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Nick_F
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Network connectivity requirements

Hello,

Could someone clarify what network connectivity is required when doing conversions? For example if I have a physical server with the converter software on it and that physical server has network connectivity to both the ESX destination server and source server that's being converted does the source server also need network connectivity to the ESX server? The reason I ask is I have a colleague trying to convert a server and it's failing with an error along the lines of it can't find the destination storage (I'll try and find out the exact error), my ESX servers run on a non-routable service console VLAN so my worry is if the source server needs to talk directly to the ESX servers I'm screwed. I think he's also tried and failed to do the conversion using the Virtual Center plug-in (my VC server is a VM but also has connectivity to both the ESX and source server that needs to be converted). The destination storage is on a SAN that the ESX servers are connected to (I can create and run VMs fine on the ESX servers with the VMs residing on the SAN LUN), the source server isn't SAN attached.

Cheers,

Nick

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IamTHEvilONE
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yes, you will always need connectivity between the source system and the final ESX resting place.

VirtualCenter only assists to resolve the addressing information, and is much like a middle-man with all the info.

Converter needs to be able to copy data to the ESX host because the storage is attached there, as VCMS doesn't have the storage attached to itself.

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dmaster
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yes VMware converter needs network access to the physical source server and the destination service console network of your ESX host.

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Nick_F
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That's a fair enough requirement but it seems to go one step further and that the source server needs access to service console network?

I've just tried a conversion myself and for the destination I selected the VC server, the converter software found it fine and offered me the SAN storage where I want the VM to reside so I selected that. After that I just finished the rest of the conversion wizard steps and kicked it off but it failed at 2%

The relevant part of the converter log seems to be:

Performing volume-based cloning...

Opening the target computer...

Creating local connection to the co-located slave

NBD_Clientopen: attempting to create connection to vpxa-nfc://[VMLUN1] tempbasapp026/tempbasapp026.vmdk@192.168.101.1:902!52 01 83 85 10 72 5d f7-3c 19 1e ca 0e 71 26 11

Started up WSA

NfcNewAuthdConnectionEx: Failed to connect to peer. Error: Cannot connect to host 192.168.101.1: A connection attempt failed because the connected party did not properly respond after a period of time, or established connection failed because connected host has failed to respond

NBD_ClientOpen: Couldn't connect to 192.168.101.1:902 Cannot connect to host 192.168.101.1: A connection attempt failed because the connected party did not properly respond after a period of time, or established connection failed because connected host has failed to respond

DISKLIB-DSCPTR: : "vpxa-nfc://[VMLUN1] tempbasapp026/tempbasapp026.vmdk@192.168.101.1:902!52 01 83 85 10 72 5d f7-3c 19 1e ca 0e 71 26 11" : Failed to open NBD extent.

DISKLIB-LINK : "vpxa-nfc://[VMLUN1] tempbasapp026/tempbasapp026.vmdk@192.168.101.1:902!52 01 83 85 10 72 5d f7-3c 19 1e ca 0e 71 26 11" : failed to open (NBD_ERR_NETWORK_CONNECT).

DISKLIB-CHAIN : "vpxa-nfc://[VMLUN1] tempbasapp026/tempbasapp026.vmdk@192.168.101.1:902!52 01 83 85 10 72 5d f7-3c 19 1e ca 0e 71 26 11" : failed to open (NBD_ERR_NETWORK_CONNECT).

DISKLIB-LIB : Failed to open 'vpxa-nfc://[VMLUN1] tempbasapp026/tempbasapp026.vmdk@192.168.101.1:902!52 01 83 85 10 72 5d f7-3c 19 1e ca 0e 71 26 11' with flags 0xa (NBD_ERR_NETWORK_CONNECT).

Opening vpxa-nfc://[VMLUN1] tempbasapp026/tempbasapp026.vmdk@192.168.101.1:902!52 01 83 85 10 72 5d f7-3c 19 1e ca 0e 71 26 11 failed with error2338

Rethrowing MethodFault sysimage.fault.FileOpenError:

Cloning failed!

CloneTask::task: Image processing task has failed with MethodFault::Exception: sysimage.fault.FileOpenError

Now that indicated to me the source server (BASAPP026) is trying to directly connect to an ESX server (192.168.101.1) even though I never selected an ESX server I selected the VC server and a resource pool within that. The VM I was trying to create was TEMPBASAPP026, I was using a separate server altogether to actually run the converter software on (BASAPP005). Both BASAPP026 and BASAPP005 have network access to the VC server, BASAPP005 also has network access to the ESX servers (and the VC server also obviously has access to the ESX servers). But following VMware best practice my service console network is non-routable so the source server for the conversion (BASAPP026) does not have access to the ESX servers. I haven't tried it myself yet by I understand the same error occurs if I run the conversion from the plug-in on the VC server itself.

I can't believe converter doesn't work unless each source server has network access to the destination ESX server (even if a VC server is in place) so I'm assuming I'm doing something wrong. If that is a requirement than I'm screwed as unless I make my service console network routable I can't convert VMs?

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Nick_F
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Oh well, I just opened a call with VMware to get an answer and they confirmed the source server does need network connectivity to the service console of the ESX server. I guess I'm going to have to create a second SC network that is routable (or fundamentally change my ESX environment). Why advise making the SC network non-routable if a core tool such as the Converter can't function if you make it non-routable?

On the plus it only took VMware support 10 minutes to call me back after raising the call on-line (was my first attempt at using VMware support).

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IamTHEvilONE
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yes, you will always need connectivity between the source system and the final ESX resting place.

VirtualCenter only assists to resolve the addressing information, and is much like a middle-man with all the info.

Converter needs to be able to copy data to the ESX host because the storage is attached there, as VCMS doesn't have the storage attached to itself.

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Nick_F
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Yeah - just created a second service console interface (routable) on one of the ESX servers and the conversion works fine. Does anyone in the real world actually run their ESX servers on a non-routable SC network? I'm starting to wonder if I'm setting myself up for more issues down the line by having it non-routable given the marginal additional security it offers over and above correctly configured ESX firewalls etc.

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