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XenCenter
2024 8.2.7
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Import VMs From Disk Images

October 1, 2024
Contributed by: 
X X

You can import virtual machines (VMs) that have been saved as disk images by using the XenCenter Import wizard. The wizard takes you through many of the usual steps needed to create a VM in XenCenter: nominating a home server, and configuring storage and networking for the new VMs, plus some additional steps required as part of the disk image import process, including:

  • Specifying a name for the new VM and allocating it some vCPUs and memory resources.
  • Specifying Operating system fixup settings if importing VMs that were built on a hypervisor other than a XenServer host.

For detailed information about each of these steps, see Creating a New VM.

Prerequisites

  • To be able to import a VM from a disk image, you require certain permissions. The Import wizard performs checks to ensure that you have a required role in the destination pool before allowing you to continue. For more information about the RBAC roles that are required, see Definitions of RBAC roles and permissions.

Import a disk image

  1. Open the Import wizard: on the File menu, select Import.

  2. On the first page of the wizard, locate the disk image file you want to import, then click Next to continue.

    If you enter a URL location (HTTP, HTTPS, file, FTP) in the Filename box, on clicking Next, a Download Package dialog opens. In this dialog, specify a folder on your XenCenter host where the disk image is to be copied.

  3. Specify the VM name and allocate CPU and memory resources.

    On the VM Definition page, enter the name of the new VM to be created from the imported disk image, and allocate CPU and initial memory resources. All of these values can be adjusted later, after the new VM has been created. For more information, see VM CPU and Memory Allocation. VM names are not checked for uniqueness within XenCenter, so it makes it easier for you to manage different VMs if you give them meaningful, memorable names. For more information, see VM Name and Description.

    Click Next to continue.

  4. Optional: Specify the VM location. On the Location page, choose the pool or standalone server where you want to place the VM you are importing from the Import VMs to list.

    Click Next to continue.

  5. Configure storage for the new VM.

    On the Storage page, select a storage repository (SR) where the imported virtual disk is placed, then click Next to continue.

  6. Configure networking for the new VM.

    On the Networking page, select a target network in the destination pool/standalone server for the new VM’s virtual network interface.

    Click Next to continue.

  7. Specify the boot option.

    On the Boot options page, specify the boot mode for the new VM. Only the options that are supported with the guest operating system can be selected.

    • BIOS Boot: Select this option to boot the VM in legacy BIOS mode. Legacy BIOS boot is not supported for Windows 11 VMs.

    • UEFI Boot: Select this option to boot the VM in UEFI mode. XenServer supports this boot mode only for certain guest operating systems. For more information about the guest operating systems that are supported for UEFI boot, see Guest UEFI boot and Secure Boot.

    • UEFI Secure Boot: Select this option to boot the VM in UEFI Secure Boot mode. Secure Boot prevents unsigned, incorrectly signed or modified binaries from being run during boot. XenServer supports this boot mode only for certain guest operating systems. For more information about the guest operating systems that are supported for UEFI Secure Boot, see Guest UEFI boot and Secure Boot.

    (VHDX/AVHDX only) When importing a VM from a VHDX/AVHDX file, the Import wizard attempts to automatically detect the boot mode from the VHDX/AVHDX file you are importing. Review the settings and ensure that the same boot mode that was originally configured for the VM is selected.

    Click Next to continue.

  8. Enable/disable Operating System Fixup.

    If the disk image that you are importing is built on a hypervisor other than XenServer, select Use Operating System Fixup. Choose an ISO SR where the Fixup ISO can be copied so that XenServer can use it. For more information, see About VM Import and Export.

    Important:

    If you are importing a VHDX/AVHDX file from Citrix Provisioning (PVS) on VMware vSphere, select Don’t use Operating System Fixup. Enabling Operating System Fixup for VHDX/AVHDX from PVS might result in a boot failure.

    Click Next to continue.

  9. On the Finish page, review all the import settings. Click Finish to begin the import process and close the wizard.

    The import progress is displayed on the status bar at the bottom of the XenCenter window and also on the Events view under Notifications.

    The import process might take some time. The time it takes depends on the size of the imported virtual disks, the available network bandwidth, and the disk interface speed of the XenCenter host. When the import is finished, the newly imported VMs appear in the Resources pane.

    Note:

    After using XenCenter to import a disk image that contains Windows operating systems, you must set the platform parameter. This varies according to the version of Windows contained in the disk image:

    • For Windows Server, set the platform parameter to device_id=0002. For example:

      xe vm-param-set uuid=<VM UUID> platform:device_id=0002
<!--NeedCopy-->

    • For all other versions of Windows, set the platform parameter to viridian=true. For example:

      xe vm-param-set uuid=<VM UUID> platform:viridian=true
<!--NeedCopy-->

XenServer 8

Citrix Hypervisor 8.2 Cumulative Update 1

Import VMs From Disk Images
October 1, 2024
Contributed by: 
X X
October 1, 2024
Contributed by: 
X X

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