Configuring Storage Live Migration in Windows Server 2012 R2 Hyper-V

Thanks to: http://www.msserverpro.com

Storage Live Migration is a process of moving a running virtual machine’s virtual storage from one disk to another with no loss of application downtime. In Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V, you are not able to move the virtual machine’s storage while the virtual machine is running. Hyper-V in Windows Server 2012 introduces a new feature known as Live Storage Migration for VMs, support for moving running virtual machines storage without loss of application downtime from one disk to another and continue in Windows Server 2012 R2 Hyper-V. Storage Live Migration is supported either a stand-alone computer or to a Hyper-V cluster and available for both file-based storage and storage area network (SAN) based. Storage Live Migration helps in the following scenarios:

• VMs storage runs out of disk space.
• VM Performance (I/O) problems on the actual drive on the Hyper-V Host
• Storage maintenance or upgrade
• Storage upgrade (Migrating between older and newer storage systems) and maintenance

Hyper-V performs the following steps, when you move a running virtual machine’s hard disks:

Image Copy from http://technet.microsoft.com

1. Disk reads/writes to the source virtual hard disk.
2. Virtual hard disk is copied to new destination virtual hard disk.
3. Disk writes are mirrored to both the source and destination virtual hard disks.
4. After virtual hard disks are completely synchronized, virtual machine switches to copied destination virtual hard disk.
5. Source virtual hard disk is deleted.

The default location of Virtual Hard Disks and Virtual Machines of Hyper-V Host, KTM-HOST2 and VM, KTM-APP-2K12 are given below:

Storage Migrations Option in Hyper-V Host:

Here, you will move VM default location of Virtual Hard Disk to the following location.

The following steps will help you to migrate the virtual machine storage to another location while the VM is running:

1. On KTM-HOST2, in Hyper-V Manager, right-click KTM-APP-2K2, and then click Move.

2. In the Move”KTM-APP-2K12” Wizard, on the Before You Begin page, click Next.

3. On the Choose Move Type page, select the Move the virtual machine’s storage option, and click Next.

4. On the Choose Options for Moving Storage page, select the Move only the virtual machine’s virtual hard disks option, and then click Next.

5. On the Select Items to Move page, Select the virtual hard disks you and then click Next.

6. On the Choose a new location for attached virtual hard disk page, Specify a location for the virtual machine’s virtual hard disk, in the Folder field, type D:\Virtual Hard Disks, and then click Next.

7. On the Completing Move Wizard page, click Finish.

8. In the Move “KTM-APP-2K12” Wizard, On Completing Move Wizard page, Performing the move. You can monitor the progress of the Moving Storage in Hyper-V Manager, in the Status column.

9. After Live Storage Migration completes, in Hyper-V Manager, verify the virtual machine new storage location.