Introduction

A VM can be exported in a specified format (such as VMA, OVA, or OVF) for purposes like cross-platform migration, offline backup, and environment replication. The VM can be exported to a local destination or a third-party platform (such as VMware vCenter). The exported file contains the VM configuration, disk data, and hardware information, ensuring that the VM can run directly after being imported.

1. Supported formats include VMA, OVA, OVF, MF, and VMDK (depending on the platform version and VM type). VMA is only supported for import to HCI, while OVA is compatible with both HCI and VMware vCenter.
2. Core values: The export function provides an offline backup solution, supports cross-platform deployment, and meets migration requirements in heterogeneous environments while ensuring the reproducibility of the business environment.
3. Version compatibility: Only managed VMs running HCI 6.7.0 or later can be exported. VMs with disk encryption enabled cannot be exported.

Constraints and Restrictions

1. Only VMs in Off status can be exported. VMs in On or Suspended status must be powered off before export. If you select vma for File Format, the VM can be exported without additional configuration, but the exported VMA file can be imported only to HCI.
2. If you set File Format to ova, you need to select a VMware Station software version (for example, version 8 corresponds to VMware ESXi 5.0 and later). Exporting an OVA file consumes storage read/write resources.
3. Arm VMs can be exported only in VMA format. Export is not supported for VMs with disk encryption enabled, source VMs that have not been deleted after cross-cluster migration, and VMs with raw disk mappings configured. If their names contain Chinese characters, VMs exported from VMware vCenter must be renamed before being imported to SCP. Otherwise, these VMs cannot be exported back to VMware vCenter. VM export consumes storage IO and network bandwidth. It is recommended to perform this operation during off-peak hours.

Precautions

1. To export a VM in OVA format, ensure sufficient storage space is reserved (the file size roughly equals the VM's actual disk usage). Export may fail if the storage space is insufficient. Do not close the page or disconnect from the network during the export. Otherwise, the file may be corrupted. When you import an OVA file exported from SCP to VMware vCenter, uninstall the original vmTools and install vmTools of a version compatible with VMware vCenter.
2. To bulk export VMs, ensure all target VMs are exported to the same datastore, and the number of concurrent export tasks does not exceed the maximum (Default: 1 per datastore, 2 per node).

Steps

Step 1.Log in to SCP and go to Resource Center > VMs.

Step 2. Find the target VM and confirm that its status is Off. (If the VM status is On, click the more options button (···) in the Operation column and select Power Off first.) Then, click the more options button (···) in the Operation column and select Export.

Step 3.In the Export Virtual Machine dialog, select the file format. If you select vma, you can directly proceed to the next step without additional configuration.

Step 4.If you select ova, select a software version (such as 8 or 9) from the Software Version drop-down list to ensure compatibility with the target platform.

Step 5.If you select ovf, mf, vmdk, check the compatibility as prompted.