Detailed Steps about VMware to OpenStack Migration

Many organizations choose to migrate from VMware to OpenStack, and while VMware delivers a powerful enterprise-grade virtualization platform, OpenStack offers greater flexibility and control for cloud-native. In this article, we will provide you with the advantages of migrating from VMware to OpenStack and the steps to migrate.

Why Choose Migrate VMware to OpenStack

Organizations choose VMware to OpenStack migration because they get some advantages that VMware doesn't.

1. Cost savings: VMware has high licensing costs, and OpenStack is open source with no expensive proprietary software.

2. Scalability and flexibility: OpenStack supports highly scalable and dynamic environments.

3. Focus on cloud-native: OpenStack makes it easier to manage containerized workloads.

4. Vendor-independent: OpenStack provides solutions to address hardware, storage, and networking without being locked into a specific vendor.

How to Migrate VMware to OpenStack

There are multiple stages involved in the VMware to OpenStack migration process, and this next section will provide detailed steps for the migration.

Prerequisites

Before proceeding with the migration process, ensure that VMware meets the migration requirements and prepare the OpenStack environment.

👉VMware Environment:

• Ensure the virtual machine, networks, and storage are ready to migrate.
• Check application dependencies and compatibility with OpenStack.

👉OpenStack Environment:

Deploy and configure OpenStack.

• Ensure availability of computer, network, and storage resources.
• Verify that the OpenStack environment meets performance and capacity requirements.

Step 1. Convert and Migrate VM Images

VMware uses virtual disk images in VMDK format, but OpenStack uses what is generally QCOW2 or RAW format, so you need to convert the image.

◼First, use VMware vCenter Converter or export OVA/OVF files to export virtual machines from VMware.

◼Then use qemu-img to convert the VMDK to QCOW2:

◼Upload the converted image to OpenStack Glance:

Step 2. Network Migration

◆VMware's virtual network must be mapped to OpenStack's Neutron service, and you need to recreate the VLAN, VXLAN, or GRE tunnel in OpenStack.

◆Then set up security groups and floating IPs for external connections.

◆If you are using Software to Define Networking (SDN), you need to ensure compatibility with OpenStack.

Step 3. Migrate Virtual Machines

✦After the convert and migrate VM image and network configuration are complete, you are ready to migrate the workloads.

✦Create an instance in OpenStack using the uploaded image.

✦If the virtual machine requires persistent storage, you need to attach the volume to the instance using OpenStack Cinder.

✦After migration, you need to check if the application is running as expected.

Step 4. Post-migration

▶Verify performance, network connectivity, and application.

▶Adjust CPU, memory, and storage settings as needed.

▶Monitor resource utilization using Prometheus, Grafana, and OpenStack native tools.

Using Professional Backup Tool to Secure Data Safety

In this process of migrating VMware to OpenStack, for the safety of the migrated data, you can take a backup of your VMware VMs before the migration to ensure that you can protect the data and recover it in case the migration process faces any disaster as well as unforeseen circumstances.

AOMEI Cyber Backup is a professional and simple step-by-step backup software that provides you with a series of measures to protect your data and restore it as fast as possible to minimize downtime in case of data loss.

🟠Easy-to-use Interface: The intuitive interface allows you to connect, create tasks, and implement with just a few clicks.
🟡Agentless Backup: It can create complete and independent image-level backups for VMware ESXi and Hyper-V VMs.
🟢Comprehensive Backup Options: You can create full, incremental, and differential backups, enabling users to select the backup strategy that best fits their needs.
🔵Instant Recovery: Once the VMware crashes, quickly restore VMware to a normal state and reduce business-critical downtime.
🟣Automatic Backup: You can schedule the VMware backups to run the task automatically.

*Follow simple steps to backup VMware ESXi VMs

Step 1. In AOMEI Cyber Backup, go to Source Device > VMware > + Add VMware Device to Add vCenter or Standalone ESXi, then enter Device Information and User Information and click Confirm.

Step 2. Navigate to Backup Task > + Create New Task, then set up Task Name, Backup Type, Device, Target, Archive, and Schedule.

• Backup Type: select VMware ESXi Backup as the Backup Type.

• Target: select to backup to a local path, or to a network path.
• Schedule: you can select full, differential, or incremental backup.

Step 3. Click Start Backup and select Add the schedule and start backup now, or Add the schedule only.

Conclusion

VMware to OpenStack migration is a complex process that requires detailed planning as well as execution of steps, following the steps provided in this article can help you realize the migration. When migrating to OpenStack, you can enjoy the benefits of reduced costs and increased control.