VMware to Proxmox Migration Pack

Stop Paying the Broadcom Tax

Broadcom raised VMware licensing costs by 10x for many shops. This pack gives you everything you need to move your existing VMs to Proxmox VE — an open-source, enterprise-grade hypervisor with no per-socket fees, no mandatory vSphere, and no surprise audits.

What is Included

• pre-flight-check.sh — Validates SSH access, storage capacity, network bridges, and tool dependencies before you start
• convert-vmdk.sh — Converts VMDK files directly from the ESXi datastore and imports them to Proxmox (Path A — fastest)
• import-ova.sh — Imports exported OVA/OVF packages for environments without direct datastore SSH (Path B)
• bulk-migrate.sh — Batch migrates your entire fleet from a CSV inventory with resume support
• post-migrate-cleanup.sh — Removes open-vm-tools, installs qemu-guest-agent, fixes NIC names, and takes a snapshot
• vm-inventory.csv — Fill in your VM list for bulk migration with per-VM overrides
• network-mapping.csv — Maps VMware port groups to Proxmox bridges automatically
• migration-runbook.md — End-to-end guide covering all three migration paths, Windows VM VirtIO driver injection, DNS cutover strategy, and common error fixes

Three Migration Paths Covered

Path A — Direct VMDK (fastest): SSH into the ESXi host, copy and convert the VMDK with qemu-img, import directly to Proxmox storage. One command per VM.

Path B — OVA Import (universal): Export a VM as OVA via vSphere Client or ovftool, then import. Works without datastore SSH access.

Path C — virt-v2v (Linux guests): Live conversion with automatic VirtIO driver injection. Best for Linux fleets.

Windows VM Support

The runbook includes a step-by-step guide for injecting VirtIO SCSI and network drivers into Windows VMs — both pre-migration (while still on VMware) and post-migration (IDE boot trick). Covers Windows 10, 11, Server 2016/2019/2022, and KMS reactivation.

What You Get Immediately

• A working toolkit you can run today — no extra dependencies beyond qemu-utils and SSH
• Auto-detection of VM memory, CPU, and guest OS from VMX/OVF metadata
• Automatic network bridge assignment from your mapping file
• Bulk migration with per-VM overrides, error recovery, and resume support
• A complete migration runbook with rollback plan and common troubleshooting