Converting to a virtual machine simultaneously with a backup job

Last published : Apr 02, 2026
With this type of a conversion, the backup and the conversion run at the same time.
Note: If the backup fails, then the conversion fails also. However, if the conversion fails, the backup continues to run. For a conversion failure, the job is marked as a success with exceptions and the conversion process runs again during the next full backup.
To convert to a virtual machine simultaneously with a backup job
  1. On the Backup and Restore tab, right-click the server that contains the data you want to back up and convert.
  2. Select Backup, and then selectBack up to Disk and Simultaneously Convert to Virtual MachineorBack up to Deduplication Disk Storage and Simultaneously Convert to Virtual Machine , depending on the type of storage device that you want to use.
  3. Do any of the following:
    To change the backup selections Do the following\:
    - In the box, click Edit , and then select the items to back up. Note: The optionSimplified Disaster Recoverymust have a status ofON.
    - Click OK .
    To change the backup options Do the following\:
    - In the Backup box, click Edit , and then change the backup options as needed.
    - Click OK .
  4. In the Conversion to Virtual box, click Edit to set the options for conversion.
  5. In the Convert for field, select either Hyper-VorVMware ESX/vCenter server.
  6. Configure the conversion options:
    If you selected Hyper-V in step 5 Do the following to configure the conversion options\:
    - Click the arrow in the Hyper-V server name field, select the name of the server where you want to create the virtual machine, and then click Add .
    - In the Destination drive or path field, enter the location on the physical computer where the virtual disks should be created. Enter a drive letter and path.
    - If you want to change the default virtual machine name, type the new name in the Virtual machine name field.
    - If you want to enable Backup Exec to overwrite a virtual machine if a virtual machine with the same name already exists, verify that the Overwrite the virtual machine if it already exists option is selected. If this option is not selected and the virtual machine name already exists, then the job fails.
    - In the Full path of Hyper-V Integration Components ISO image field, enter the location of your Hyper-V Integration Components ISO image. The ISO image is needed to make the virtual machine bootable. Note: This option is not available for Hyper-V servers that run on Windows 2016 or later. Such Hyper-V servers install integration services directly on the virtual machine either through a Windows update or a user-initiated download.
    - If you want to change the CPU count or amount of physical RAM for the destination virtual machine, on the Server configuration tab, enter the new amounts in the Desintation virtual machine fields.
    - If you want to change the disk type, the controller, or the virtual disk location for one of the disks, on the Disk configuration tab, click Edit disk configuration , and then enter the new information.
    If you selected VMware ESX/vCenter server in step 5 Do the following to configure the conversion options\:
    - Click the arrow in the ESX/vCenter server name field, and click the name of the server where you want to create the virtual machine.
    - Click the arrow in the Logon account field, and then select the appropriate logon account for the server that you selected.
    - Click Select next to the ESX/vCenter server name field. Backup Exec fills in the remaining information about the server.
    - Browse to select the virtual machine folder and resource pool that are associated with the server that you selected. Note: If you target an ESX server and select a resource pool, the newly created virtual machine is not added to the resource pool automatically. You can manually move the virtual machine into the appropriate resource pool after the conversion.
    - If you want to change the default virtual machine name, type the new name in the Virtual machine name field.
    - If you want to enable Backup Exec to overwrite a virtual machine if a virtual machine with the same name already exists, verify that the Overwrite the virtual machine if it already exists option is selected. If this option is not selected and the virtual machine name already exists, then the job fails.
    - In the Full path of VMware Tools ISO image field, enter the location of your VMware Tools ISO image. The path should be accessible with the default credentials. The path should also be local to the Backup Exec server. The ISO image is needed to make the virtual machine bootable. Note: In a CAS environment, this path should be local to the managed Backup Exec server to which the job is targeted.
    - If you want to change the CPU count or amount of physical RAM for the destination virtual machine, on the Server configuration tab, enter the new amounts in the Desintation virtual machine fields.
    - If you want to change the disk type, the controller, or the virtual disk location for one of the disks, on the Disk configuration tab, click Edit disk configuration , and then enter the new information.
  7. Click OK.
  8. On the Backup Definition Properties dialog box, click OK to create the job.
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