VMware Migration: GPU Resource Migration and Virtualization Solutions

As more enterprises migrate from VMware to other platforms, higher demands are placed on the agility and efficiency of IT infrastructure. Key challenges include: How to choose the right migration tools? How to migrate GPU resources? How to transition from VMware to other virtualization platforms? What should be considered during the migration? Recent adjustments in VMware’s product strategy have accelerated the search for more flexible, cost-effective, and high-performance solutions, particularly for the increasingly critical issue of GPU resource migration. When planning a VMware migration, enterprises must comprehensively evaluate current and future workloads for the next 3-5 years and explore diversified transformation paths. This is not just a simple VMware migration guide but a strategic decision involving global planning. Today, we will use ZStack ZSphere as an example to introduce the technical solutions for GPU migration.

GPU Resource Migration: Core Challenges Under VMware Strategy Adjustments and ZStack’s Solutions

In the current landscape of widespread AI adoption, GPU resource migration has become a central concern for many enterprises. Efficiently and securely migrating GPU resources from existing VMware environments is key to ensuring business continuity and performance.

Support for NVIDIA vGPU and AMD SR-IOV

ZStack ZSphere provides native support for NVIDIA vGPU and AMD SR-IOV. For NVIDIA vGPU, ZStack ZSphere allows dynamic adjustment of vGPU configurations during VM migration, enabling flexible resource allocation. In AMD SR-IOV scenarios, ZStack ZSphere can quickly identify and manage SR-IOV devices, ensuring stable GPU operation before and after migration through its self-developed virtualization layer. Additionally, ZStack ZSphere’s distributed architecture supports cross-host GPU resource pooling, enabling load balancing during migration to improve overall resource utilization.

Hardware Requirements for GPU Passthrough (PCIe Passthrough) Migration

Whether using VMware or ZStack ZSphere, GPU passthrough migration has specific hardware requirements. The CPU must support IOMMU technology (e.g., Intel VT-d or AMD IOMMU), and the motherboard BIOS must correctly configure IOMMU settings. ZStack ZSphere further optimizes hardware compatibility detection, automatically identifying eligible GPU devices. For power management, ZStack ZSphere supports intelligent power adjustment, dynamically regulating power supply based on GPU load to reduce energy consumption. Its robust hardware driver compatibility ensures smooth passthrough migration for GPUs from various manufacturers and models.

Driver Reconfiguration Process for Graphics Workstation VMs Post-Migration

ZStack ZSphere offers a streamlined driver management solution after migration. Its management platform includes a built-in driver library that automatically identifies migrated GPU devices and installs the corresponding drivers. For specialized drivers, ZStack ZSphere allows users to upload custom driver packages and adjust parameters via a visual interface. After migration, ZStack ZSphere performs automatic GPU driver performance checks, providing timely prompts for fixes to ensure stable operation of graphics workstation VMs.

Performance Overhead and Optimization Measures for Virtualized GPU Resources

For performance optimization, ZStack ZSphere provides unique solutions. Its self-developed GPU virtualization layer deeply optimizes resource scheduling, employing intelligent load-balancing algorithms to ensure fair GPU resource allocation across multiple VMs. ZStack ZSphere also supports dynamic GPU resource adjustment, scaling resources in real-time based on application load. By optimizing data channels between GPUs and VMs, it reduces data copy operations, improving transmission efficiency. Additionally, its performance monitoring and analysis features enable real-time tracking of GPU resource usage and automatic adjustment of optimization strategies.

Concurrent Processing Strategies for Multi-GPU VM Migration

ZStack ZSphere offers robust concurrent migration capabilities for multi-GPU VMs. Its distributed architecture supports multi-node collaboration, allowing simultaneous migration tasks for multiple GPU VMs. ZStack ZSphere uses intelligent task scheduling algorithms to allocate migration tasks based on node load and resource availability, ensuring efficient concurrent migration. During migration, ZStack ZSphere monitors task status in real-time. If node failures or resource bottlenecks occur, it automatically adjusts migration strategies, transferring tasks to other available nodes to ensure completion. It also supports priority settings for migration tasks, enabling critical GPU VMs to be migrated first to maintain business continuity.

ZStack’s Comprehensive VMware-to-ZStack Solutions

ZStack offers three primary VMware-to-ZStack migration paths—virtualization, private cloud, and hyper-converged infrastructure (HCI) solutions—to meet diverse needs.

Virtualization Solution (ZStack ZSphere):

ZStack ZSphere covers most of VMware’s VM lifecycle management features while offering unique functionalities to enhance operational efficiency. It boasts broad compatibility with infrastructure such as CPUs, GPUs, servers, networks, and storage, as well as system and application software. By unifying VM and bare-metal management, enabling batch VM creation, and providing a single UI, it significantly reduces management complexity. It supports both separated and integrated compute-storage deployments and delivers high performance with millions of IOPS through Vhost+RDMA technology.

Cloud Solution (ZStack Cloud):

ZStack Cloud is suitable for enterprise-critical workloads, databases, development/testing, backup/disaster recovery, AI, big data, private/hybrid clouds, cloud-native applications, and high-performance computing (HPC). Following the “4S principles”—Simple, Strong, Scalable, and Smart—ZStack Cloud ensures ease of use, robustness, scalability, and intelligent operations.

HCI Solution (ZStack HCI):

ZStack Cube HCI enables rapid virtualization upgrades with an out-of-the-box experience and agile, flexible scaling. Through software-defined compute, storage, and networking, the HCI solution delivers full IaaS cloud capabilities. Technologies such as erasure coding (EC), multi-replication, fault domains, stretched clusters, continuous data protection, and multi-layer hardware/software high availability ensure system stability and reliability.

Existing VMware Resource Management and Agentless Migration:

ZStack Cloud includes a built-in virtualization management module that integrates existing VMware resources, supporting gradual cloud transitions. It offers an agentless replication solution that copies VMs non-intrusively via VMware VADP interfaces using transfer servers, reducing operational risks.

Advantages of Choosing ZStack

Enterprises gain significant advantages by choosing ZStack for VMware-to-ZStack migration:

Cost Efficiency:

ZStack provides substantial cost savings in licensing and support fees compared to VMware.

Extensive Customer Cases:

ZStack has accumulated rich industry experience from over 600 VMware-to-ZStack migration cases, spanning government, finance, education, energy, manufacturing, and more, with 1,000+ co-management VMware cases. ZStack serves over 4,000 enterprise users across 30+ countries and regions, covering 100+ business scenarios.

“4S” Product Philosophy:

ZStack adheres to the principles of Simple, Strong, Scalable, and Smart, delivering an exceptional product experience.

Comprehensive Support and Services:

ZStack upholds a “customer-first” philosophy, providing secure and stable services. Through professional training, certifications, and a network of 300+ global partners, it ensures users master best practices and receive strong support.

ZStack: Let Every Company Have its Own Cloud

Founded in 2015, ZStack is a leading cloud computing technology provider focused on R&D and delivering services to enterprise users.

ZStack is committed to “empowering every enterprise with its own cloud.” In 2025, ZStack AIOS debuted, supporting large models like DeepSeek V3/R1/Janus Pro and compatible with CPUs/GPUs from Ascend, NVIDIA, Intel, and others. ZStack AIOS is a private AI infrastructure platform, fully supporting enterprise AI applications in three key areas: compute scheduling, AI model training/inference, and AI service development. ZStack consistently ranks first among independent cloud vendors in IDC’s China Cloud System Software Market Overview and Analysis reports, and its ZStack ZSphere virtualization platform was named a leader in the “2024 China Virtualization Market Research Report” by CCID Consulting.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q1: What are the key considerations for GPU resources in VMware-to-ZStack migration?

A1: For GPU resource migration from VMware to ZStack, consider CPU support for IOMMU technology, GPU virtualization methods (passthrough or vGPU), and post-migration driver management and performance optimization.

Q2: How does ZStack ZSphere support GPU migration from VMware environments?

A2: ZStack ZSphere supports NVIDIA vGPU and AMD SR-IOV, offering dynamic vGPU configuration, intelligent hardware compatibility detection, and streamlined driver management to ensure smooth GPU resource migration.

Q3: What are the core advantages of choosing ZStack Cloud Platform for VMware-to-ZStack migration?

A3: ZStack Cloud Platform offers significant cost efficiency, adheres to the “4S principles” (Simple, Strong, Scalable, Smart), unifies management of heterogeneous resources, and has over 600 successful VMware-to-ZStack migration cases.

Q4: Does ZStack provide tools or services to ensure seamless VMware-to-ZStack migration?

A4: Yes, ZStack offers professional migration services, including agentless migration solutions, and integrates existing VMware resources through its built-in virtualization management module, providing comprehensive migration guidance.

Q5: Can ZStack handle complex scenarios involving large-scale GPU virtualization and migration?

A5: ZStack ZSphere supports concurrent migration of multiple GPU VMs and performance optimization solutions, efficiently managing large-scale GPU virtualization scenarios and PB-level storage resource pools to ensure stable and high-performance GPU resource migration.