How migrate Virtual Machine Storage in HYPER-V Failover Clustering

Hyper-v Host can be use standalone in small environments but in medium and large environments you need high availability.

Hyper-v Failover Clustering is the solution to keep high available with almost zero downtime when one of your HYPER-V Hosts encounter serious problem and must be bring offline.

In previous articles Use HYPER-V Live Migration without Failover Clustering - Part 1 explain how can use live migration in HYPER-V Hosts which is standalone and not in Failover Clustering.

It's very helpful because can reduce downtimes when IT doesn't has Failover.

If you are using Failover Clustering you know that you can Live Migrate Virtual Machines from one HYPER-V Host to another but the Storage of Virtual Machine didn't migrate.

Today I will explain how can live migrate the Virtual Machine Storage in Failover Clustering.

In scenarios like replace Share Storage , request to move Virtual Machine in another Volume in Windows Server 2012 R2 you can Live Migrate full Virtual Machine Storage.

This means that all the files which included in Virtual Machine folder:

• Virtual machine files which include all the configuration
• Virtual disk files
• smart paging files
• checkpoint files

 will be move In the new path that will be select.

> Video : Implementing Windows Server 2016 Hyper-V by Greg Shields (MVP)

So let's start and explain how can do it.

• To avoid access denied errors while start the migrations and Event id 20810 HYPER-V VMMS in Event Viewer create a new folder in the Volume that you would like to transfer the Virtual Machine with the name of the Virtual Machine
• Open Failover Clustering Console

• Select the Virtual Machine that you would like to migrate and right click
• Select Move - - - > Virtual Machine Storage

• Let's explain what is going on here.
• In the top you can see the virtual machine that you have select and if you expanded you can see what included.
• In the bottom you have two sides.
• In the left side include all the Volumes that are available in Cluster Storage
• In the right side include what files has the specific Volume that you will have select from the left side
• From the left side select the Volume that you want to migrate the Virtual Machine.
• Select the folder which create in the beginning to avoid access denied errors.
• Click Start button.

• When the migration start in Failover Clustering Console you can see in Information field"Start virtual machine storage migration .... "and nothing else.
• This is not the most helpful to monitoring the progress of the migration.
• Instead  open the HYPER-V Manager.
• Select the Virtual Machine and you can see in Status the progress of migration.
• Wait until finish 
• After finish the transfer you can verify that the Virtual Machine storage transferred if you will open the settings of Virtual Machine and check the path of the virtual disks.
• If the migration finish successful the path will be in the new destination.
• After verify start the Virtual Machine to check for any issue.

You can use the feature to do a Live Migration when the VM is online but to have in mind the performance will be reduce or you can do it after shutdown  the Virtual Machine.

In any case the feature is very helpful instead of export & import the Virtual Machine

I hope to find helpful and valuable the article.

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