Enterprise Migration from VMware ESXi to Proxmox VE 8.4 with Ceph Storage

Executive Summary

As organizations evaluate their virtualization infrastructure costs and seek open-source alternatives, Proxmox Virtual Environment (VE) emerges as a compelling enterprise-grade solution. This technical guide demonstrates a production-ready migration path from VMware ESXi 8.0 to Proxmox VE 8.4, leveraging distributed Ceph storage for high availability and scalability.

Introduction

The virtualization landscape is evolving rapidly, with enterprises increasingly seeking cost-effective alternatives to proprietary solutions. Proxmox VE, built on proven open-source technologies including KVM, QEMU, and LXC, offers a robust platform for both virtual machines and containers. When combined with Ceph distributed storage, it provides enterprise-grade features including live migration, high availability, and software-defined storage—all without licensing fees.

This article presents a real-world migration scenario, moving production workloads from VMware ESXi to a three-node Proxmox cluster with Ceph storage, demonstrating the practical steps and considerations for enterprise deployments.

Architecture Overview

Source Environment

Hypervisor: VMware ESXi 8.0 (build-20513097)
Storage: Local VMFS-6 datastores
Workloads: Ubuntu 22.04 LTS virtual machines
Network: Standard vSwitch configuration

Target Environment

Platform: Proxmox VE 8.4.1 cluster
Nodes: 3-node configuration for quorum
Storage: Ceph 19.2.2 (Squid) distributed storage
Network: Linux bridge (vmbr0) with VLAN segmentation
Management: Corosync cluster with HA capabilities

Prerequisites

Technical Requirements

Proxmox Cluster: Operational 3+ node cluster with quorum
Ceph Storage: Configured and healthy Ceph cluster
Network Connectivity: Direct network access between ESXi and Proxmox environments
Tools: pve-esxi-import-tools package (version 0.7.4 or later)
Access: Root credentials for both ESXi and Proxmox systems

Pre-Migration Checklist

Verify Proxmox cluster health: pvecm status
Confirm Ceph cluster status: ceph status
Document VM configurations and dependencies
Plan maintenance window for VM downtime
Ensure adequate storage capacity in target environment

Migration Process

Phase 1: Ceph Storage Preparation

Configure dedicated Ceph pool for virtual machine storage:

# Create RBD pool with appropriate placement groups
ceph osd pool create vmpool 128 128
ceph osd pool set vmpool min_size 2
ceph osd pool application enable vmpool rbd

# Initialize the pool
rbd pool init vmpool

# Add RBD storage to Proxmox
pvesm add rbd ceph-vmpool \
  --pool vmpool \
  --content images \
  --krbd 0 \
  --monhost "192.168.100.10 192.168.100.11 192.168.100.12"

# Verify configuration
pvesm status
ceph osd pool stats vmpool

Phase 2: ESXi Integration

Configure ESXi as a storage source in Proxmox:

# Add ESXi storage endpoint
pvesm add esxi esxi8-storage \
  --server 10.10.255.3 \
  --username root \
  --password 'your-secure-password' \
  --skip-cert-verification 1

# Verify ESXi connectivity and enumerate VMs
pvesm list esxi8-storage

Phase 3: Virtual Machine Preparation

On the ESXi host, prepare VMs for migration:

# List all VMs
vim-cmd vmsvc/getallvms

# Gracefully shutdown VMs
vim-cmd vmsvc/power.shutdown 1
vim-cmd vmsvc/power.shutdown 2

# Verify power state
vim-cmd vmsvc/power.getstate 1
vim-cmd vmsvc/power.getstate 2

Phase 4: Migration Execution

Import VMs directly from ESXi to Proxmox with Ceph storage:

# Import first VM
qm import 101 'esxi8-storage:ha-datacenter/newdatastore01/ubuntu22/ubuntu22.vmx' \
  --storage ceph-vmpool

# Import second VM
qm import 102 'esxi8-storage:ha-datacenter/newdatastore01/ubuntu22webserver/ubuntu22webserver.vmx' \
  --storage ceph-vmpool

The import process automatically:

Converts VMDK to raw format for Ceph RBD
Creates UEFI disk for OVMF bios
Preserves VM hardware configuration
Maintains disk provisioning settings

Phase 5: Post-Migration Configuration

Optimize VMs for Proxmox/KVM environment:

# Configure VirtIO network adapters for better performance
qm set 101 --net0 virtio,bridge=vmbr0
qm set 102 --net0 virtio,bridge=vmbr0

# Set boot order
qm set 101 --boot order=scsi0
qm set 102 --boot order=scsi0

# Enable QEMU Guest Agent
qm set 101 --agent 1
qm set 102 --agent 1

# Optimize storage controller
qm set 101 --scsihw virtio-scsi-pci
qm set 102 --scsihw virtio-scsi-pci

# Enable Ceph cache for better performance
qm set 101 --scsi0 ceph-vmpool:vm-101-disk-1,cache=writeback,discard=on
qm set 102 --scsi0 ceph-vmpool:vm-102-disk-1,cache=writeback,discard=on

Phase 6: Validation and Testing

Start and verify migrated VMs:

# Start VMs
qm start 101
qm start 102

# Check status
qm status 101
qm status 102

# Access console for verification
qm console 101  # Exit with Ctrl+O

# Verify Ceph storage allocation
rbd ls vmpool
rbd info vmpool/vm-101-disk-1

Performance Optimization

Storage Performance

Cache Configuration: Enable writeback cache for improved I/O performance
Discard/TRIM: Enable for efficient space reclamation in Ceph
SCSI Controller: Use VirtIO-SCSI for optimal performance

Network Performance

VirtIO Drivers: Ensure guest OS has VirtIO drivers for maximum throughput
Multiqueue: Enable for high-performance networking workloads
SR-IOV: Consider for workloads requiring near-native network performance

High Availability Configuration

Enable automatic failover for critical workloads:

# Add VMs to HA manager
ha-manager add vm:101 --group all --max_relocate 3
ha-manager add vm:102 --group all --max_relocate 3

# Verify HA status
ha-manager status

Backup Strategy

Implement comprehensive backup strategy:

# Configure scheduled backups
pvesh create /cluster/backup \
  --storage local \
  --vmid 101,102 \
  --dow mon,wed,fri \
  --starttime 02:00 \
  --mode snapshot \
  --compress zstd

Troubleshooting Guide

Common Issues and Resolutions

Boot Failures
- Verify UEFI/BIOS settings match source VM
- Check boot order configuration
- Ensure virtio drivers are present in guest OS
Network Connectivity
- Regenerate MAC addresses if conflicts occur
- Verify bridge configuration
- Check VLAN settings if applicable
Performance Degradation
- Enable cache settings on Ceph storage
- Verify CPU type matches source capabilities
- Check for memory ballooning issues

Diagnostic Commands

# VM logs
tail -f /var/log/pve/qemu-server/101.log

# Ceph performance
ceph osd pool stats vmpool
rados bench -p vmpool 10 write --no-cleanup

# Network diagnostics
ip -s link show vmbr0
bridge fdb show br vmbr0

Security Considerations

Access Control: Implement role-based access control (RBAC) in Proxmox
Network Segmentation: Utilize VLANs for proper isolation
Encryption: Consider Ceph encryption-at-rest for sensitive workloads
Firewall: Configure Proxmox firewall rules appropriately
Updates: Establish regular patching schedule for hypervisor and guests

Cost Analysis

VMware ESXi Licensing (Per Socket)

vSphere Essentials Plus: ~$5,000
vSphere Standard: ~$1,400/year
vSphere Enterprise Plus: ~$4,600/year

Proxmox VE Investment

Software License: €0 (Open Source)
Optional Support Subscription: €150-950/year per socket
Training and Implementation: One-time cost

ROI Calculation: For a typical 3-node cluster (6 sockets), organizations can save $8,400-$27,600 annually in licensing fees alone.

Conclusion

The migration from VMware ESXi to Proxmox VE represents more than a cost-saving measure—it's a strategic move toward open-source infrastructure that provides flexibility, transparency, and community-driven innovation. The combination of Proxmox VE with Ceph storage delivers enterprise-grade features including high availability, live migration, and software-defined storage without vendor lock-in.

Key success factors include:

Thorough planning and testing in non-production environments
Understanding of Linux/KVM virtualization concepts
Proper sizing of Ceph storage for performance requirements
Investment in team training for open-source technologies

As demonstrated in this guide, the technical migration process is straightforward with proper tools and methodology. Organizations can confidently transition their virtualization infrastructure while maintaining or improving service levels.

References

Proxmox VE Administration Guide: https://pve.proxmox.com/pve-docs/
Ceph Documentation: https://docs.ceph.com/
KVM/QEMU Performance Tuning: https://www.linux-kvm.org/page/Tuning_KVM
Proxmox Community Forum: https://forum.proxmox.com/