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Are the virtual machines created in Windows 2012 Datacenter compatible with Windows 2012 Datacenter R2? I have an existing Windows 2012 Datacenter and I recently got another server loaded with Windows 2012 Datacenter R2. Can I backup or copy the vm's from 2012 and restore it to 2012 R2 provided that the virtual switches are identical on both servers? Highly appreciate everyone's input.

GeePee
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  • Think about changing your title to something more specific. The title should reflect your actual question. And add a Hyper-V tag – Peter Hahndorf Jun 15 '15 at 07:25
  • Thanks for the correction Peter. I should have indicated and included Hyper-V on the tag. – GeePee Jun 15 '15 at 09:14

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Yes, it's no problem to import a VM on Server 2012 R2 which was created in Server 2012. You should also be able to do the reverse, hosting a 2012 R2 created VM on Server 2012.

Even VMs created on Server 2008 R2 can be imported into 2012 R2

Peter Hahndorf
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  • Thanks Peter. It seems with Windows 2012, the vm's must be powered off in order for the export to work properly. I was hoping exporting the vms while running but that is the feature of 2012 R2. I wonder if the Windows 2012 vms were backed up using Veeam, would it cause an issue if the vm was restored in Windows 2012 R2? – GeePee Jun 15 '15 at 09:25
  • @GeePee - I don't think so, but there is no harm is just trying it. You are working with a copy of the VM anyways. You may have to think about IP conflicts if both hosts are on the same network. I often use internal switches for such testing. – Peter Hahndorf Jun 15 '15 at 09:30
  • Thanks. I'll make sure the original vm is powered off before i power on the copied vm. – GeePee Jun 16 '15 at 14:43