I am preparing to migrate several Windows Server VMs from VMware vSphere into Nutanix.



Most of the VMs use physical RDM virtual hard disks which are unfortunately unsupported by Xtract. As I understand it, this leaves me with two options for migration:



Option 1: Convert RDM to VMDK



Steps:

1. Power off VMware VM
   
2. Convert each RDM virtual HDD to VMDK
   
3. Power on VMware VM
   
4. Begin Nutanix Xtract process
   
5. Schedule and perform Nutanix changeover
   

How to Convert RDM to VMDK - The Ultimate Guide



With this option, Nutanix Xtract still automates and handles most of the the migration into the new environment, possibly reducing the chance for issues. However, I would need to plan for two potential downtime windows.



Option 2: Import Underlying VMDKs into Nutanix



Steps:

1. Power off VMware VM
   
2. Create Images in Nutanix by uploading each underlying VMDK (from RDM storage)
   
3. Create a Nutanix VM from each new image
   
4. Power on Nutanix VM
   

With this option, there is only a single outage. However, the process seems a bit forced.



Summary:

Both options require the server to be down while each of its virtual hard disks are processed / imported into the new format. With Option 1, there are two outages but more automation. With Option 2, there is only a single outage.



What else should I consider here? Which option would you recommend?