VMware Communities: Message List - VMware Server image to ESX convert failed

Re: VMware Server image to ESX convert failed

stromcooper — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 13:52:25 GMT

Not sure when you're receiving this error message, but I had the same thing when using WinSCP with file transfer resumption enabled. WinSCP appends a ".part" suffix to the file while it is transferring in order to have a resumption point. Once the transfer is complete, it tries to rename the file, which is where I received the same error.

There are two solutions to this:

1) Start WinSCP, in the left window select Preferences, press the Preferences... button. In the left window, under Transfer, select Endurance. In the "Enable transfer resume/transfer to temporary filename for" area, select the Disable radio button.

2) If you have already transferred the file and do not want to push it again, tell WinSCP to skip the renaming of the file when you receive this error. Then SSH into the box or browse the datastore with VIC and rename the file with "mv /vmfs/volumes/san001/temp/virtdisk.vmdk.part /vmfs/volumes/san001/temp/virtdisk.vmdk". I tested the .part file against my source with md5 checksum and they are the same file.

Hope this helps someone...

Re: VMware Server image to ESX convert failed

A13x — Wed, 07 May 2008 11:32:34 GMT

This works fine on ESX3.x but i am getting the following on ESX3.5

Permission denied.
Error code: 3
Error message from server: Permission denied
Request code: 14

The account i used to log into the server has admin access and is not root

Re: VMware Server image to ESX convert failed

GuruLeeNyc — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 16:41:40 GMT

esiebert7625, thanks for the great method!

Re: VMware Server image to ESX convert failed

js.opdebeeck — Sat, 15 Sep 2007 22:10:24 GMT

Thanks for this post ...

Really usefull .

Is there an 'Official' document for Server to ESX migration ???

Re: VMware Server image to ESX convert failed

ThomasV — Tue, 15 May 2007 10:18:47 GMT

vmware-vdiskmanager is a comand line utitlity which can be found on your windows device (the one where vmware server or gsx or workstation is installed)

ESX does not have this utility

Re: VMware Server image to ESX convert failed

crazychris — Mon, 14 May 2007 20:29:33 GMT

Is the vmware-vdisk tool installed with esx server or is this something I have to do on the source (Vmware server/ workstation)?

Re: VMware Server image to ESX convert failed

ThomasV — Wed, 09 May 2007 21:45:25 GMT

this is just a 2nd disk?

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 2-0-flat.vmdk
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 2-0.vmdk

this is another disk split into multiple files?

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 2-f001.vmdk
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 2-f002.vmdk
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 2-f003.vmdk
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 2-f004.vmdk
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 2-f005.vmdk
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 2.vmdk

eitherway:
start - run - cmd and change directory to vmware workstation installation dir and then:

(reminder, perhaps take a copy of your vmdks before you start executing, just to be sure )
vmware-vdiskmanager.exe -r RHEL 4.2.vmdk -t 2 newSolidRHEL.vmdk

then you can winscp the newSolidRHEL.vmdk to your ESX and follow the vmkfs-tools story

Re: VMware Server image to ESX convert failed

crazychris — Wed, 09 May 2007 21:15:21 GMT

What is you have multiple VMDK files. Say in 2 gig files? Like this -->
=============================
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 2-0-flat.vmdk
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 2-0.vmdk
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 2-f001.vmdk
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 2-f002.vmdk
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 2-f003.vmdk
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 2-f004.vmdk
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 2-f005.vmdk
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 2.vmdk
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 2.vmsd
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 2.vmx
===========================

Re: VMware Server image to ESX convert failed

jimdwa — Wed, 02 May 2007 15:44:29 GMT

Thanks. I had the same problem. This solution worked beautifully. I'm trying it on a RHEL4 vmdk now. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Re: VMware Server image to ESX convert failed

Kevin_Day — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 13:25:05 GMT

This works a treat ! Thanks

Re: VMware Server image to ESX convert failed

projectnmt — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 15:41:18 GMT

I was having problems with VMWare Converter - "Unable to determine guest operating system" on a Win 2003 Server running on VMWare Workstation.

This approach worked a treat - importing to ESX 3.0.1

Thanks.

Re: VMware Server image to ESX convert failed

esiebert7625 — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 20:19:54 GMT

No problem, if you want to throw a few points my way by clicking the Helpful and/or Correct buttons that would be appreciated....thanks

Re: VMware Server image to ESX convert failed

rweinmann — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 20:13:47 GMT

In a word; sweet!

That worked beautifully. I will use the command line tools to bring in the rest of my vms from VMware Server.

That just leaves getting the converter to work for importing the physical servers that we own.

Thanks much!

Re: VMware Server image to ESX convert failed

esiebert7625 — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 19:30:58 GMT

It's pretty straightforward.

1) Use WinSCP or FastSCP to copy the file to a directory on the server
2) Login to ESX server
3) cd /vmfs/volumes/MyVolume/MyServer
4) vmkfstools -i Win2ksource.vmdk Win2Knew.vmdk
5) Once conversion is complete you can delete the original Win2ksource.vmdk
6) Create a new VM, tell it to use existing and browse to /vmfs/volumes/MyVolume/MyServer/Win2Knew.vmdk

Re: VMware Server image to ESX convert failed

rweinmann — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 19:24:27 GMT

Yeah, I was thinking of trying that as plan b.

I am reading up on vmkfstools.

Thx

Re: VMware Server image to ESX convert failed

esiebert7625 — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 18:56:38 GMT

You can always just use WinSCP to copy the vmdk file to ESX and then use vmkfstools -i to convert it to vmfs3 format. Then create a new VM and tell it to use an existing disk and select the converted vmdk file.

Re: VMware Server image to ESX convert failed

pangchen — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 18:46:47 GMT

Yes. You refer to the .vmx using a UNC path.

Re: VMware Server image to ESX convert failed

rweinmann — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 18:43:50 GMT

Thanks, I will try that.

I am assuming that you mean that I should share out the folder containing the VM files, and use the Standalone machine option?

Re: VMware Server image to ESX convert failed

pangchen — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 18:34:48 GMT

It could be that your Converter installation is incomplete. Try installing it completely on another Windows 2000 or 2003 machine on the same network and then point to the VM in question.

Re: VMware Server image to ESX convert failed

rweinmann — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 18:26:21 GMT

Hi Esiebert,

The process took about 3-4 minutes to fail. It sat at 5% and then jumped to 97%, and then failed. The VM uses 2 standard disks, not dynamic.

The destination is a standalone ESX server. The ESX server shows the new VM being imported, but then deletes it after the failure. The VM is about 10 GB in size. My datastore has over 190GB free.

Thx,

Bob

Re: VMware Server image to ESX convert failed

rweinmann — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 18:18:14 GMT

Hi Pangchen,

I tried that as well. I installed converter on the VMware Server that hosts this VM, and selected the standalone virtual machine import option.

I pointed at the vm's .vmx file, and got the error "Unable to connect to VMware Converter Agent on the local machine". The agent is installed on the VM.

The VM consists of 2 disks, C:, and D:. It is a W2K server SP4.

Thx,

Bob

Re: VMware Server image to ESX convert failed

esiebert7625 — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 17:46:38 GMT

To start with look at the log file to find the reason that it failed, it is located in %windir%\temp\vmware-temp. Did it reach 97% quickly or did it take a while? Are you using dynamic disks or multiple disks? Is you destination a ESX server directly or VirtualCenter?

Re: VMware Server image to ESX convert failed

pangchen — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 17:45:01 GMT

Try installing Converter on a Windows 2003 machine and point to the VM in question's .vmx file while the VM is powered off. Select "standalone virtual machine" to find the .vmx.

VMware Server image to ESX convert failed

rweinmann — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 17:08:34 GMT

I am trying to convert/import a Win2k Server vm running on VMware Server to my ESX 3.01 Server. I am using the starter version of Converter.

I installed the Converter and agent locally on the vm to be imported. I started the import process, but it failed at 97% with an unknown error returned by VMware converter agent.

What am I doing wrong? Is this the best way to migrate a VMware Server vm to ESX?

Thx,

Bob