Ubuntu Manpage: virt-convert - convert virtual machines between formats

Provided by: virtinst_0.600.4-3ubuntu2_all

NAME

       virt-convert - convert virtual machines between formats

SYNOPSIS

       virt-convert [OPTION]... INPUT.VMX|INPUT-DIR [OUTPUT.XML|OUTPUT-DIR]

DESCRIPTION

       virt-convert is a command line tool for converting virtual machines from one format to another. Pass in
       either a VM definition file (such as VMWare vmx format) or a directory containing a VM. By default, a new
       VM definition file, and converted disk images, will be placed in a new output directory.

       If an output directory is specified, it will be created if necessary, and the output VM definition placed
       within, along with any disk images as needed.

       If an output VM definition file is specified, it will be created alongside any disks in the same
       directory.

OPTIONS

Any of the options can be omitted, in which case virt-convert will use defaults when required. An input
VM definition or containing directory must be provided. By default, an output directory is generated
based upon the name of the VM. The default input format is VMWare vmx, and the default output format is a
libvirt "image" XML definition (see virt-image(5)).

-h, --help
Show the help message and exit

Conversion Options
-i format
Input format. Currently, "vmx", "virt-image", and "ovf" are supported.

-o format
Output format. Currently, "vmx" and "virt-image" are supported.

-D format
Output disk format, or "none" if no conversion should be performed. See qemu-img(1).

Virtualization Type options
Options to override the default virtualization type choices.

-v, --hvm Create a fully virtualized guest image
Convert machine to a hvm/qemu based image (this is the default if paravirt is not specified)

-p, --paravirt Create a paravirtualized guest image
Convert machine to a paravirt xen based image

General Options
General configuration parameters that apply to all types of guest installs.

-a ARCH, --arch=ARCH
Architecture of the virtual machine (i686, x86_64, ppc). Defaults to that of the host machine.

--os-type=OS_TYPE
Optimize the guest configuration for a type of operating system (ex. 'linux', 'windows'). This will
attempt to pick the most suitable ACPI & APIC settings, optimally supported mouse drivers, virtio, and
generally accommodate other operating system quirks. See virt-install(1) for valid values.

--os-variant=OS_VARIANT
Further optimize the guest configuration for a specific operating system variant (ex. 'fedora8',
'winxp'). This parameter is optional, and does not require an "--os-type" to be specified. See
virt-install(1) for valid values.

--noapic
Override the OS type / variant to disables the APIC setting for fully virtualized guest.

--noacpi
Override the OS type / variant to disables the ACPI setting for fully virtualized guest.

Miscellaneous Options
-q, --quiet
Avoid verbose output.

-d, --debug
Print debugging information

--dry-run
Proceed through the conversion process, but don't convert disks or actually write any converted files.

EXAMPLES

       Convert a paravirt guest from "image.vmx":

         # virt-convert --arch=i686 --paravirt image.vmx

       Convert a 64-bit hvm guest:

         # virt-convert --arch=x86_64 vmx-appliance/ hvm-appliance/

AUTHOR

       Written by Joey Boggs, John Levon, and Cole Robinson

       See the AUTHORS file in the source distribution for the complete list of credits.

BUGS

       Please see http://virt-manager.org/page/BugReporting

COPYRIGHT

       Copyright  (C)  2006-2012  Red  Hat,  Inc,  and  various  contributors.   This  is free software. You may
       redistribute   copies   of   it   under   the   terms    of    the    GNU    General    Public    License
       "http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html".  There is NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by law.