Sometimes it is important to know the manual steps of the automated task that vCenter executes. This will come handy in the event that vCenter server is down. Here is a list of steps that can help you move a VM from one host to another one without vCenter
- Power Off the VM
- Right Click the VM and select “Remove from Inventory”
- Go to the other host where you want to bring this VM up.
- Click Configuration à Storage à Click the datastore where the VM is located
- Right click the datastore à Browse datastore
- Look for the VM that you want to add on the left pane and click the folder
- Look on the right pane for a file with the name of the vm and the vmx extension. Example: server1.vmx
- Right click the .vmx file and select add to inventory.
- Now go to the server inventory and power on your VM.
- If you get a warning message, select I moved the vm.
- You should be back in business.
Hopes this helps