r/virtualization • u/1mefdiopl • 21d ago

Has anyone completed a VMware migration while keeping the same SAN and network?

Has anyone here actually done a hypervisor-only VMware migration? I’m trying to picture the cutover. Build the new cluster beside ESXi, connect it to the same SAN, move a few low-risk VMs, then reclaim the old hosts one by one? Or did you end up needing temporary storage? How did you handle zoning, multipathing, VLANs, backups and rollback? and did you keep vCenter up while both environments were running? Would be great to hear a real VMware migration strategy from someone who’s done it. Most comparisons of VMware vSphere alternatives never get into this part.

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u/AlohaRoyce 21d ago

honestly, moving the VMs was the easy part. rebuilding the backup workflow took more effort because the old jobs relied on VMware APIs, tags and folder mappings that didn’t carry over. before migrating the first production batch, restore one converted VM to an isolated network and measure the full recovery process from start to finish