Requirements for conversion to virtual machine jobs

Last published : Apr 02, 2026
Before you use the conversion to virtual machine feature, review the following requirements:
  • The option Simplified Disaster Recovery must have a status of ON on the Browse tab of the Backup Selections dialog box.
    Note: The Agent for VMware and Hyper-V is not required for conversion to virtual machines.
  • Only Windows servers are supported.
  • Conversion from a duplicate backup set is not supported.
  • In a VMware environment, if you convert a physical server to a virtual server and then want to back up the converted server, you must push-install the Agent for Windows to the converted server. Push-installing the Agent for Windows installs the Backup Exec VSS provider. Note that you need to install the Agent for Windows on the converted server even if you installed the Agent for Windows on the physical server before you converted it to a virtual server.
  • For conversion in a Hyper-V environment, the following additional requirements apply:
    • The Agent for Windows must be installed on the Hyper-V host to which the conversion is sent.
    • Disks larger than 2TB are supported for Hyper-V 2012 or later.
    • Only basic disks are supported. Dynamic disks are not supported for Hyper-V conversions.
    • Before running a conversion job that targets a Hyper-V host, disable the File Server Resource Manager (FSRM). If you do not disable FSRM, then the job may fail with an "out of disk space" error.
      Note: Conversion of a physical Hyper-V host into a virtual machine is not supported.
  • For specific operating system requirements for conversion to virtual machines, see the Backup Exec Software Compatibility List.
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