Two Node VMware to Two Node Hyper-V Migration

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Decision Tree: safest migration path

Are you a 2-node SvSAN cluster with an external Witness?

Most customer environments are 2 nodes + Witness. If not, adapt phases to your topology.

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Can one node temporarily run all production VMs?

If yes, evacuate VMs to the “surviving” node and rebuild the other node first.

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Do you have a “landing zone” (CSV storage) ready on Hyper-V?

If no, create temporary single-node storage on the first Hyper-V node, connect iSCSI, initialize disk, and add to CSV.

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Are VMs fully operational on Hyper-V (boot + app validation)?

Only then rebuild the second node and proceed to mirroring + full HA.

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1

Rebuild Preparation (VMware)

Goal: safely evacuate workloads and confirm SvSAN stability before rebuilding the first host.

1. Document the existing VMware/SvSAN configuration

Hostnames and management IPs
Witness details (IP/FQDN, reachability)
Storage layout (disks used for SvSAN, sizes/types)
Networking (VLANs/subnets for management, iSCSI/sync, vMotion)
MTU/jumbo frame settings (if used)
VM placement and any affinity rules

2. Evacuate compute from the rebuild target (move VMs)

Migrate all guest VMs off the host you plan to rebuild first.

Validation: target rebuild node has zero running VMs, surviving node hosts workloads, SvSAN healthy.

3. Confirm SvSAN stability before rebuild

Witness online and reachable
No active faults
Volumes accessible to the remaining VMware host

4. Shut down the SvSAN VSA on the host being rebuilt

Power off the SvSAN VSA on the host you are rebuilding first.

VMware Cluster / Virtual Machines

VMware Cluster / Datastores

Host Level / Virtual Networking

Selecting rebuild target host

Selecting the second host to be the first Windows node (sle4)

Bulk migrate VMs

Bulk Migrating VMs to the other host (sle5)

Migration wizard

Compute migration only

Choose surviving host

Ensure correct network

Migration progress

Migration completion

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2

Build first Hyper-V node (rebuilt host)

This phase rebuilds the first host (previously evacuated) into a Windows Server / Hyper-V / SvSAN node.

1. Install Windows Server

Install the desired Windows Server version (match across both nodes)
Patch to current level
Set hostname
Configure static IPs

2. Configure networking

Management
iSCSI / SvSAN sync (recommended dedicated)
Live Migration (optional)

Validation: NICs have correct VLAN/subnet; no unintended gateways on iSCSI networks.

3. Install required roles/features

Hyper-V
Failover Clustering
Multipath I/O (MPIO)

Install-WindowsFeature -Name Hyper-V, Failover-Clustering, Multipath-IO -IncludeManagementTools -Restart

Enable-MSDSMAutomaticClaim -BusType iSCSI

4. Install SvSAN and deploy the VSA

Configure VSA management IP
Configure iSCSI/sync IP(s)
Select correct physical disks (do not select the OS disk)

Stop point: Do not create mirroring yet (the other node is still VMware).

Language choice

Keyboard settings

Setup option

Instance selection

Licensing

Installation drive selection

Install selection

Restart warning

Windows post-install

Firewall / file sharing guidance

Firewall/file sharing and copy SvSAN installer (sle21)

Add roles/features

Server Manager → Add roles

Select server

Installing new features

SvSAN installer

Select install

Click Next

Select custom

Uncheck Witness service

Installation

Installation status

Finished

Completion box

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3

Create storage for VMs / migrate VMs

Goal: create a temporary landing zone (CSV) on the first Hyper-V node so you can migrate VMs before rebuilding the second host.

1. Create a volume on the first Hyper-V node SvSAN

Create a volume from the first Hyper-V node’s disk (temporary single-node storage).

2. Connect iSCSI locally

Configure iSCSI session on the Hyper-V node to its own VSA and verify sessions:

Get-IscsiSession

3. Create a single-node failover cluster

New-Cluster -Name <ClusterName> -Node Node2

4. Prepare the disk in Windows (online → initialize → partition → format)

Get-Disk

Set-Disk -Number X -IsOffline $false

Initialize-Disk -Number X -PartitionStyle GPT

New-Partition -DiskNumber X -UseMaximumSize -AssignDriveLetter

Format-Volume -FileSystem NTFS -NewFileSystemLabel "ClusterStorage" -AllocationUnitSize 65536

5. Add disk to cluster and convert to CSV

Get-ClusterAvailableDisk | Add-ClusterDisk
Add-ClusterSharedVolume -Name "Cluster Disk 1"

Validation: You have a CSV path (e.g., C:\ClusterStorage\Volume1) ready for VM placement.

6. Migrate VMs to the first Hyper-V host

Windows Admin Center migration
Backup/restore (Veeam or equivalent)
Cold export/convert/import
Rebuild + app restore (workload-dependent)

Key requirement: Guests must be fully operational on Hyper-V (boot + application validation) before you rebuild the second host.

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4

Rebuild second host (after guests are migrated)

Only proceed once you no longer need VMware to host workloads.

1. Shut down VMware components

Shut down remaining VMware VMs (if any)
Power off the remaining SvSAN VSA
Confirm workloads are now on Hyper-V

2. Install Windows + Hyper-V + features

Repeat the same Windows build steps used for the first Hyper-V node:

Windows install + patching
Networking configuration
Hyper-V / Failover Clustering / MPIO installation
Enable MPIO for iSCSI
Deploy SvSAN VSA using the same approach

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5

Create mirroring and iSCSI sessions

Now both nodes are Windows/Hyper-V and both have SvSAN VSAs deployed.

1. Verify VSA/Witness health

Both VSAs online
Witness reachable
No disk faults
Sync networks reachable between nodes

2. Create the mirror

Create mirror between the two VSAs
Allow synchronization to complete fully before proceeding

Validation: mirror healthy and fully synchronized before relying on it for production HA.

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6

Configure / Finalize WSFC

Goal: finalize the Windows Server Failover Cluster (WSFC) configuration so your Hyper-V hosts and shared storage are ready for HA.

1. Validate cluster health

Run cluster validation and review results
Confirm both nodes show healthy status

Test-Cluster -Node Node1,Node2

2. Verify CSV and quorum

Confirm CSV is online and accessible from both nodes
Confirm quorum configuration (witness as applicable)

Get-ClusterSharedVolume
Get-ClusterQuorum

3. Configure Live Migration (optional but recommended)

Enable Live Migration
Select the appropriate network(s)

Get-VMHost | Select-Object VirtualMachineMigrationEnabled

4. Confirm Hyper-V settings are consistent on both nodes

Virtual switches match (names + uplinks)
Default VM paths point to CSV location
Same patch level and roles installed

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7

Testing

Do not skip testing. Validate storage, cluster behavior, and VM availability before declaring the migration complete.

1. Test iSCSI connectivity and MPIO

Confirm sessions are established on both nodes
Confirm multiple paths are active (if configured)

Get-IscsiSession
mpclaim -s -d

2. Test CSV failover behavior

Move the CSV ownership between nodes and confirm no disruption

Get-ClusterSharedVolume
Move-ClusterSharedVolume -Name "Cluster Disk 1" -Node Node2

3. Test VM Live Migration (if enabled)

Live migrate one test VM between nodes
Confirm the VM remains reachable throughout

4. Test a controlled failover scenario

Move clustered roles or perform a planned node drain
Confirm workloads remain available

Validation: VM boots, applications run correctly, and failover tests complete without data issues.

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✓

Completion Checklist

Use this list to confirm the migration is complete and the environment is production-ready.

Both Hyper-V nodes fully patched and configured consistently
SvSAN VSAs healthy on both nodes
Witness reachable and healthy (if used)
Mirroring created and fully synchronized
iSCSI sessions established on both nodes
MPIO configured and validated (if applicable)
WSFC healthy and validation completed
CSV online, accessible from both nodes, and used for VM storage
VMs migrated and application-validated
Failover / live migration tests completed successfully
Backups configured and first successful backup completed
Documentation updated (IPs, credentials, diagrams, runbooks)

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Troubleshooting (common issues)

Symptom	Most likely cause	What to check	Fix
iSCSI sessions won’t connect	Network/VLAN/gateway/DNS mismatch	IP config on iSCSI NICs; VLAN tagging; firewall rules	Correct IP/VLAN; remove gateways from iSCSI NICs; verify reachability
Disk shows RAW / offline	Disk not initialized / not brought online	`Get-Disk` and Disk Management	Bring online, initialize GPT, format, then add to CSV
VMs boot on Hyper-V but apps fail	Driver/time sync/network identity differences	Event Viewer; NIC config; time skew; domain trust	Fix NIC settings, time sync, update drivers, validate service dependencies
Mirror won’t sync or is very slow	Network throughput / storage contention	Sync network health; SvSAN status; link errors/drops	Verify dedicated sync network; reduce contention; schedule off-peak if possible

If you need to escalate: include screenshots of SvSAN status, mirror state, witness reachability, and iSCSI session status during the migration window.

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Additional Information

See Also: StorMagic Manual

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StorMagic SvSAN Migration Guide: VMware → Hyper-V

1. Document the existing VMware/SvSAN configuration

2. Evacuate compute from the rebuild target (move VMs)

3. Confirm SvSAN stability before rebuild

4. Shut down the SvSAN VSA on the host being rebuilt

1. Install Windows Server

2. Configure networking

3. Install required roles/features

4. Install SvSAN and deploy the VSA

1. Create a volume on the first Hyper-V node SvSAN

2. Connect iSCSI locally

3. Create a single-node failover cluster

4. Prepare the disk in Windows (online → initialize → partition → format)

5. Add disk to cluster and convert to CSV

6. Migrate VMs to the first Hyper-V host

1. Shut down VMware components

2. Install Windows + Hyper-V + features

1. Verify VSA/Witness health

2. Create the mirror

1. Validate cluster health

2. Verify CSV and quorum

3. Configure Live Migration (optional but recommended)

4. Confirm Hyper-V settings are consistent on both nodes

1. Test iSCSI connectivity and MPIO

2. Test CSV failover behavior

3. Test VM Live Migration (if enabled)

4. Test a controlled failover scenario

Comments

StorMagic SvSAN Migration Guide: VMware → Hyper-V

1. Document the existing VMware/SvSAN configuration

2. Evacuate compute from the rebuild target (move VMs)

3. Confirm SvSAN stability before rebuild

4. Shut down the SvSAN VSA on the host being rebuilt

1. Install Windows Server

2. Configure networking

3. Install required roles/features

4. Install SvSAN and deploy the VSA

1. Create a volume on the first Hyper-V node SvSAN

2. Connect iSCSI locally

3. Create a single-node failover cluster

4. Prepare the disk in Windows (online → initialize → partition → format)

5. Add disk to cluster and convert to CSV

6. Migrate VMs to the first Hyper-V host

1. Shut down VMware components

2. Install Windows + Hyper-V + features

1. Verify VSA/Witness health

2. Create the mirror

1. Validate cluster health

2. Verify CSV and quorum

3. Configure Live Migration (optional but recommended)

4. Confirm Hyper-V settings are consistent on both nodes

1. Test iSCSI connectivity and MPIO

2. Test CSV failover behavior

3. Test VM Live Migration (if enabled)

4. Test a controlled failover scenario

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