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KB ID: 6261
Product: TS5010 Series | TS6000 Series | TS5020 Series | TS71210 Series | TS3010 Series | TS3020 Series | TS-Essentials Series 2022 | TS3030 Series | TS Essentials Series 2025
Last Updated: 11/05/2026
Migrate a VMware ESXi VM to Proxmox VE by cloning it to a shared Buffalo TeraStation NFS datastore and importing the VMDK directly into Proxmox.
Migration Flow: VMware ESXi - Buffalo TeraStation NAS (NFS) - Proxmox local storage Example in this KB: ESXi 7.0.3 , Buffalo TeraStation TS51220 , Proxmox VE 9.2
This method does not require Veeam, OVF Tool, or downloading VM files through a Windows workstation.
Make sure the Buffalo NFS share is already mounted as a datastore in ESXi.
Note: Use Clone instead of Migrate to retain the original VM. For production migration, shut down the source VM before creating the final clone to ensure data consistency.
Open the Buffalo NFS datastore in the vCenter Datastore Browser and locate the cloned VM folder.
Typical files include:
- 2022t1-pve.vmdk - Disk descriptor - 2022t1-pve-flat.vmdk - Actual virtual disk data - 2022t1-pve.vmx - VM configuration - 2022t1-pve.nvram - EFI configuration - 2022t1-pve-ctk.vmdk - Change tracking metadata
Important: Import the main VMDK descriptor, not the flat or CTK file. Keep the descriptor and flat VMDK together in the original folder.
There is no need to move or copy the VMDK files to another directory.
In Proxmox, navigate to Datacenter - Storage - Add - NFS.
Example configuration:
Make sure Proxmox has permission to read the files created by ESXi on the NFS share.
By default, Proxmox does not automatically scan arbitrary subfolders in an Import storage.
Open the Proxmox Shell and edit the shared cluster storage configuration file named storage.cfg. Refer to the screenshot for its exact location.
Locate the TS51220-NFS-import entry and add the following setting:
content-dirs import=2022t1-pve
Replace 2022t1-pve with the actual cloned VM folder name.
Save the configuration. Refresh TS51220-NFS-import - Import.
The VMware VMDK files should now appear.
Note: This setting affects the shared cluster storage definition. Update the folder name when importing another VM.
In Proxmox, click Create VM and configure the new VM based on the original VMware VM.
- Set the correct CPU cores and memory. - Select Microsoft Windows as the OS Type for Windows VMs. - For UEFI VMs, use OVMF (UEFI) and add an EFI Disk. - For legacy BIOS VMs, use SeaBIOS. - Do not create an unnecessary blank OS disk. - Keep the production network disconnected during initial testing.
In TS51220-NFS-import - Import, select the main VMDK descriptor.
Example: 2022t1-pve.vmdk
Select the target Proxmox VM and set the destination storage to local-zfs.
If the GUI import fails, use the Proxmox Shell command below:
qm disk import 104 /mnt/pve/TS51220-NFS-import/2022t1-pve/2022t1-pve.vmdk local-zfs --format raw
Replace VM ID 104, the storage name, and the VM folder name as appropriate.
Wait until the import reaches 100%.
After importing, the disk appears under the VM Hardware tab as Unused Disk.
Start the Proxmox VM and confirm that Windows boots successfully.
Verify basic OS and application functionality. Keep the network disconnected until the original VMware VM is shut down and the production cutover is ready.
The VMDK may still be locked or associated with a registered VM.
Solution: Keep the cloned VM powered off. If necessary, unregister the clone without deleting its files. Alternatively, leave the disk in its original folder and use the Proxmox content-dirs setting.
ESXi-created files on NFS storage may not be readable through an SMB mount because of file ownership or permissions.
Solution: Mount the same NFS export directly in Proxmox and verify NFS access permissions. This resolved the SMB access issue during testing.
Proxmox GUI may fail when importing a native VMware descriptor and flat VMDK pair with the following error:
multiple children or extents are not allowed!
Solution: Use the qm disk import command from Step 6. This method succeeded during testing.
Windows may fail to boot when the imported OS disk uses a storage controller without a compatible Windows boot driver.
Solution: Shut down the VM, detach the OS disk without deleting it, reattach as SATA0, and update Boot Order.
After Windows boots, install VirtIO drivers before optionally switching back to VirtIO SCSI.
Check whether the original VMware VM used BIOS or UEFI.
Solution: Match the firmware mode in Proxmox, verify the EFI Disk if UEFI is used, and confirm the correct boot disk. Some UEFI VMs may require recreating the Windows Boot Manager entry.
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