getting "Unknow exception"-what are the firewall requirements for converting a windows box?

[eos11]

We are trying to convert a windows box from the production network (10.9.33.x) to vsphere running on a staging network.

The prodction machine can "see" the staging host management network (10.9.32.x), and also the staging host staging network (10.10.32.x)

We have successfully converted some production unix machines, and also a production windows server which was runing the converter sw (i.e. it converted itself ok).

Now we are trying to convert other windows boxes and always get the error:

An error occured in the conversion: "Unkown exception".

We saw this:

http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?language=en_US&cmd=displayKC&externalId=103429...

Which doesnt apply as we are using IPs and no servers names.

There are a number of firewalls between the two networks, and there is no DHCP on the destination network.  Does anyone have any information about what ports ext are required to be open between the host, the source, the target and the converter machine?  Currently, the source can see the target, but the target cannot see the source.  The target network can ping the source machine.

Dumping the log files, We dont see an obvious root cause:

2012-04-05T14:18:06.157+02:00 [17252 info 'Default'] [task,338] [task-9] -- BEGIN -- Convert
2012-04-05T14:18:06.181+02:00 [17252 error 'Default'] Found dangling SSL error: [0] error:00000001:lib(0):func(0):reason(1)
2012-04-05T14:18:06.198+02:00 [07756 info 'Default'] ConverterConnection: KeepAlive timer canceled, StopKeepAlive succeeded
2012-04-05T14:18:06.208+02:00 [07756 info 'vmomi.soapStub[53]'] Resetting stub adapter for server PIPE:\\.\pipe\vmware-converter-worker-soap : Closed
2012-04-05T14:18:06.432+02:00 [17252 info 'Default'] [taskSpec,467] [task-9] [TaskMap] task-9:task-17
2012-04-05T14:18:35.329+02:00 [17252 error 'Default'] [task,350] [LRO] Unexpected Exception: converter.fault.CloneFault
2012-04-05T14:18:35.329+02:00 [17252 info 'Default'] [task,379] [task-9] -- ERROR -- Convert: converter.fault.CloneFault
--> (converter.fault.CloneFault) {
-->    dynamicType = <unset>,
-->    faultCause = (vmodl.MethodFault) null,
-->    description = "Unknown exception",
-->    msg = "",
--> }
2012-04-05T14:18:35.329+02:00 [17252 info 'Default'] [diagnosticManager,267] Retrieved taskInfo for "converter.task.Task:task-9" mapping it to "converter.task.Task:task-9".
2012-04-05T14:18:35.329+02:00 [17252 info 'Default'] [diagnosticManager,307] The task with id = "task-9" was found to be a "recent" task.
2012-04-05T14:18:35.329+02:00 [17252 info 'Default'] [diagnosticManager,321] No existing log bundle found for task with id = "task-9". The task is still "recent" so a log bundle will now be generated for it.
2012-04-05T14:18:35.329+02:00 [17252 info 'Default'] [diagnosticManager,790] Retrieving task related diagnostics for server task with id = "task-9".
2012-04-05T14:18:35.333+02:00 [05732 info 'Default'] Run 1 of job "job-9" finished with an error. -- struct Converter::Server::Job::JobExecutor::SchedulerUpdateSpec __thiscall Converter::Server::Conversion::ConversionJobExecutorImpl::UpdateJob(class Converter::Server::Job::InternalJob &,bool,const class Converter::Server::Scheduler::SchedulerItemStatistics &,const class Converter::Task::TaskInfo &) ("d:/build/ob/bora-470252/bora/sysimage/lib/converter/server/conversion/conversionJobExecutorImpl.cpp:405")
2012-04-05T14:18:35.338+02:00 [05732 info 'Default'] Suspended 1 scheduler items for job (job-9) -- void __thiscall Converter::Server::Job::JobProcessorImpl::SuspendJobAux(const class Converter::Server::Job::InternalJob &,class Converter::VdbConnection &) ("d:/build/ob/bora-470252/bora/sysimage/lib/converter/server/job/jobProcessorImpl.cpp:828")
2012-04-05T14:18:35.340+02:00 [05732 info 'Default'] Final cleanup of block-level tracking bitmaps for job "job-9". -- void __thiscall Converter::Server::Conversion::ConversionManagerImpl::OnDeactivate(const class Converter::Server::Job::InternalJob &,class Converter::VdbConnection &) ("d:/build/ob/bora-470252/bora/sysimage/ufad/server/conversionManagerImpl.cpp:1010")
2012-04-05T14:18:35.359+02:00 [05732 error 'Default'] Found dangling SSL error: [0] error:00000001:lib(0):func(0):reason(1)
2012-04-05T14:18:35.392+02:00 [05732 info 'Default'] ConverterConnection: KeepAlive timer canceled, StopKeepAlive succeeded
2012-04-05T14:18:35.394+02:00 [05732 info 'vmomi.soapStub[59]'] Resetting stub adapter for server PIPE:\\.\pipe\vmware-converter-worker-soap : Closed
2012-04-05T14:18:35.520+02:00 [17252 info 'Default'] ConverterConnection: KeepAlive timer canceled, StopKeepAlive succeeded
2012-04-05T14:18:35.523+02:00 [17252 info 'vmomi.soapStub[58]'] Resetting stub adapter for server PIPE:\\.\pipe\vmware-converter-worker-soap : Closed
2012-04-05T14:18:35.523+02:00 [17252 warning 'vmomi.soapStub[58]'] Terminating invocation: server=PIPE:\\.\pipe\vmware-converter-worker-soap, moref=vmodl.query.PropertyCollector.Filter:session[526abfea-1985-ff43-7e0a-d8015b171fcf]52f617bc-782f-da16-ffef-57eb90ce081d, method=destroy

[eos11]

I tried enabling DHCP on the target VM network, but this didnt help

[ivivanov]

Port requirements are listed in Converter User's guide on page 26 (https://www.vmware.com/pdf/convsa_50_guide.pdf). Can you switch Converter GUI to Task view and export a log bundle of the failed conversion task?

[eos11]

There are 5 firewalls between the target vsphere target virtual subnet, and 3 firewalls between the source, converter and vsphere hosts management IP.

The documentation (https://www.vmware.com/pdf/convsa_50_guide.pdf ) is not clear:

1. What does it mean by ESXi machine, is it:
   1. The ip of the vsphere server
   2. The ip of vcenter
   3. the ip of the target destination machine (Which I have not worked out yet where this is defined).
2. there are no ports mentioned between source machine and converter machine, for example, but this is implied in the text.

This article: http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?language=en_US&cmd=displayKC&externalId=101005...

goes into more detail, and details a route which doesnt exist in the first document, namely from converter client (which I assume means the source machine) to the converter server.

The easy answer is to open every port possible from every machine to every machine. I have attempted to do this, but get the same error.

The problem is its impossible to diagnose - there doesnt seem to be anything listening on some of the ports, so I cant telnet to them from each box to see if the FW rules are letting it through, for example.  And I dont know how you would go about testing a UDP connection.

Is three a way to convert a source machine without all this?  I.e. to virutalise the source machine into a file, then somehow get the file off the source machine onto the vsphere box (e.g. by importing a vm file?)

I dont want to install vcenter converter on the source machine if possible, as its a critical running live machine.

How does the target VMs ip get set?  I cant find anywhere to specify it (and DHCP is not really an option).  Does the conversion process need to talk to the vms destination network, as well as the vsphere managemetn IP and/or the vcetner mangagement IP?

[eos11]

Log file attached.

[eos11]

Have opened up all TCP & UDP ports from pretty much everything to everything, and now at last the conversion is running (39%!).  Not secure, but I will remove the blanket rules as soon as its finished.

[POCEH]

If your conversion fails again upload log bundle but first verify that the agent log is included because it is most important here (and missing in previous log bundle).

[eos11]

It worked, thanks for the great support.

So Unknow Exception = firewall in this case.