Solved How to redirect/retarget Hyper-V machines

WonderWoman · Jun 23, 2024

Hello,

I have copied over both the VM and VHD files to my QNAP TS932-PX NAS intentionally leaving the original files located where they were created which is on a second SSD drive in my desktop. I didn't think I could just cut them and paste them and have them work so I just simply copied/pasted everything to the location I want to work with them from permanently. Is there a method I can use to simply redirect/retarget the Hypervisor Manager to use the VMs from? I know that there is a "Move" tool w/in the Hypervisor Manager but I didn't use that because I thought it could either take too long to complete the move of 10 VMs and their VHDs or potentially corrupt the machines leaving me having to recreate the machines from scratch. It is not a problem if I need to delete the copies and have no choice but to use the move function in the Hypervisor.

I am not on a server I am running the Hypervisor from my Win11 Pro on my desktop PC.

WinVer:

Thank you.

neemobeer · Jun 23, 2024

I don't think you can edit a registered VM, but you can run an 'import in place' meaning it will import the VM and use the import location as the new location to run the VM from.

WonderWoman · Jun 23, 2024

I was concerned about importing any of the machines that are already built/existing in the Hypervisor because I didn't know how the Hypervisor would react to the duplicate machines. That is why I was wondering if there was any sort of functionality to redirect/retarget the existing machines in the Hypervisor. I am still wondering if my only option is to delete the existing copies and use the move function for the machines that exist in the Hypervisor or delete the existing machines in the Hypervisor and import them back in from the copies. I am not certain which is the better option between the two.

neemobeer · Jun 23, 2024

You can import it as a new VM. Test it out and once you know it's working you can remove the original.

WonderWoman · Jun 23, 2024

Even though they have the same names?

neemobeer · Jun 23, 2024

They go off the VM IDs, but you would need to remove the VM from Hyper-V first. This really shouldn't matter if you have a copy of the disk and config you. The import in place will retain the ID, if you do it with Powershell there is a copy and generatenewid switches, but I believe that will import the VM back into your default VM directory.

WonderWoman · Jun 23, 2024

small hiccup with using power shell. I barely can do basic commands in the command prompt. I am 57 years old. I never learned DOS. I never learned basic. I struggled with the rudimentary word processors in my office classes in high school (graduate 1985 there were no home computers yet) and my first computer was a McIntosh called the performer 400 and it was on system seven so I literally started out with a mouse and folders. I am 100% GUI centric as in I call it you want it you see it you click it . In a nutshell, I would not know how to do any of that in power shell to move or import a virtual machine through Powershell.

If I were to remove the machines from the hypervisor with the machine still physically exist, where I created them or would they be deleted from the location where I created them? I did not create them in the default location. I created them in a different location, which is on a second drive in the computer. If I were to relocate the folder where all of the virtual machines and virtual drives are located to hide them from the hypervisor and I went into the hypervisor to remove them from the hyper visor with the hyper visor. Have a problem removing them?

I am asking that because if there is a problem Importing the ones that are now located on my NAS I still want to have the original machines existing so all I have to do is move them back into place.

WonderWoman · Jun 24, 2024

I just moved both the VMs and VHDs files to a folder to "hide" them and then I removed one of them from the Hypervisor since it was reporting that it couldn't find the files. After removing it from the Hypervisor I checked the location where the actual VMs & VHDs files are stored and the files still existed so I deleted the individual test VM and it's VHD. I tried to import the VM and its VHD from the new location which is on my NAS now (more room to store VHDs) and I keep getting the same error for all three options for importing. I get "request not supported" (see screenshot). This has caused me to have these questions.

Is it not possible to run Hyper-V VMs from a NAS (note, it is not a Windows Server, it is a QNAP NAS TS932-PX which has its own OS, QTS 5.0)?

When the Hypervisor is importing the VMs & VHDs is it looking to copy them to the default folder location for the Hypervisor and NOT simply run them from the NAS?

If the answer to the second question is yes, it will be putting the machine onto the default location on the local "C:\" drive then is there any way to circumvent this and have it run them all in place on the NAS? If yes, how do I do that?

VM Import Error -Request not supported.png

neemobeer · Jun 24, 2024

I've only ever set it up in an enterprise env. Looks like when using a file share to host them it must be a fully supported implementation of SMB3 and it also states (must be from a Windows server) so there is a slim chance getting it to work with only SMB3 but it's not supported. Can you setup iSCSI on your NAS? That is definitely supported even from a NAS

Hopachi · Jun 25, 2024

If the NAS can be added to PC with a drive letter, via "Computer -> Map network drive", then you might be able to select it (or one of its subfolders) as the default VM location.

WonderWoman · Jun 25, 2024

I already have multiple various folders mapped as network drives in Windows. I am able to access the NAS perfectly but I am having the problem with getting the machines moved/retargeted/redirected or imported. I updated my information to include the error message I am receiving when I tried to remove the machines and import them from the new location on the NAS. I also have that new question about when importing them is it actually putting them in the default location for the Hypervisor (which is always pointing to a location on the "C:\" or is it leaving them located on the NAS and running them from the NAS?

WonderWoman · Jun 25, 2024

neemobeer said:
I've only ever set it up in an enterprise env. Looks like when using a file share to host them it must be a fully supported implementation of SMB3 and it also states (must be from a Windows server) so there is a slim chance getting it to work with only SMB3 but it's not supported. Can you setup iSCSI on your NAS? That is definitely supported even from a NAS

This is my NAS: TS-932PX | Compact 9-bay NAS with 10GbE SFP+ and 2.5GbE for Smoother File Applications

I know it can run iSCSI and I think it can also run SMB, but how can I tell what it is currently configured as?

jimbo45 · Jun 25, 2024

WonderWoman said:
I just moved both the VMs and VHDs files to a folder to "hide" them and then I removed one of them from the Hypervisor since it was reporting that it couldn't find the files. After removing it from the Hypervisor I checked the location where the actual VMs & VHDs files are stored and the files still existed so I deleted the individual test VM and it's VHD. I tried to import the VM and its VHD from the new location which is on my NAS now (more room to store VHDs) and I keep getting the same error for all three options for importing. I get "request not supported" (see screenshot). This has caused me to have these questions.

Is it not possible to run Hyper-V VMs from a NAS (note, it is not a Windows Server, it is a QNAP NAS TS932-PX which has its own OS, QTS 5.0)?

When the Hypervisor is importing the VMs & VHDs is it looking to copy them to the default folder location for the Hypervisor and NOT simply run them from the NAS?

If the answer to the second question is yes, it will be putting the machine onto the default location on the local "C:\" drive then is there any way to circumvent this and have it run them all in place on the NAS? If yes, how do I do that?

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Complex question - but from a NAS with a Linux type OS you can run Windows VM's from KVM/QEMU.

I'm not sure if that NAS has a GUI so you're on your own on that one - but typically on any Linux system with any sort of GUI (even a minimal one) you should be able to install the GUI virtual machine manager and create a Windows VM just as you would with Virtual box / VmWare etc. To get this VM toallow HYPER-V you have to enable the VM to be able to run nested VM's --same for the host.

@Bree made a post not long ago on running HYPER-V itself within a VM.

Cheers
jimbo

Bree · Jun 25, 2024

jimbo45 said:
@Bree made a post not long ago on running HYPER-V itself within a VM.

This one: Hyper-V 2nd level VM seems impossible - any get arounds - post #2

WonderWoman · Jun 25, 2024

My NAS has its own GUI OS which is called QTS and the current version is QTS 5.1.7.2770 and this is a screenshot of what the QTS OS looks like....

pseymour · Jun 25, 2024

That QNAP model uses an ARM processor, so it won't run x86 VMs on its own. That is, running a VM directly on the NAS. That's not to say it can't act as storage for VMs though.

WonderWoman · Jun 25, 2024

pseymour said:
That QNAP model uses an ARM processor, so it won't run x86 VMs on its own. That is, running a VM directly on the NAS. That's not to say it can't act as storage for VMs though.

That's an interesting point, but here's the thing, the Hypervisor will be run on Win11 Pro machines pulling from the machines & their VHDs being located on the NAS....

pseymour · Jun 25, 2024

Right right, that's the scenario I'm saying will work. Jimbo's post #13 seemed to suggest running VMs directly on the NAS, which definitely works on some NAS devices, like my Synology, but not on that particular QNAP model. That's what I was saying.

WonderWoman · Jun 27, 2024

pseymour said:
Right right, that's the scenario I'm saying will work. Jimbo's post #13 seemed to suggest running VMs directly on the NAS, which definitely works on some NAS devices, like my Synology, but not on that particular QNAP model. That's what I was saying.

So, I am still confused about your answer. Are you saying that due to the fact that my QNAP NAS has an ARM processor it will not be capable of having the VMs & their corresponding VHDs stored on the NAS and have the Hypervisor access them there?

pseymour · Jun 27, 2024

No, I was more responding to Jimbo's (seeming) suggestion to run the VMs directly on the NAS device itself. Some NAS devices can do that, but yours cannot. I'm not even really sure that's what Jimbo was suggesting; just saying it's not an option.