The PlanVMS format provides granular control over individual VM migration settings, allowing customization of target names, disk configuration, networking, and migration behavior on a per-VM basis. This chapter covers the complete VM customization capabilities.

Overview of PlanVMS Format

What is PlanVMS Format?

PlanVMS format is a structured YAML/JSON format that defines individual VM configurations within a migration plan. It enables:

  • Per-VM Customization: Different settings for each VM in the same plan
  • Resource Templates: Custom naming templates for generated resources
  • Migration Behavior: Individual migration settings and cleanup policies
  • Target Configuration: Specific target cluster settings per VM

When to Use PlanVMS Format

  • Complex Migrations: When VMs require different target configurations
  • Name Normalization: When source VM names need target-specific adjustments
  • Resource Management: When custom resource naming is required
  • Hook Integration: When different VMs need different automation hooks
  • Security Requirements: When VMs have different encryption or security needs

Detailed VM List Format

The PlanVMS format is based on the Forklift API VM specification, verified from the vendor code:

Basic VM Structure 

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# Basic VM entry
- name: source-vm-name            # Required: Source VM name
  targetName: target-vm-name      # Optional: Custom target name
  rootDisk: /dev/sda             # Optional: Boot disk selection

Complete VM Structure 

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- name: web-server-01
  targetName: web-prod-01
  rootDisk: /dev/sda
  instanceType: web-server
  targetPowerState: on
  deleteVmOnFailMigration: false
  nbdeClevis: false
  luks:
    name: encryption-keys
    namespace: security
  hooks:
  - step: PreHook
    hook:
      name: backup-hook
      namespace: migration-hooks
  - step: PostHook
    hook:
      name: validation-hook
      namespace: migration-hooks
  pvcNameTemplate: "{{.TargetVmName}}-{{.DiskIndex}}"
  volumeNameTemplate: "vol-{{.VolumeIndex}}"
  networkNameTemplate: "net-{{.NetworkIndex}}"

Editable Fields for Customization

All fields are verified from the Forklift API VM struct definition:

Core VM Configuration

Name and Identity 

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# Required source VM identifier
- name: source-vm-name

# Optional custom target name
  targetName: custom-target-name

Name Field Requirements:

  • name: Must match exactly the VM name in the source provider
  • targetName: Must be valid Kubernetes resource name (DNS-1123 compliant)

Target Power State 

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# Control VM power state after migration
  targetPowerState: on    # Options: on, off, auto (default)

Power State Options:

  • on: Start VM after migration completes
  • off: Keep VM powered off after migration
  • auto: Match source VM power state (default behavior)

Instance Type Override 

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# Override VM resource specifications
  instanceType: high-performance

Selects a predefined InstanceType resource that overrides CPU, memory, and other VM properties.

Disk and Storage Configuration

Root Disk Selection 

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# Specify the primary boot disk
  rootDisk: /dev/sda

Critical for multi-disk VMs to ensure proper boot configuration.

LUKS Disk Encryption 

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# Reference to LUKS encryption keys
  luks:
    name: vm-encryption-keys
    namespace: security-namespace

# Enable automatic TANG/Clevis unlocking
  nbdeClevis: true

LUKS Configuration:

  • luks: References a Kubernetes Secret containing LUKS passphrases
  • nbdeClevis: Enables network-based automatic unlocking using TANG servers

Migration Behavior Configuration

Failure Cleanup Policy 

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# Control VM deletion on migration failure
  deleteVmOnFailMigration: true

Cleanup Behavior:

  • true: Delete target VM and resources if migration fails
  • false: Preserve target VM for troubleshooting (default)

Note: Plan-level setting overrides VM-level setting when enabled.

Hook Integration 

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# Attach migration hooks to specific VMs
  hooks:
  - step: PreHook
    hook:
      name: database-quiesce
      namespace: migration-hooks
  - step: PostHook
    hook:
      name: health-check
      namespace: migration-hooks

Hook Configuration:

  • step: Hook execution phase (PreHook, PostHook)
  • hook.name: Name of the Hook resource
  • hook.namespace: Namespace containing the Hook resource

Go Template Variables Reference

kubectl-mtv provides rich template variables for resource naming, verified from the API documentation:

PVC Name Template Variables

Available in pvcNameTemplate field:

Variable Description Example Value
{{.VmName}} Original source VM name web-server-01
{{.TargetVmName}} Final target VM name web-prod-01
{{.PlanName}} Migration plan name production-migration
{{.DiskIndex}} Disk index (0-based) 0, 1, 2
{{.WinDriveLetter}} Windows drive letter c, d, e
{{.RootDiskIndex}} Index of root/boot disk 0
{{.Shared}} True if disk is shared true, false
{{.FileName}} VMware disk filename web-server-01.vmdk

PVC Template Examples 

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# Basic PVC naming
  pvcNameTemplate: "{{.TargetVmName}}-disk-{{.DiskIndex}}"
  # Result: web-prod-01-disk-0, web-prod-01-disk-1

# Root vs data disk differentiation  
  pvcNameTemplate: "{{if eq .DiskIndex .RootDiskIndex}}{{.TargetVmName}}-root{{else}}{{.TargetVmName}}-data-{{.DiskIndex}}{{end}}"
  # Result: web-prod-01-root, web-prod-01-data-1

# Shared disk identification
  pvcNameTemplate: "{{if .Shared}}shared-{{end}}{{.TargetVmName}}-{{.DiskIndex}}"
  # Result: web-prod-01-0, shared-web-prod-01-1

# Windows drive letter naming
  pvcNameTemplate: "{{.TargetVmName}}-{{.WinDriveLetter}}-drive"
  # Result: windows-server-c-drive, windows-server-d-drive

# Plan-scoped naming
  pvcNameTemplate: "{{.PlanName}}-{{.TargetVmName}}-disk{{.DiskIndex}}"
  # Result: prod-migration-web-prod-01-disk0

Volume Name Template Variables

Available in volumeNameTemplate field:

Variable Description Example Value
{{.PVCName}} Generated PVC name web-prod-01-disk-0
{{.VolumeIndex}} Volume interface index 0, 1, 2

Volume Template Examples 

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# Simple volume naming
  volumeNameTemplate: "disk-{{.VolumeIndex}}"
  # Result: disk-0, disk-1, disk-2

# PVC-based naming
  volumeNameTemplate: "vol-{{.PVCName}}"
  # Result: vol-web-prod-01-disk-0

# Combined indexing
  volumeNameTemplate: "{{.VolumeIndex}}-{{.PVCName}}"
  # Result: 0-web-prod-01-disk-0

Network Name Template Variables

Available in networkNameTemplate field:

Variable Description Example Value
{{.NetworkName}} Multus network name production-net
{{.NetworkNamespace}} Network namespace multus-system
{{.NetworkType}} Network type Multus, Pod
{{.NetworkIndex}} Interface index 0, 1, 2

Network Template Examples 

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# Simple interface naming
  networkNameTemplate: "net-{{.NetworkIndex}}"
  # Result: net-0, net-1, net-2

# Type-based naming
  networkNameTemplate: "{{if eq .NetworkType \"Pod\"}}pod-net{{else}}multus-{{.NetworkIndex}}{{end}}"
  # Result: pod-net, multus-1, multus-2

# Network-specific naming
  networkNameTemplate: "{{.NetworkType}}-{{.NetworkName}}-{{.NetworkIndex}}"
  # Result: Multus-production-net-0

How-To: Editing the List

Method 1: Create PlanVMS File from Scratch

Basic VM List Creation 

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# Save as vm-customizations.yaml
- name: web-server-01
  targetName: web-prod-01
  targetPowerState: on
  pvcNameTemplate: "{{.TargetVmName}}-{{.DiskIndex}}"

- name: database-01
  targetName: db-prod-01
  rootDisk: /dev/sda
  targetPowerState: on
  instanceType: database-server
  deleteVmOnFailMigration: false

- name: app-server-01
  targetName: app-prod-01
  hooks:
  - step: PreHook
    hook:
      name: app-shutdown
      namespace: migration-hooks
  - step: PostHook
    hook:
      name: app-startup
      namespace: migration-hooks

Use Custom VM List in Plan 

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kubectl mtv create plan --name custom-vm-migration \
  --source vsphere-prod \
  --vms @vm-customizations.yaml \
  --network-mapping prod-network-map \
  --storage-mapping prod-storage-map

Method 2: Export and Modify Existing Inventory

Export VMs in PlanVMS Format 

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# Export all VMs from provider
kubectl mtv get inventory vms --provider vsphere-prod --output planvms > all-vms.yaml

# Export filtered VMs
kubectl mtv get inventory vms --provider vsphere-prod \
  --query "where powerState = 'poweredOn' and memoryMB >= 4096" \
  --output planvms > production-vms.yaml

Modify Exported VMs 

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# Original exported format
- name: web-server-01
  targetName: ""
  rootDisk: ""

# Modified with customizations
- name: web-server-01
  targetName: web-prod-01
  rootDisk: /dev/sda
  targetPowerState: on
  pvcNameTemplate: "prod-{{.TargetVmName}}-disk-{{.DiskIndex}}"
  hooks:
  - step: PostHook
    hook:
      name: web-validation
      namespace: migration-hooks

Method 3: Template-Based Mass Customization

Create Template for Similar VMs 

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# Template for web servers
- name: web-server-01
  targetName: web-prod-01
  targetPowerState: on
  pvcNameTemplate: "web-{{.TargetVmName}}-{{.DiskIndex}}"
  volumeNameTemplate: "vol-{{.VolumeIndex}}"
  hooks:
  - step: PostHook
    hook:
      name: web-health-check
      namespace: migration-hooks

- name: web-server-02
  targetName: web-prod-02
  targetPowerState: on
  pvcNameTemplate: "web-{{.TargetVmName}}-{{.DiskIndex}}"
  volumeNameTemplate: "vol-{{.VolumeIndex}}"
  hooks:
  - step: PostHook
    hook:
      name: web-health-check
      namespace: migration-hooks

Advanced Customization Scenarios

Scenario 1: Database Cluster Migration 

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# Database cluster with shared storage
- name: db-primary-01
  targetName: postgres-primary
  rootDisk: /dev/sda
  instanceType: database-primary
  targetPowerState: on
  pvcNameTemplate: "{{.TargetVmName}}-{{if .Shared}}shared-{{end}}{{.DiskIndex}}"
  luks:
    name: db-encryption-keys
    namespace: database-security
  hooks:
  - step: PreHook
    hook:
      name: database-backup
      namespace: db-hooks
  - step: PostHook
    hook:
      name: database-validate
      namespace: db-hooks

- name: db-replica-01
  targetName: postgres-replica-01
  rootDisk: /dev/sda
  instanceType: database-replica
  targetPowerState: on
  pvcNameTemplate: "{{.TargetVmName}}-{{if .Shared}}shared-{{end}}{{.DiskIndex}}"
  luks:
    name: db-encryption-keys
    namespace: database-security

- name: db-replica-02
  targetName: postgres-replica-02
  rootDisk: /dev/sda
  instanceType: database-replica
  targetPowerState: on
  pvcNameTemplate: "{{.TargetVmName}}-{{if .Shared}}shared-{{end}}{{.DiskIndex}}"
  luks:
    name: db-encryption-keys
    namespace: database-security

Scenario 2: Windows Domain Migration 

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# Windows domain controller
- name: dc01
  targetName: domain-controller-01
  rootDisk: /dev/sda
  targetPowerState: on
  instanceType: windows-server
  pvcNameTemplate: "{{.TargetVmName}}-{{.WinDriveLetter}}"
  volumeNameTemplate: "{{.WinDriveLetter}}-drive"
  hooks:
  - step: PreHook
    hook:
      name: ad-replication-pause
      namespace: windows-hooks
  - step: PostHook
    hook:
      name: ad-health-check
      namespace: windows-hooks

# Windows file server
- name: fileserver01
  targetName: file-server-01
  rootDisk: /dev/sda
  targetPowerState: on
  instanceType: file-server
  pvcNameTemplate: "{{.TargetVmName}}-{{.WinDriveLetter}}-{{if .Shared}}shared{{else}}local{{end}}"
  deleteVmOnFailMigration: false

Scenario 3: Multi-Tier Application 

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# Web tier
- name: web-lb-01
  targetName: web-loadbalancer
  targetPowerState: on
  instanceType: load-balancer
  pvcNameTemplate: "web-{{.TargetVmName}}-{{.DiskIndex}}"
  hooks:
  - step: PreHook
    hook:
      name: drain-connections
      namespace: web-hooks

# Application tier
- name: app-server-01
  targetName: app-primary
  targetPowerState: on
  instanceType: application-server
  pvcNameTemplate: "app-{{.TargetVmName}}-{{.DiskIndex}}"
  hooks:
  - step: PreHook
    hook:
      name: app-graceful-shutdown
      namespace: app-hooks
  - step: PostHook
    hook:
      name: app-health-check
      namespace: app-hooks

# Data tier
- name: cache-redis-01
  targetName: redis-cache
  targetPowerState: on
  instanceType: cache-server
  pvcNameTemplate: "cache-{{.TargetVmName}}-{{.DiskIndex}}"
  luks:
    name: cache-encryption
    namespace: security

Scenario 4: Development Environment Normalization 

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# Normalize development VM names
- name: "Dev Web Server 01"  # Source name with spaces
  targetName: dev-web-01      # Kubernetes-compliant name
  targetPowerState: on
  pvcNameTemplate: "dev-{{.TargetVmName | lower}}-disk{{.DiskIndex}}"

- name: "Test Database (MySQL)"
  targetName: test-mysql-db
  rootDisk: /dev/sda
  targetPowerState: on
  pvcNameTemplate: "test-{{.TargetVmName}}-{{if eq .DiskIndex .RootDiskIndex}}os{{else}}data{{end}}"

- name: "QA_Environment_App"
  targetName: qa-app-server
  targetPowerState: off  # Keep powered off initially
  deleteVmOnFailMigration: true  # Clean up failures in test env

Template Functions and Advanced Usage

Built-in Template Functions

kubectl-mtv supports Go template functions for advanced string manipulation:

String Functions 

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# Lowercase conversion
  pvcNameTemplate: "{{.TargetVmName | lower}}-{{.DiskIndex}}"

# Replace characters
  pvcNameTemplate: "{{.VmName | replace \" \" \"-\" | lower}}-disk{{.DiskIndex}}"

# Conditional logic
  pvcNameTemplate: "{{if .Shared}}shared-{{else}}local-{{end}}{{.TargetVmName}}"

Complex Conditional Templates 

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# Multi-condition PVC naming
  pvcNameTemplate: "{{if eq .DiskIndex .RootDiskIndex}}root{{else if .Shared}}shared-data{{else}}data{{end}}-{{.DiskIndex}}"

# Windows vs Linux differentiation
  volumeNameTemplate: "{{if .WinDriveLetter}}{{.WinDriveLetter}}-drive{{else}}disk-{{.VolumeIndex}}{{end}}"

# Network type-based naming
  networkNameTemplate: "{{if eq .NetworkType \"Pod\"}}pod{{else}}{{.NetworkName | lower}}{{end}}-{{.NetworkIndex}}"

Validation and Testing

PlanVMS Format Validation

Syntax Validation 

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# Validate YAML syntax
yamllint vm-customizations.yaml

# Test with kubectl dry-run
kubectl mtv create plan --name test-validation \
  --source vsphere-prod \
  --vms @vm-customizations.yaml \
  --dry-run=client

Template Testing 

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# Test template rendering (requires actual plan creation)
kubectl mtv create plan --name template-test \
  --source vsphere-prod \
  --vms @template-test.yaml \
  --namespace test-namespace

# Check generated resource names
kubectl get pvc -n test-namespace
kubectl describe vm template-test-vm -n test-namespace

Field Validation

Required Field Check 

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# Minimal valid VM entry
- name: source-vm-name  # Required

# Invalid: missing name
- targetName: target-only  # Error: name is required

Target Name Validation 

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# Valid target names (DNS-1123 compliant)
- name: source-vm
  targetName: valid-vm-name-01

# Invalid target names
- name: source-vm
  targetName: "Invalid Name With Spaces"  # Error: invalid format

Integration with Plan Creation

Using PlanVMS in Migration Plans 

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# Create plan with custom VM configurations
kubectl mtv create plan --name customized-migration \
  --source vsphere-prod \
  --target openshift-prod \
  --network-mapping prod-network-map \
  --storage-mapping prod-storage-map \
  --migration-type warm \
  --vms @customized-vms.yaml

# Combine with plan-level settings
kubectl mtv create plan --name comprehensive-migration \
  --source vsphere-prod \
  --target-namespace production \
  --migration-type warm \
  --preserve-static-ips \
  --vms @enterprise-vms.yaml

Template Override Behavior

Plan-level templates are overridden by VM-level templates:

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# Plan-level template
kubectl mtv create plan --name plan-template \
  --pvc-name-template "{{.PlanName}}-{{.VmName}}-{{.DiskIndex}}" \
  --vms @vms-with-templates.yaml

# VM-level template overrides plan-level
# VMs with pvcNameTemplate: use VM template
# VMs without pvcNameTemplate: use plan template

Troubleshooting PlanVMS Issues

Common PlanVMS Errors

YAML Format Issues 

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# Check YAML syntax
python -c "import yaml; yaml.safe_load(open('vm-list.yaml'))"

# Validate with yq
yq eval . vm-list.yaml

Template Rendering Errors 

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# Check template variables
kubectl logs -n konveyor-forklift deployment/forklift-controller | grep template

# Validate generated names
kubectl get pvc,vm -n target-namespace --show-labels

Name Conflicts 

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# Check for duplicate target names
grep -n "targetName:" vm-list.yaml | sort -k2

# Verify uniqueness in target namespace
kubectl get vm -n target-namespace -o name

Debug PlanVMS Processing 

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# Monitor plan creation with verbosity
kubectl mtv create plan --name debug-planvms \
  --vms @debug-vms.yaml \
  -v=2

# Check plan status
kubectl describe plan debug-planvms

# Monitor VM processing
kubectl get vmstatus -n migration-namespace --watch

Best Practices for PlanVMS Usage

Design Principles

  1. Consistency: Use consistent naming patterns across similar VMs
  2. Clarity: Make target names self-documenting
  3. Scalability: Design templates that work for large VM sets
  4. Security: Properly configure LUKS and encryption settings

Operational Guidelines

  1. Version Control: Store PlanVMS files in version control systems
  2. Documentation: Document custom template logic and naming conventions
  3. Testing: Validate PlanVMS configurations in test environments first
  4. Monitoring: Track resource usage of generated PVCs and volumes

Template Design Best Practices

  1. Readable Names: Generate human-readable resource names
  2. Unique Identifiers: Ensure generated names are unique
  3. Length Limits: Keep names under Kubernetes limits (63 characters)
  4. Special Characters: Avoid special characters in generated names

Next Steps

After mastering PlanVMS customization:

  1. Advanced Placement: Learn VM placement strategies in Chapter 15: Target VM Placement
  2. Performance Optimization: Apply customization insights in Chapter 16: Migration Process Optimization
  3. Hook Development: Create custom hooks in Chapter 17: Migration Hooks
  4. Plan Patching: Modify plans dynamically in Chapter 18: Advanced Plan Patching

Previous: Chapter 13: Migration Plan Creation
Next: Chapter 15: Target VM Placement