"unable to validate the destination. Error: vmodl.fault.SystemError" when converting windows xp 32bit physical system

[vperris]

we are trying to convert a windows xp 32bit physical system from an ibm t30 into a vm on

an esxi 3.5 system, and after filling out the 'specify destination host/resource' with the name

of my vctr, the converter finds and displays it correctly. however, when I specify either an

esx server, or a resource pool, get message:

"unable to validate the destination. Error: vmodl.fault.SystemError

I know the password is right, and I used the administrator account when I tried this specifying

a vctr, and the root acct when I tried it using a stand-alone esx3.5 or esx3i host, but get the

same result.

Anyone seen this before and know how to get around it?

thanks...Vicki

[AndreTheGiant]

Which converter version are you using?

Andre

**if you found this or any other answer useful please consider allocating points for helpful or correct answers

[hilmarusd]

I am having the same problem on 2 different servers. Conversion stops at 95% with a generic error of "Error: Reconfiguration Failed." I'm hoping that by posting some of my observations that others might be able to give more specific ideas.

Anyway, the 2 servers I'm having problems with used to be Windows Server 2000 Standard, but have been in-place upgraded to Windows Server 2003 so the %windir% folder is still "winnt." I notice that when I try to logon to those partitions in a recover console (within the newly created vm), it appears to have renamed that folder to C:\Windows. Not sure if that's significant. I hope someone has an idea out there!

[GDillon]

I am gett8ing this exact same error trying to convert a windows server 2003 VM from Workstation 6.5 to ESX 3.5 update 2. The Converter is vCenter Converter Standalone 4.0.0 build 146302

-GDillon

[hilmarusd]

I ended up rebuilding the servers from scratch and then using ntbackup and arcserve to restore files, but I still had to reconfigure all the shared folders and software. Not exactly the solution I liked, but I would still be dead in the water if I kept waiting for someone to find another way.

[GDillon]

I finally got past this by rebooting the vcenter server. Apparently it was in a whacked state (not unusual for vcenter) and couldn't connect to itself.

-GDillon

[Jayenh]

I dont suppose anyone else has any suggestions on this issue? I'm running vcenter converter stand alone (4.0.1) on a machine and trying to migrate a physical windows 2003 server on to our ESX3.5 server. When i get to the "specify destination" part and select where on our ESX server i want to put it i get this "unable to validate the destination. Error: vmodl.fault.SystemError" message.

I've rebooted the source machine as well as the machine running converter.

[Jayenh]

Iust thought i'd post again to say that the reason i'm getting this error is because i'm trying to convert a machine that has ISA on it and it seems ISA is blocking it. I'm not sure why because i have set rules to allow all traffic to and from the ESX server.

This isn't a permanent move for me, more a way of keeping the server online while we do some maintenance, so i'm getting around it by using the converter to make a VMware server 2.x image so the conversion doesnt need to talk to anything other than itself, then moving the created image to a machine running VMware server and running it temporarily that way.

[mythink_cp]

I was able to get around this error but let me give some background first.

I have several old VM from ESX 3.5 VM Container 4 runing in ESXi 4.0 build 208167 I also have 2 ESXi 5.5 Build 2068190 & Build 1331820 vcenter 5.5.

I am migrating with VM's with VMware vCenter Converter Standalone client Version 6.0.0 build 2716716

2 weeks ago I migrated a VM with no issue but believe it was from 5.5 host. Also my AD password was just changed recently.

My Solution:

vmotion the host off 4.0 to 5.5. host

then connect to both vcenter using the converter standalone client using as administrator@administrator.vsphere.local

this does two thing:

a) remove the esxi 4.x issues

b) removes any authentication issue since "administrator@administrator.vsphere.local" is basically all access.

[Hariprabaharan]

Check your standalone converter version which equivalent to ur esxi version...