VMware recently announced a new product called VMware Converter version 3.0. This product is based on the discontinued VMware P2V assistant. The purpose of VMware converter is to allow you to quickly migrate from physical machines to VMware virtual machines. Let’s find out what this new product can do for you…
Introduction to VMware Converter
VMware Converter is designed to do the following:
- convert local and remote physical servers with NO DOWNTIME
- convert many P2V conversions at the same time with a centralized console
- convert third party VMs to VMware. For example- MS Virtual PC, MS Virtual Server, Backup Exec LiveState, & Ghost.
- Clone and backup physical machines to virtual machines as part of a DR plan.
VMware Converter comes in two flavors. They are:
- VMware Converter Starter (FREE Edition)
- VMware Converter Enterprise
Of course not all feature are supported on the free edition. For a comparison chart between these two editions, see this link.
Currently, VMware Converter is only supported to convert Windows systems from physical to virtual (for specific versions, see the FAQ). For specific information on VMware Converter, see this data sheet.
Downloading & Installing VMware Converter
To download VMware Converter, simply go to the download link on the product webpage. This will take you to the download site to download the VMware Converter Starter edition. Click Download Now. After filling out the registration form and accepting the license agreement, you will see something like this: 
Either Run or Save the download. Once downloaded, click Run, like this: 
You’ll be taken to the VMware Converter Installation Wizard, like this: 
Now click Next, accept the license agreement again, take the default installation directory, and take the Typical (Recommended) installation method by clicking Next. Next, click Install. When installation completes, you should see this. Check the checkbox for Run VMware Converter and click Finish. 
Finally, after VMware Converter starts, you should see this screen: 
Now that you have installed this amazing 17Mb program, let’s find out what it can do in part 2
Summary
In summary, VMware Converter is a very cool application that can speed up your physical server migration and assist in other ways such as disaster recovery. With VMware Converter being available in the FREE Starter Edition, there is no reason not to try out VMware Converter 3.0 and start converting those physical machines to virtual machines today!
To learn how to download and install VMware Server, see our article on How to Install VMware.
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