Physical To Virtual Machine:

Physical to virtual (P2V), also called hardware virtualization, refers to the migration of physical machines to virtual machines (VMs).

Developers using a P2V approach transfer their physical environment into a digital one. By doing this, they use less hardware and physical space, and reap the benefits of VMs, including more flexibility because VMs can run on multiple platforms. P2V is commonly used for server virtualization. It is also popular as a way for Mac users to run Windows applications.

Data migrated in P2V includes an operating system (OS), applications, programs and data from a computer's main hard drive. It's moved to a VM or a disk partition. Tools such as Micro Focus' PlateSpin> Migrate and Microsoft's vContinuum save the data gathered from the physical machine as an image, which a hypervisor reinstalls on a VM. The result is a VM with the same data, applications and system configurations as the physical server being virtualized.

Screen Shots:

 Install Disk2vhd v2.02

 Config Virtual Box:

Physical to Virtual:

Benifits:

Efficiency savings. VMs require less hardware, physical space, power consumption and repairs to run. So, migrating to them saves operating expenses.

Flexibility. VMs can run on multiple platforms, expanding migration options. Old hardware can be phased out and space can be saved because multiple VMs can run on a single server.

Availability. If the hardware a VM runs on fails, the VM can be placed on a working server with minimal downtime. VMs are not tied to any one physical component, and therefore can be migrated as necessary.

Testing. Developers can use VMs as a sandbox to test new and potentially hazardous component changes or code before putting them in a live environment.

Lifespan. Physical enterprise hardware will eventually wear out. Virtual machines are abstracted from underlying hardware and can last much longer. As hosts age, become obsolete or die, the VM can be migrated to a new one.