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monokelmann
Contributor
Contributor

Msg.: Unknown error returned by VMware Converter Agent

Hi,

what are these words trying to tell me? Im using the Converter3.0 build 39557.

I've tried a 2k3-Server, a NT4.0SP6-Server, a NT4.0SP6wks. They all went fine up to 97% - 99% and than they failed with:

Unknown error returned by VMware Converter Agent

Has anybody ever got a running VM-image?

The time between happines and disappointment has been quite short Smiley Sad

Regards,

Monkelmann

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64 Replies
CoffeeActionMan
Contributor
Contributor

To all:

I am just off the phone w/VMware support - they informed me that there will be a new version of Converter available for download on Thursday April 26, 2007.

http://www.vmware.com/download/converter/

I sincerely hope this will work better than the current release.

Best regards.

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L-Plate
Contributor
Contributor

Sorry, I should have said Smiley Happy

I have been trying, using the VMWare Import tool, to import the Microsoft Virtual PC images. This is something that the VMWare import tool is supposed to do. I was getting similar errors as the rest of you, even down to the logs.

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mchpis
Contributor
Contributor

Glad to hear that VM is releasing a new version hope all of the issues are resolved.

Strange that the Tech im working with has not mentioned the new version. He's been sending my email's with different things to try mulitple times a day. Maybe communication isnt vital within VMware?

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Desmo
Enthusiast
Enthusiast

Did you get a version number for the converter. I have the latest from teh website, VMware-p2v-3.0.0-39557, but cannot find a newer one?

regards

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Desmo
Enthusiast
Enthusiast

Just been sent the answer from VMWare - a new version of the ocnvertor is now available.....good timing.

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Jan_Huisman
Contributor
Contributor

Nice, just downloaded it.....trying the first conversion.

They added the command line tool again (was also in the Beta) So scheduled conversion are possible again....in the Enterprise version

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Desmo
Enthusiast
Enthusiast

Progress. P2V now creates files and looks as if it will be ok only to fial at 97%. Re-opened case with VMWare....

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LeiniesRed
Contributor
Contributor

I just finished virtualizing a windows 2000 computer that failed to convert with the 3.0 tool. I used the new 3.0.1 tool.

The job took longer than usual, but it did work (10 hours)

This was a hot clone with a drive size change and the omission of the boot tools partition.

Hope you guys have equal or better experiences with the 3.0.1 tool.

FINALLY a converter that I can use without changing the system date!

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wolfraider
Contributor
Contributor

Still the same problem here. I am converting images from Windows Virtual Server. The one fix I have found that works, is you need to expand the virtual machines to their full disk size (not compressed) before converting. It just takes that many more hours to do.

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surunqu
Contributor
Contributor

Just noticed there is a new version (3.0.1 build 44840). Has anyone had success with it?

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MR-T
Immortal
Immortal

I still get lots of the same errors.

Unknown error returned by VMware Converter Agent.

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CoffeeActionMan
Contributor
Contributor

Me too, the Converter shows more of the log but same result:

Hot Clone - Converter simply failed to complete, no error messages

Cold Clone - Unspecified Error Returned by Agent

Both attempts were the same source machine, an aging Windows 2000 desktop hosting a legacy application.

Craig

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jasonboche
Immortal
Immortal

I'm having about a 25% success rate with 3.0.1. on fairly simple Windows boxes. This is not good. There are plenty of bugs to work out with this product. Other things I saw today on multiple boxes were failure to detect/start the networking for broadcom Gb NICs. Well, it finds the network cards, it just won't acquire DHCP configuration with them. Setting a manual IP configuration works just fine. Converter is better than nothing, but not much it seems.

P2V Assistant is still working like a charm. I'm glad I still have that.

VCDX3 #34, VCDX4, VCDX5, VCAP4-DCA #14, VCAP4-DCD #35, VCAP5-DCD, VCPx4, vEXPERTx4, MCSEx3, MCSAx2, MCP, CCAx2, A+
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Arjo
Contributor
Contributor

hi @all,

I have the same problem

Message "ERROR:Unknown error returned by VMware Converter Agent".

I am using 3.0.1 build-44840

I will now try the older version.

Message was edited by:

Arjo

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carehart
Contributor
Contributor

Folks, I wanted to offer some thoughts on all this. I was one of the folks who also had problems using the first 3.0 version. I also tried the new release, still with no success.

Ultimately I dug around in the log files and learned that it was getting an "Error 23 reading nnn bytes starting from yyy from the source volume". I assume that means there's a bad block, and I've run CHKDSK which says there are. I also tried to run it to correct the errors (adding the /f option, which runs on the next restart, but a check again shows the bad blocks still there.) I've been tempted to spend the money on SpinRite to see if it could fix it. Anyway, I'll assume that this is what's keeping the converter from running for me.

But in the meantime I've just taken a complete backup of the system and restored it into a VM instead. That has its own hassles, but it's better than nothing.

I just offer all the above in case it may help someone else in this boat. I don't mean to derail the concern over the converter not working for some. And I can't remember if I had or had not seen those errors in the older 3.0 version of the converter.

I'm just suggesting that those for whom its failing be sure to look closely at those logs, doing a search for "error" to see what you may find.

And if you've run the converter some time ago and can't remember where the logs were, note the available option in the File menu to "export logs". That finds them and zips them into one nice package for you. Hope that's helpful.

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vcl
Contributor
Contributor

I went trough similar issue ...

\- trying to remotely import a physical machine (Windows 2000 SP4 server), it failed at 97%, while in the "Reconfigure VM" step.

\- I checked a couple of things (no dynamic disk, service started, ... ) and nothing seemed to be the source of the problem.

\- When trying to start the image anyway, windows 2000 started it's loading process and crashed in a blue screen with a "boot device error" message

Now I tried to run the "configure Machine" process on the SAME image (the one which was faulty), it gave me a message about updating SCSI disk drivers and completed within 2 or 3 minutes.

Then I restarted the image from VMWare console, a check disk was performed during starting process and now it seems to work right .... well I'm still doing some tests to confirm it but it's a good start.

At least it was worth the try

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CoffeeActionMan
Contributor
Contributor

Some other tricks I picked up along the way:

1. Do not attempt to convert any hardware/service partitions

2. Try converting the OS partition ONLY. I have had great success cloning servers this way, c:\ only. Then, I add new virtual disks, boot the VM to use DiskManager to create the left-behind partitions, and then copy any data files via the network to the new partitions.

3. For the conversion that makes it to ~ 90% or better (where the VM is in Inventory in the VIC), try to perform a conversion of the 90% VM, and customize the machine and thus invoke sysprep. I had that work once well for me, the second-generation (clone of a 90% clone) works fine.

Good luck.

Craig

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Kingofbytes
Contributor
Contributor

This resolution worked for me! I downloaded a Microsoft VHD from Microsoft's site and tried to import it. It failed. So I tried these steps and the conversion process started with the VMWare Converter 3.0.1 tool.

I will point out that the instructions are not a step-by-step procedure but was good enough to get the job done.

Thanks!

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mikesUK
Contributor
Contributor

We had these issues with migratring some NT4 machines. The issue in the end was name resolution from the client to the ESX server at the point of tranfering data from the volume. The client logs pointed to communication issues between the client and host, i would verify these settings.

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freddfarkl
Contributor
Contributor

Does anyone know where I can download the beta build 33128 at? I would like to try that as that appears to be having the most positive luck. Please either post back or e-mail (freddfarkl@gmail.com) me with the info, Thank you!

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