VIRT-CONVERT(1) 					   Virtual Machine Install Tools					   VIRT-CONVERT(1)

NAME

       virt-convert - convert virtual machines between formats

SYNOPSIS

       virt-convert [OPTION]... INPUT.VMX|INPUT-DIR [OUTPUT.XML|OUTPUT-DIR]

DESCRIPTION

       virt-convert is a command line tool for converting virtual machines from one format to another. Pass in either a VM definition file (such
       as VMWare vmx format) or a directory containing a VM. By default, a new VM definition file, and converted disk images, will be placed in a
       new output directory.

       If an output directory is specified, it will be created if necessary, and the output VM definition placed within, along with any disk
       images as needed.

       If an output VM definition file is specified, it will be created alongside any disks in the same directory.

OPTIONS

       Any of the options can be omitted, in which case virt-convert will use defaults when required. An input VM definition or containing
       directory must be provided. By default, an output directory is generated based upon the name of the VM. The default input format is VMWare
       vmx, and the default output format is a libvirt "image" XML definition (see virt-image(5)).

       -h, --help
	   Show the help message and exit

   Conversion Options
       -i format
	 Input format. Currently, "vmx", "virt-image", and "ovf" are supported.

       -o format
	 Output format. Currently, "vmx"  and "virt-image" are supported.

       -D format
	 Output disk format, or "none" if no conversion should be performed. See qemu-img(1).

   Virtualization Type options
       Options to override the default virtualization type choices.

       -v, --hvm      Create  a fully virtualized guest image
	 Convert machine to a hvm/qemu based image (this is the default if paravirt is not specified)

       -p, --paravirt	   Create  a paravirtualized guest image
	 Convert machine to a paravirt xen based image

   General Options
       General configuration parameters that apply to all types of guest installs.

       -a ARCH, --arch=ARCH
	 Architecture of the virtual machine (i686, x86_64, ppc). Defaults to that of the host machine.

       --os-type=OS_TYPE
	 Optimize the guest configuration for a type of operating system (ex. 'linux', 'windows'). This will attempt to pick the most suitable
	 ACPI & APIC settings, optimally supported mouse drivers, virtio, and generally accommodate other operating system quirks.  See
	 virt-install(1) for valid values.

       --os-variant=OS_VARIANT
	 Further optimize the guest configuration for a specific operating system variant (ex. 'fedora8', 'winxp'). This parameter is optional,
	 and does not require an "--os-type" to be specified. See virt-install(1) for valid values.

       --noapic
	 Override the OS type / variant to disables the APIC setting for fully virtualized guest.

       --noacpi
	 Override the OS type / variant to disables the ACPI setting for fully virtualized guest.

   Miscellaneous Options
       -q, --quiet
	 Avoid verbose output.

       -d, --debug
	 Print debugging information

       --dry-run
	 Proceed through the conversion process, but don't convert disks or actually write any converted files.

EXAMPLES

       Convert a paravirt guest from "image.vmx":

	 # virt-convert --arch=i686 --paravirt image.vmx

       Convert a 64-bit hvm guest:

	 # virt-convert --arch=x86_64 vmx-appliance/ hvm-appliance/

AUTHOR

       Written by Joey Boggs and John Levon

       See the AUTHORS file in the source distribution for the complete list of credits.

BUGS

       Please see http://virt-manager.org/page/BugReporting

COPYRIGHT

       Copyright (C) 2006-2008 Red Hat, Inc, and various contributors.	This is free software. You may redistribute copies of it under the terms
       of the GNU General Public License "http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html". There is NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by law.

SEE ALSO

       virt-image(5), the project website "http://virt-manager.org"

								    2011-07-18							   VIRT-CONVERT(1)