#Vmware workstation player backup vm how to#
#Vmware workstation player backup vm upgrade#

Available methods to move VMware Workstation VM to ESXi Overall, it can be said that ESXi is designed for server production environments, while VMWare Workstation is used for individual development environments. You still need to pay for advanced functions and centralized management (vCenter). But although ESXi has a free edition, it has many limitations. ESXi is the operating system itself and comes with less operational overhead. ▶ Cost: Workstation is installed on top of an operating system which has its own overhead and baggage. ▶ Downtime: Workstation is better optimized for a large number of snapshots and switching between them, but it also causes machines to pause more ESXi is designed to have large snapshots and minimize downtime. *The difference might be negligible for 1 or 2 VMs. Therefore, VMware ESXi generally has better performance.

▶ Performance: As type-1 hypervisor, ESXi runs on the host hardware with full control to hardware resources Workstation, as type-2 hypervisor, runs on underlying operating system and has to access hardware through it. to virtualize PCs, while ESXi installed on enterprise-grade hardware to manage its own OS with virtualized servers and centralize management. ▶ Device: Workstation is installed on consumer-grade laptops, desktops, etc. To answer this, let's compare the two in the following aspects:

#Vmware workstation player backup vm upgrade#

VMware Workstation vs ESXi, should I upgrade?īefore you take actions to convert VMware Workstation VM to ESXi, you might want to reassure that if you really should upgrade the virtual environment. Backup Workstation VM and restore to ESXi (flexible) Upload VMware Workstation VMs to ESXi Server Export Workstation VM to OVF/OVA and import to ESXi You can also jump to the step-by-step guide: In this article, I will include the answers and 3 methods to move VMware Workstation VM to ESXi.

#Vmware workstation player backup vm how to#

Is it a good idea? How to deal with the VMs that have been highly customized on Workstation? However, as your lab environment upgraded, you may want to migrate Workstation to the more specialized type-1 hypervisor VMware ESXi. VMware Workstation is a powerful and comprehensive type-2 hypervisor, which can seamlessly access all the virtual machines you need, including VMware ESXi. Are there any pitfalls I should be looking out for, or is it a simple case of exporting the VMs into OVF and then importing them into ESXi on the new host through vSphere client? What is the best way? I need to transfer VMs from VMware Workstation to VMware ESXi.