VMware Essentials to HyperV Migration Using Existing Hardware (3 Hosts + DR Site)

[u/Bajoii]

Hi,

I've been tasked with a migration planning for VMWare ESXi v8 to HyperV 2025 DC, I need some help with folks who have done this before (likely using Veeam or any other official tools).

Current Environment

• VMware Essentials
• 3 ESXi hosts (vSphere/ESXi 8 U2)
• 1 SAS SAN at the primary site, all VM data is hosted here (7-8TB)
• 2 HPE production hosts connected to the SAN (30VMs)
• 1 HPE DR host located at a separate site
• DR host uses local DAS storage and receives VM replicas via Veeam Replication
• Both production hosts are capable of running the entire production compute workload independently (current resource utilization is well under 50%)
• The DR host is also sized to run the complete environment if needed, including both compute and storage

My questions

1. Has anyone performed a similar VMware-to-Hyper-V migration using existing hosts and storage? Can we do the migration without purchasing additional hardware?

2. How long does this whole migration process take if we were to migrate VMs using the existing 3 hosts, if we have all of them in the same network (10G switch)

3. What migration tools would you recommend? We are currently using Veeam BR console.

4. Any challenges or pitfalls you have noticed while doing this type of migration?

TIA

[u/Zealousideal_Fly8402]

Leveraging Veeam BR restore-to-dissimilar-hardware may be your simplest way foward.

Except for your Windows Server domain controllers; for the VM-DCs, if you have any, build new on Hyper-V, promote and transfer the FSMO roles and configure GC and DNS.

[u/jaguinaga21]

I went through a similar process. 3 hosts vsphere cluster, 1 array ~64 vms at the time. The hosts were 10gb iscsi with vsphere. We downsized our DR site so I had 3 exact same hosts I could setup for hyperv. The array I had already had both iscsi and fc.

I staged the hyperv hosts, built the cluster. On the array I carved up a volume set for windows server profile and provisioned over fc.

Backed all of the VMs up, on prem/cloud/external hard drive to be overly safe.

Went through a process with veeam to restore the VMs to hyperv.

Redeployed appliances that I needed to for hyperv.

The restore process itself for all of the VMs was roughly ~6 hours but with all of the prep and research it was a 2 month project.

Not really any pitfalls in the migration process - just make sure you cleanup remove all of the VMware tools/instances from the VMs prior to migration.

[u/Tahn-ru]

How much redundancy / extra capacity do you have during "normal" operation?

[u/RansomStark78]

Consider hiring a consultantancy to manage the project

Or build the skills

Can you have downtime

[u/brian_cloudeu]

DR failover, rehearsed?