VMware VMotion

Migrate Virtual Machines with Zero Downtime

Move running virtual machines from one physical server to another with no impact to end users. VMware VMotion keeps your IT environment up and running, giving you unprecedented flexibility and availability to meet the increasing demands of your business and end users.

Reduce IT costs and improve flexibility with server consolidation.
Decrease planned and unplanned downtime for improved business continuity.
Run fewer servers and dynamically power down unused servers to reduce your energy costs.

Experience Game-changing Virtual Machine Mobility

VMware VMotion technology, unique to VMware, leverages the complete virtualisation of servers, storage and networking to move an entire running virtual machine instantaneously from one server to another. The entire state of a virtual machine is encapsulated by a set of files stored on shared storage, and VMware’s vStorage VMFS cluster file system allows both the source and the target VMware ESX server to access these virtual machine files concurrently. The active memory and precise execution state of a virtual machine can then be rapidly transmitted over a high speed network. Since the network is also virtualised by VMware ESX, the virtual machine retains its network identity and connections, ensuring a seamless migration process.

VMware VMotion allows you to:

Perform live migrations with zero downtime, undetectable to the user.
Continuously and automatically optimise virtual machines within resource pools.
Perform hardware maintenance without scheduling downtime and disrupting business operations.
Proactively move virtual machines away from failing or underperforming servers

Reliably Manage Live Migrations with Ease

Benefit from the reliability and manageability derived from a production-proven product used by thousands of customers for years. Live migration of virtual machines across your infrastructure is surprisingly simple with functionality that lets you:

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Perform multiple concurrent migrations to continuously optimise a virtual IT environment.
Identify the optimal placement for a virtual machine in seconds with a migration wizard providing real-time availability information.
Migrate any virtual machine running any operating system across any type of hardware and storage supported by VMware ESX, including Fibre Channel SAN, NAS and iSCSI SAN.
Prioritise live migrations to ensure that mission-critical virtual machines maintain access to the resources they need.
Schedule migrations to happen at pre-defined times, and without an administrator’s presence.
Maintain an audit trail with a detailed record of migrations.

VMware VMotion is included in the VMware Infrastructure Enterprise edition. VMware VMotion and VMware Storage VMotion are available as an add-on product to VMware Infrastructure Foundation and Standard editions. Learn more about the VMware Infrastructure editions.