[ale] Semi-OT, Windows as VM guest

[JD]

Not at all - if the virtual MB, chipsets, disk controller, etc. don't appear to
change, then the virtual machine won't know anything.  I've moved VMs across the
same VM hypervisors without any hiccup too.  The only time it was an issue was
migration between an old KVM and a 4 yr newer KVM release. It took me months to
figure out how to do it without losing all my settings - THAT was more important
to me than getting onto the new VM host.

Moving from physical VM host A running KVM to physical VM host B running a close
version of KVM shouldn't force the Windows VM/guests to freak out at all - just
like with virtualbox, qemu, ESXi, Xen ... provided the virtual hardware
presented is "close enough" as far as Windows license checks are concerned.



On 12/03/2014 06:46 AM, Wolf Halton wrote:
> I have a Win7Pro VirtualBox VM I have moved from one Ubuntu install to another
> bare-metal install on the same hardware, and it has not required a relicensing. 
> I used to de the same thing with an XP Pro VM, also with no licensing issues. 
> Just lucky, I reckon.
> 
> Wolf Halton
> Mobile 678-687-6104
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> 
> On Sat, Nov 29, 2014 at 2:35 AM, JD <jdp at algoloma.com <mailto:jdp at algoloma.com>>
> wrote:
> 
>     On 11/28/2014 06:20 PM, Jim Kinney wrote:
>     > Moving a fully licensed win VM from host a to host b is not an issue if the two
>     > host are running the same type of virtualization, I.e., KVM, VMware, xen. Moving
>     > between host types is far trickier and may cause license issues.
>     >
> 
>     IME, the issue with Windows licensing hick-ups when moved to a different VM host
>     has more to do with the OS noticing a change in the chipset, disk controller, or
>     other major hardware.  For retain copies, running the 'sysprep' command just
>     before moving the VM storage to the new hardware will remove the pre-configured
>     drivers and disable any dependent services (like time/ntp sync). There is a
>     limit to the number of times sysprep can be used - I think 3 is the number then
>     you/we have to call MSFT and beg for a new 45 character (???!) activation key.
> 
>     Don't know anything about OEM licenses - moving those to different hardware is
>     not allowed in the license, so I've never attempted it.
> 
> 
>     You know - keeping track of license limitations is enough to just throw them
>     away and stick with Linux stuff.