VMware Cloud Community
Rhidian
Contributor
Contributor

Error Starting Moved VM

I'm attempting to move a VM from an ESX 4 host configuration is completely unknown to me to my ESXi free installation on powering up the VM I get the following error.

Cannot open the disk '../path/to/VM/Win2k3.vmdk 'or one of the snapshot disks it depends on. Reason: The file specified is not a virtual disk.

Reply
0 Kudos
18 Replies
AntonVZhbankov
Immortal
Immortal

How exactly have you moved this VM?


---

MCSA, MCTS Hyper-V, VCP 3/4, VMware vExpert

http://blog.vadmin.ru

EMCCAe, HPE ASE, MCITP: SA+VA, VCP 3/4/5, VMware vExpert XO (14 stars)
VMUG Russia Leader
http://t.me/beerpanda
Reply
0 Kudos
Rhidian
Contributor
Contributor

Not 100% sure but I believe the files were drawn down from the data store using the data store browser.

Reply
0 Kudos
AntonVZhbankov
Immortal
Immortal

Login to ESX via ssh, go to

/vmfs/volumes/4a1d39c0-1281d1cf-2fe1-002219bc634f/XXX/

and enter

ls -la


---

MCSA, MCTS Hyper-V, VCP 3/4, VMware vExpert

http://blog.vadmin.ru

EMCCAe, HPE ASE, MCITP: SA+VA, VCP 3/4/5, VMware vExpert XO (14 stars)
VMUG Russia Leader
http://t.me/beerpanda
Reply
0 Kudos
Rhidian
Contributor
Contributor

Just realised posting to the wrong forumn as this is ESXi free but viewing the contents of the VM's folder on datastore I have the following files *.nvram, *.vmsd, *.vmx, *.vmxf, *-aux.xml, *-ctk.vmdk, *-flat.vmdk. Then I have a collection of log files. The disk descriptor file is as follows:

  1. Disk DescriptorFile

version=3

encoding="UTF-8"

CID=f926f327

parentCID=ffffffff

createType="vmfs"

  1. Extent description

RW 52486404 VMFS "XXX-flat.vmdk"

  1. Change Tracking File

changeTrackPath="XXX-ctk.vmdk"

  1. The Disk Data Base

#DDB

ddb.thinProvisioned = "1"

ddb.adapterType = "lsilogic"

ddb.geometry.sectors = "63"

ddb.geometry.heads = "255"

ddb.geometry.cylinders = "3267"

ddb.uuid = "60 00 C2 9d 03 06 a3 ef-ff b9 74 3c 42 1d 11 4a"

ddb.longContentID = "0c9c3da7596252e643cdc988f926f327"

ddb.deletable = "true"

ddb.toolsVersion = "8193"

ddb.virtualHWVersion = "7"

Reply
0 Kudos
a_p_
Leadership
Leadership

This is usually no issue with the header file, but more with some broken snapshot chains.

Please post the output of ls -la as requested by Anton and attach the latest vmware.log file.

André

Reply
0 Kudos
Rhidian
Contributor
Contributor

Results from an ls -la are as follows:

drwxr-xr-x 1 root root 2380 Aug 16 10:45 .

drwxr-xr-t 1 root root 1680 Aug 16 10:22 ..

-rw------- 1 root root 13 Aug 16 10:22 X-aux.xml

-rw------- 1 root root 1640716 Aug 16 10:22 X-ctk.vmdk

-rw------- 1 root root 3712417792 Aug 16 10:45 X-flat.vmdk

-rw------- 1 root root 8684 Aug 16 10:45 X.nvram

-rw------- 1 root root 614 Aug 16 10:45 X.vmdk

-rw------- 1 root root 44 Aug 16 10:45 X.vmsd

-rw------- 1 root root 3458 Aug 16 10:45 X.vmx

-rw------- 1 root root 279 Aug 16 10:45 X.vmxf

-rw------- 1 root root 172369 Aug 16 10:45 vmware-28.log

-rw------- 1 root root 69451 Aug 16 10:45 vmware-29.log

-rw------- 1 root root 121073 Aug 16 10:45 vmware-30.log

-rw------- 1 root root 69181 Aug 16 10:45 vmware-31.log

-rw------- 1 root root 2676545 Aug 16 10:45 vmware-32.log

-rw------- 1 root root 26600 Aug 16 10:45 vmware-33.log

-rw------- 1 root root 25530 Aug 16 10:45 vmware.log

Reply
0 Kudos
ChandanNuckched
Contributor
Contributor

Hi,

You need to change the permissions for the X.vmx from "-rw------- 1 root root" to "-rwxr-xr-x 1 root root"

You do that by using chmod command.

Cheers!

Reply
0 Kudos
Rhidian
Contributor
Contributor

I have used the chmod 777 command to change the permissions but I still get the same error?

Reply
0 Kudos
a_p_
Leadership
Leadership

To be able to help you we need more info. The previously requested vmware.log could really help.

André

Reply
0 Kudos
Rhidian
Contributor
Contributor

Find attached the vmware.log.

Reply
0 Kudos
a_p_
Leadership
Leadership

From what the log file shows there's a mismatch between the descriptor and the data disk.

I don't think this VM was downloaded via datastore browser. Since it is a thin provisioned disk, it would have been inflated during download.

How did you upload the files? Using the datastore browser? Try to upload the flat.vmdk again using ssh (WinSCP/FastSCP).

However, the flat file could also have been corrupted already during download.

André

Reply
0 Kudos
ChandanNuckched
Contributor
Contributor

Looks like a damaged file - do you still have the original?

Reply
0 Kudos
Rhidian
Contributor
Contributor

I uploaded the file via the datastore browser, I will try to uplaod it again via the command line.

Reply
0 Kudos
Rhidian
Contributor
Contributor

No the VM has been provided to me on a hard disk.

Reply
0 Kudos
ChandanNuckched
Contributor
Contributor

Make a copy of the VM, run the vmconverter on the copy vm but do not convert - see if it can read the config file?

Reply
0 Kudos
Rhidian
Contributor
Contributor

Uploaded as suggested but I get the same error.

Reply
0 Kudos
Rhidian
Contributor
Contributor

Any further suggestions?

Reply
0 Kudos
ChandanNuckched
Contributor
Contributor

Did you try what I suggested?

Making a backup of the copy you received and running the vmconverter?

Reply
0 Kudos