I'm looking for a product that should:

* Virtualise linux and windows guests on a linux host
* Convert existing normal OS installs into virtual guests
* Transfer virtualised linux and windows guests to a real machine

Any suggestions? It's especially the third feature I'm interested in.

VMware?

If possible with Windows (and I'm far to be sure that's possible), it's certainly illegal.

Vmware can do this.

the vmware converter can convert a running windows desktop / Server to a Virtual Machine. I think it can do Linux P2V as well in the enterprise product. The enterprise product can also go back the other way, converting a Virtual Machine to a Physical Machine.

THIS wiould be an excellent Disaster Recovery / Business Continuity option to have in your bag of tricks.

You can download vmware desktop / vmware server / and vmware converter for free..
(at least they were all free the last time I looked)

Physical to Virtual
http://www.vmware.com/products/converter/
http://www.vmware.com/support/pubs/p2v_pubs.html

Virtual to Physical
http://www.vmware.com/support/v2p/

I don't see why it would be illegal provided you have licensing for each virtual machine OS you are running.. MS is in the business of selling licenses after all, and they would be just as happy to sell you 10 licenses to run windows physincally as well as virtually.. it's no difference to them, provided you pay up.

Wikipedia Physical to Virtual


You can also whip out a Google search for 'V2P' and get a number of hits for other products and third party tools.

You're right, I would better precise that it's illegal to have just one license for a virtual and a physical instance of windows, it's far more clear said like that.

Ah, thanks for those links. My google queries weren't good enough. "V2P" comes up with much better hits. Licensing wise, it should be fine to have an archived virtual copy of a physical machine, so long as they are both mine and not being used simultaneously? In either case, I've a couple XP licenses, so I should be fine.

A vm that you are not using could indeed be considered a backup imho..

if not, then MS is going to want to talk to me about all my backup tapes and ghost images..