AWS EC2 (VM Import/Export)

Overview

• Allows importing on-premise VM images
• Not integrated into AWS Console
  • Must use API
• Recommended to use Server Migration Service (GA: 2016)

Virtualization Platforms

• VMWare
• Citrix Xen
• Microsoft Hyper-V

VM Image Formats

• OVA - Open Virtual Appliance
  • Supports multiple disks
• VMDK - Stream-optimized ESX Virtual Machine Disk 
  • Compatible with VMWare ESK/vSphere
• VHD/VHDX - fixed dynamic image formats
  • Compatible with Microsoft Hyper-V, Citrix Xen
• Raw

Importing VMs

• Stop source VM
• Prepare source VM (disable firewall, enable remote access, etc.)
• Export VM from the virtualization environment
  • If using VMWare vCenter you can use AWS Connector for vCenter
  • Result: image (see VM Image Formats)
• Import into S3 VM catalog 
  • ec2-import-instance
    • starts a new task 
      • check status: ec2-describe-conversions-tasks
    • once completed instance is launched in stopped state
• Create AMI
  • Optionally copy AMI to other regions
• Limitations
  • HVM only with 64-bit
  • BYOL for RHEL
  • Expanded image cannot exceed 1TiB
  • Single ENI
  • No SR-IOV (Enhanced Networking)
    • Except for Windows 2012

Importing Instance

• Imports as EC2 Instance

Importing Volume

• Similar to importing VM image
• Imports single disk (creates EBS snapshot)

Exporting VM

• Export only if you previously imported it
• Create bucket with upload/delete & view permissions for AWS account

vCenter

• AWS has special management plugin (AWS VM Connector)
  • Standalone VM (OVA file)
  • Supports monitoring, tagging
  • Verifies various permissions along the way
• Process
  • vSphere client authorizes the import
    • AWS Management Portal for vCenter
      
      • Verifies permissions and returns a token
  • vSphere client sends the request (+token) to the AWS Connector
  • AWS Connector starts the migration
    • Returns taskId to the vSphere client