---
title: "How to migrate Virtual Machine with snapshots between datastores"
date: "2013-04-24T20:23:42Z"
tags: ["ESXi"]
categories: ["VMware"]
---

![Migration][1]

As you probably know Virtual Machine snapshots is very useful feature in virtualized environment. I use it on daily basis and I love it. Without it so many changes and test will fail without possibility to recover - of course we have backups... 😉
<!--more-->
<!--adsense-->
Now here comes "real life" scenario - I am still on VMware ESX / ESXi 4.1 and I would like to Storage vMotion virtual machine with snapshots from one datastore to another one located in different cluster.

Here is how should you do it:

* Shutdown Virtual Machine
* Remove it from inventory / unregister it from ESX / ESXi host **vmware-cmd -s unregister**
* Go to Virtual Machine directory
* Move Virtual Machine from source datastore to desired new datastore
* Go to new Virtual Machine directory
* I recommend first to get new datastore UUID with command **ls -al /vmfs/volumes/** and then copy your datastore UUID
* In Virtual Machine directory list all vmdk files - for example **ls -al | grep vmdk**
* Now what you need to do is edit **vmdk** files -  **remember do not edit vmdk flat files**
* You should change UUID - for example: 
  * from /vmfs/volumes/OLDUUID/VM01
  * to /vmfs/volumes/**NEWUUID**/VM01
* After you change UUID in all vmdk files you should register virtual machine back using command **vmware-cmd -s register**
* You can confirm that all disk and snapshots are present in Virtual Machine settings

You are done - maybe this is not easiest way how to do it but for sure it works. I hope it helps. If you have better or other ways how to do it feel free to comment.

[1]: /images/uploads/2013/04/Migration.webp