notepad.

Converting From XVA V2 to an OVF Package

Convert an XVA V2 package to an OVF Package.
1. Start the XenConvert Wizard.
2. On the Welcome to Citrix XenConvert dialog, choose the following
conversion options, then click Next:
From
Xen Virtual Appliance
To
Open Virtualization Format (OVF) Package
3. Browse for the XVA to include in this conversion, then click Next.
4. Choose a folder to store the OVF Package by typing or browsing for the
appropriate location. Optional. Choose a EULA to include in the OVF
Package by typing or browsing for the appropriate location.
Create Open Virtual Appliance (OVA)
Check this textbox to create an OVA Package from the OVF Package for
distribution.
Compress Open Virtual Appliance (OVA)
42 Citrix XenConvert Guide

Check this box to reduce the size of the OVA. This option is only available
if the Create Open Virtual Appliance box is checked.
Sign with Certificate
Check this textbox to sign this OVF Package with a certificate in the X.509
format.
• Browse for the appropriate file to include using the File... button
• Enter the password in the Password textbox.
• Click View to view certificate information.
Encrypt
Select this option to encrypt the OVF Package. If the Create Open Virtual
Appliance (OVA) is selected, encryption occurs before creating the OVA.
Enter the passphrase with which to encrypt in the Passphrase text box.
Confirm the passphrase by entering it again in the Confirm text box.
5. Click Next.
6. Optionally edit the name of your new XenServer VM in the Name textbox.
7. Verify that the conversion information entered is correct, then click
Convert. The conversion is complete when the progress bar reaches 100%
and the Status field indicates if the conversion was successful or not.
8. Click Finish to exit XenConvert (this button displays after the conversion
completes or after cancelling the conversion process), or click Log to
display the conversion log file in Notepad.

Converting a Single Volume

Use this conversion method to convert a single volume to another volume.
Typically the source and destination volumes are on different disks. The source
volume can be a Windows boot volume (the volume containing the WINDOWS
directory) or an ordinary volume.

Note The active Windows Boot Volume cannot be the destination volume.

When the source volume is a Windows boot volume, the destination volume is
configured as a Windows boot volume.
1. Start the XenConvert Wizard.
 Chapter 5 Using XenConvert 43

2. On the Welcome to Citrix XenConvert dialog, choose the following

conversion options, then click Next:
From
Volume
To
Volume
3. Choose the source volume from the drop-down menu, then click Next.
4. Choose the destination volume from the drop-down menu, then click Next.
5. Optional. Check the Log name of converted files checkbox to log the
name of each copied file to XenConvert.txt
6. Verify that the conversion information entered is correct, then click
Convert. The conversion is complete when the progress bar reaches 100%
and the Status field indicates if the conversion was successful or not.
7. Click Finish to exit XenConvert (this button displays after the conversion
completes or after cancelling the conversion process), or click Log to
display the conversion log file in Notepad.
44 Citrix XenConvert Guide
 C HAPTER 6

Troubleshooting a Conversion

Some features, such as those that follow, of Windows and other software can
interfere with a conversion.

Windows AutoPlay
Windows AutoPlay (also termed AutoRun), can prevent XenConvert from
dismounting a VHD or formatting a volume that it creates.
Consider disabling AutoPlay before converting. This procedure can vary by
Windows versions. Please refer to the Microsoft article for details:
Article ID: 967715 - Last Review: May 6, 2009 - Revision: 3.0
How to disable the autorun functionality in Windows

Windows Automount
The Windows Automount feature must be enabled for XenConvert to discover
volumes that it creates on a VHD and Provisioning Services vDisk. This feature is
disabled by default on the Enterprise Edition of Windows Server 2003, Windows
Server 2008, and Windows Server 2008 R2.

To Enable Automount

On Windows Server, enable the Windows Automount feature.

• Enter the following command at a command shell prompt:
DISKPART
• Enter the following command at the DISKPART prompt:
automount enable
Automount will be enabled in the VM or Provisioning Services vDisk
created using XenConvert. Automount can be disabled within the VM or
when booted from a Provisioning Services vDisk that is in Private Image
mode.
46 Citrix XenConvert Guide

Security Services
Security software such as antivirus and endpoint protection services can
sometimes interfere with a conversion. If disabling Windows AutoPlay does not
resolve the problem when XenConvert fails to dismount a VHD or format a
volume that it creates, consider stopping the security software.
Before stopping security services, you should also disconnect from the network,
unless converting to XenServer, which requires the network.

Failed to Discover Volume

During some conversions, XenConvert creates a VHD, mounts it as a Windows
disk, partitions it, formats those partitions, and then waits to discover the volumes
on the partitions. Sometimes the disk will not come online in time. Other times,
XenConvert will not discover the volumes in time.
Symptoms include a message similar to the following in the log file:
Failed to discover 1 of 2 volumes on the destination
disk!
Try any of following possible solutions:
• Enable Automount on Windows Server.
• Disconnect Network Drive from lowest available drive letter.
• Bring the disk online using Windows Disk Management while the message
Discovering Volumes... appears in the XenConvert Status box.
• Another workaround is to manually familiarize Windows with the VHD
and its volumes as follows.
A. Close XenConvert.
B. Open a command window.
C. Change to the XenConvert installation folder.
D. Mount the VHD:
cvhdmount -p 1 <VHD file path>
cvhdmount -p 1 Vm.vhd
E. Open Windows Disk Management, then wait for the disk to appear
online in Windows Disk Management.
F. If necessary, bring the disk online using Windows Disk Management.
G. Verify that the volumes are accessible.
H. Dismount the VHD:
cvhdmount -e 1
 Chapter 6 Troubleshooting a Conversion 47

I. Retry the original conversion with XenConvert.

48 Citrix XenConvert Guide