Steps for VMCS Backup and Movement to other Server

• Take backup of Server A sql database
• Stop all VMware services on Server A
• Detach Virtual Center database on Server A
• Stop all VMware services on Server B
• Delete the Virtual Center database on Server B (database was empty and was created for the installation of Virtual Center on the new server.
• Copy the database files from Server A to Server B
• Attach the database on Server B
• On your Virtual Center user account grant them DBO access to the newly attached database
• Start the VMware services on Server B
• Launch the VI Client form Server B
• You will notice that after a few minutes the ESX hosts will show disconnected because they still think they are being managed by the old Virtual Center Server
• Right-click and remove the ESX hosts from the cluster
• Add the ESX hosts back to the cluster
• Adding the ESX hosts back to the cluster does not put the VM's into any Resource Pools (Hosts and Clusters View) or Folders (VM and Templates View). Move VM's back to the correct Resource Pools and Folders
• On each ESX host ensure that the licensing information looks correct
• Test vMotion
• Add templates back to inventory
• Move SysPrep files from old Virtual Center Server to new Virtual Center Server
• Test deploying VM from template. This did not work for me. I received the error message "The virtual center server is unable to decrypt passwords stored in the customization specification" I had to export the customizations (did this before I moved the server) edit the XML file in a text editor and search for the phrase "PlainText>false<" and change the false to true.