XenCenter

Importing and Exporting VMs

September 25, 2024

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You can import VMs from OVF/OVA packages, from disk images, and from XenServer XVA files. VMs can be exported as OVF/OVA packages and as XenServer XVA files. Import and export VMs in XenCenter using the Import and Export wizards.

When importing VMs created on hypervisors other than XenServer, use the Operating System Fixup tool to ensure that imported VMs can boot on a XenServer server.

You can import or export a UEFI-enabled VM created on a XenServer server as an OVA, OVF, or an XVA file. Importing a UEFI-enabled VM from other hypervisors is not supported.

Notes:

It is not guaranteed that you can import a VM that was exported from a more up-to-date system onto a less up-to-date system. For example, if you export a VM from a host that is at the latest level on the Early Access update channel, you might not be able to import this VM into a host that is at the latest level on the Normal update channel straight away. Before you can import the VM in to that host, the host on the Normal channel must reach the same level of updates as the Early Access channel had when the VM was exported.

This behavior is caused by additional metadata that might be added in later updates, which earlier versions do not understand.

VM group settings are not retained when a VM is exported.

Supported import and export formats

Format	Description
Open Virtualization Format (OVF and OVA)	OVF is an open standard for packaging and distributing a virtual appliance consisting of one or more VMs. For more information about XenCenter support for OVF and OVA file formats, see Open Virtualization Format.
Disk image formats	Virtual Hard Disk (VHD) and Virtual Machine Disk (VMDK) format disk image files can be imported using the Import wizard. You might want to import a disk image when only a virtual disk image is available, but there is no OVF metadata associated with it. For more information about supported disk image formats, see Disk Image Formats (VHD and VMDK).
XenServer XVA format	XVA is a format specific to Xen-based hypervisors for packaging a single VM as a single file archive of a descriptor and disk images. Its file name extension is `.xva`.

Which format to Use?

Use OVF/OVA to:

Share XenServer vApps and VMs with other hypervisors that support OVF.
Save more than one VM.
Secure a vApp or VM from corruption and tampering.
Include a license agreement.
Simplify vApp distribution by storing an OVF package in an OVA.

Use XVA to:

Import and export VMs from a script with a command line interface (CLI).

Operating System Fixup

XenCenter includes an advanced hypervisor interoperability feature – Operating System Fixup – which aims to ensure interoperability for VMs that are imported to a XenServer server. Use Operating System Fixup when importing VMs created on other hypervisors from OVF/OVA packages and disk images.

The Operating System Fixup ISO is located in your XenCenter installation in the directory C:\Program Files (x86)\XenServer\XenCenter\External Tools.

Operating System Fixup configures a guest OS to boot by enabling boot devices critical for booting in a XenServer server and disabling any services or tools for other hypervisors. Guest OSes include all versions of Windows that XenServer supports and some Linux distributions.

Note:

Operating System Fixup does not convert the guest operating system from one hypervisor to another.

Operating System Fixup is supplied as an automatically booting ISO image that is attached to the imported VM’s DVD drive. It performs the necessary configuration changes when the VM is first started, and then shuts down the VM. The next time the new VM is started, the boot device is reset, and the VM starts normally.

To use Operating System Fixup on imported disk images and OVF/OVA packages, you enable the feature on the OS Fixup Settings page of the XenCenter Import wizard. Specify a location to copy the Fixup ISO to so that XenServer can use it.

Operating System Fixup requirements

Operating System Fixup requires an ISO SR with 40 MB of free space and 256 MB of virtual memory.

The official version of this content is in English. Some of the Cloud Software Group documentation content is machine translated for your convenience only. Cloud Software Group has no control over machine-translated content, which may contain errors, inaccuracies or unsuitable language. No warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied, is made as to the accuracy, reliability, suitability, or correctness of any translations made from the English original into any other language, or that your Cloud Software Group product or service conforms to any machine translated content, and any warranty provided under the applicable end user license agreement or terms of service, or any other agreement with Cloud Software Group, that the product or service conforms with any documentation shall not apply to the extent that such documentation has been machine translated. Cloud Software Group will not be held responsible for any damage or issues that may arise from using machine-translated content.

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Importing and Exporting VMs

September 25, 2024

Contributed by:

September 25, 2024

Contributed by:

Importing and Exporting VMs

Supported import and export formats

Which format to Use?

Operating System Fixup

Operating System Fixup requirements

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