Converting images in virtual environments

Abstract

The different illustrative embodiments provide a method, computer program product, and apparatus for converting a first image for a virtual machine formatted for a first virtual environment. A second image is created, wherein the second image is non-specific to any virtual environment. A determination is made whether a portion of files to be copied from the first virtual image to the second virtual image should be replaced using a compatibility matrix, wherein the compatibility matrix identifies changes between the first virtual environment and a second virtual environment. A replacement for the portion of the files is copied to the second image using the compatibility matrix responsive to a determination that the portion of the files in the set of files should be replaced. The file is copied to the second image responsive to an absence of a determination that the each file in the set of files should be replaced.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method for converting a first virtual image for a virtual machine formatted for a first virtual environment, the method comprising:
 creating a second virtual image, wherein the second virtual image is non-specific to any virtual environment; 
 determining whether a portion of files in a set of files to be copied from the first virtual image to the second virtual image should be replaced using a compatibility matrix to produce a determination, wherein the compatibility matrix comprises a set of source and target hypervisor-specific entries and that identifies changes between the first virtual environment and a second virtual environment; 
 responsive to a the determination that the portion of the files in the set of files should be replaced, taking an action that is one of:
 copying to the second virtual image a replacement for the portion of the files to the second image using the compatibility matrix when it is determined that the portion of files in the set of files to be copied should be replaced; and 
 responsive to an absence of a determination the each file in the set of files should be replaced, copying theto the second virtual image each file to the second imagein the set of files to be copied that is not in the portion when it is determined that the portion of files in the set of files to be copied should not be replaced; 
 
 wherein at least one of the determining and copying steps is carried out in software executing in a hardware element. 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1  further comprising:
 formatting the second virtual image for the second virtual environment prior to performing the step of determining whether the portion of the files in a set of files to be copied from the first virtual image to the second virtual image should be replaced using the compatibility matrix. 
 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 1  further comprising:
 identifying software for the second virtual environment using the compatibility matrix; and 
 installing the software on the second virtual image. 
 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 3 , wherein the software comprises a set of device drivers. 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 1  further comprising:
 identifying a set of modifications to be made to an operating system in the second virtual image using the compatibility matrix; 
 performing the set of modifications to the operating system in the second virtual image. 
 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 5 , wherein the set of modifications are selected from network settings and disk configuration settings. 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the portion of the files are selected from kernel files and ramdisk files. 
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 2 , wherein the step of formatting the second virtual image further comprises:
 creating a file system in the second virtual image configured for the second virtual environment using the compatibility matrix. 
 
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first virtual environment is a first hypervisor and the second virtual environment is a second hypervisor different from the first hypervisor. 
     
     
       10. A computer program product comprising:
 a computer readable storage medium; 
 computer readable program code, stored on the computer readable storage medium, for creating a second virtual image, wherein the second virtual image is non-specific to any virtual environment; 
 computer readable program code, stored on the computer readable storage medium, for determining whether a portion of files in a set of files to be copied from the a first virtual image to the second virtual image should be replaced using a compatibility matrix to produce a determination, wherein the compatibility matrix comprises a set of source and target hypervisor-specific entries and that identifies changes between the a first virtual environment and a second virtual environment; 
 computer readable program code, stored on the computer readable storage medium, responsive to the determination to take an action that is one of:
 for copying to the second virtual image a replacement for the portion of the files to the second image using the compatibility matrix responsive to a determination that the portion of the files in the set of files should be replaced when it is determined that the portion of files in the set of files to be copied should be replaced; and 
 
 computer readable program code, stored on the computer readable storage medium, for copying the to the second virtual image each file to the second image responsive to an absence of a determination the each file in the set of files should be replaced in the set of files to be copied that is not in the portion when it is determined that the portion of files in the set of files to be copied should not be replaced. 
 
     
     
       11. The computer program product of  claim 10 , further comprising:
 computer readable program code, stored on the computer readable storage medium, for formatting the second virtual image for the second virtual environment prior to the computer readable program code for determining whether the portion of the files in a set of files to be copied from the first virtual image to the second virtual image should be replaced using the compatibility matrix. 
 
     
     
       12. The computer program product of  claim 10 , further comprising:
 computer readable program code, stored on the computer readable storage medium, for identifying software for the second virtual environment using the compatibility matrix; and 
 computer readable program code, stored on the computer readable storage medium, for installing the software on the second virtual image. 
 
     
     
       13. The computer program product of  claim 12 , wherein the software comprises a set of device drivers. 
     
     
       14. The computer program product of  claim 10  further comprising:
 computer readable program code, stored on the computer readable storage medium, for identifying a set of modifications to be made to an operating system in the second virtual image using the compatibility matrix; 
 computer readable program code, stored on the computer readable storage medium, for performing the set of modifications to the operating system in the second virtual image. 
 
     
     
       15. The computer program product of  claim 14 , wherein the set of modifications are selected from network settings and disk configuration settings. 
     
     
       16. The computer program product of  claim 10 , wherein the portion of the files are selected from kernel files and ramdisk files. 
     
     
       17. The computer program product of  claim 11 , wherein the computer readable program code for formatting the second virtual image further comprises:
 computer readable program code, stored on the computer readable storage medium, for creating a file system in the second virtual image configured for the second virtual environment using the compatibility matrix. 
 
     
     
       18. An apparatus comprising:
 a bus system; 
 a storage device connected to the bus system, wherein the storage device includes program code; and 
 a processor unit connected to the bus system, wherein the processing unit executes the program code to create a second virtual image, wherein the second virtual image is non-specific to any virtual environment, determine whether a portion of files in a set of files to be copied from the a first virtual image to the second virtual image should be replaced using a compatibility matrix to produce a determination, wherein the compatibility matrix comprises a set of source and target hypervisor-specific entries and that identifies changes between the a first virtual environment and a second virtual environment, based on the determination, take an action that is one of: copy to the second virtual image a replacement for the portion of the files to the second image using the compatibility matrix responsive to a determination that the portion of the files in the set of files should be replaced when it is determined that the portion of files in the set of files to be copied should be replaced, and copy the to the second virtual image each file to the second image responsive to an absence of a determination the each file in the set of files should be replaced in the set of files to be copied that is not in the portion when it is determined that the portion of files in the set of files to be copied should not be replaced. 
 
     
     
       19. The apparatus of  claim 18 , wherein the processor unit further executes the program code to format the second virtual image for the second virtual environment prior to the processor unit executing the program code to determine whether the portion of the files in a set of files to be copied from the first virtual image to the second virtual image should be replaced using the compatibility matrix. 
     
     
       20. The apparatus of  claim 18 , wherein the processor unit further executes the program code to identify software for the second virtual environment using the compatibility matrix, and install the software on the second virtual image. 
     
     
       21. The method as described in claim 1 wherein the portion is a subset of the set of files described in the compatibility matrix as being incompatible or unusable with a second virtual machine to be used to run the second virtual image in the second virtual environment. 
     
     
       22. The computer program product as described in claim 10 wherein the portion is a subset of the set of files described in the compatibility matrix as being incompatible or unusable with a second virtual machine to be used to run the second virtual image in the second virtual environment. 
     
     
       23. The apparatus as described in claim 18 wherein the portion is a subset of the set of files described in the compatibility matrix as being incompatible or unusable with a second virtual machine to be used to run the second virtual image in the second virtual environment.