NAME¶

virt-convert - convert virtual machines between formats

SYNOPSIS¶

virt-convert [OPTION]... INPUT.VMX|INPUT-DIR [OUTPUT.XML|OUTPUT-DIR]

DESCRIPTION¶

virt-convert is a command line tool for converting virtual machines from one format to another. Pass in either a VM definition file (such as VMWare vmx format) or a directory containing a VM. By default, a new VM definition file, and converted disk images, will be placed in a new output directory. If an output directory is specified, it will be created if necessary, and the output VM definition placed within, along with any disk images as needed. If an output VM definition file is specified, it will be created alongside any disks in the same directory.

OPTIONS¶

Any of the options can be omitted, in which case virt-convert will use defaults when required. An input VM definition or containing directory must be provided. By default, an output directory is generated based upon the name of the VM. The default input format is VMWare vmx, and the default output format is a libvirt "image" XML definition (see virt-image(5)).

-h, --help

Show the help message and exit

Conversion Options¶

-i format

Input format. Currently, "vmx", "virt-image", and "ovf" are supported.

-o format

Output format. Currently, "vmx" and "virt-image" are supported.

-D format

Output disk format, or "none" if no conversion should be performed. See qemu-img(1).

Virtualization Type options¶

Options to override the default virtualization type choices.

-v, --hvm Create a fully virtualized guest image

Convert machine to a hvm/qemu based image (this is the default if paravirt is not specified)

-p, --paravirt Create a paravirtualized guest image

Convert machine to a paravirt xen based image

General Options¶

General configuration parameters that apply to all types of guest installs.

-a ARCH, --arch=ARCH

Architecture of the virtual machine (i686, x86_64, ppc). Defaults to that of the host machine.

--os-type=OS_TYPE

Optimize the guest configuration for a type of operating system (ex. 'linux', 'windows'). This will attempt to pick the most suitable ACPI & APIC settings, optimally supported mouse drivers, virtio, and generally accommodate other operating system quirks. See virt-install(1) for valid values.

--os-variant=OS_VARIANT

Further optimize the guest configuration for a specific operating system variant (ex. 'fedora8', 'winxp'). This parameter is optional, and does not require an "--os-type" to be specified. See virt-install(1) for valid values.

--noapic

Override the OS type / variant to disables the APIC setting for fully virtualized guest.

--noacpi

Override the OS type / variant to disables the ACPI setting for fully virtualized guest.

Miscellaneous Options¶

-q, --quiet

Avoid verbose output.

-d, --debug

Print debugging information

--dry-run

Proceed through the conversion process, but don't convert disks or actually write any converted files.

EXAMPLES¶

Convert a paravirt guest from "image.vmx":

  # virt-convert --arch=i686 --paravirt image.vmx

Convert a 64-bit hvm guest:

  # virt-convert --arch=x86_64 vmx-appliance/ hvm-appliance/

AUTHOR¶

Written by Joey Boggs and John Levon See the AUTHORS file in the source distribution for the complete list of credits.

BUGS¶

Please see http://virt-manager.org/page/BugReporting

COPYRIGHT¶

Copyright (C) 2006-2008 Red Hat, Inc, and various contributors. This is free software. You may redistribute copies of it under the terms of the GNU General Public License "http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html". There is NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by law.

SEE ALSO¶

virt-image(5), the project website "http://virt-manager.org"