Possible to Export ESXi 6.5 U2 Host for Import to Workstation 12 or 14?

[WrlsFanatic]

I've tried everything I can think of but can't get a CentOS 7 host to export from ESXi 6.5 U2 to VMware Workstation 12.5.9 or 14.1.1. Things I tried:

- Just exporting the OVF and manually fixing the pvscsi error (edit the file and change it from VirtualSCSI to lsiLogic)

     - That allowed the machine to boot, but it eventually hung during the OS load

- Exporting the vmx with the vCenter Converter tool

     - Same as before

I can't find any KB articles documenting which versions of ESXi are supported to export to which versions of Workstation, so I can't tell if any of this is supposed to work or not.

[virtualg_uk]

Converter might be your best workaround here. What version of converter were you using and what version is the hardware of the VM? - The latest version of converter (6.2) has limitations with VMs running HW versions higher than 11. ( https://docs.vmware.com/en/vCenter-Converter-Standalone/6.2/rn/conv_sa_62_rel_notes.html )

You can also try converting the VM as if it was a physical server, ie OS level conversion?

[WrlsFanatic]

I'm using Converter version 6.2.0 build-8466193.

I think I figured out the issue. My ESXi host used VMware Paravirtual SCSI adapter. When I try to just use LSI Logic, it fails to boot with the exact same error. It seems that Workstation doesn't support VMware Paravirtual, but it also doesn't handle the switch to LSI Logic for you. I don't see an easy option to switch them.

[continuum]

Have you tried to switch the scsi-controller to VMware Paravirtual SCSI  in Workstation manually ?
Converter may not have tha toption but as far as I know Workstation should support that virtual device.

[HassanAlKak88]

Hello,

Switch the SCSI controller to Paravirtual SCSI.

But before, check the following KBs:

VMware Knowledge Base

https://kb.vmware.com/s/article/1002149

[WrlsFanatic]

I don't think that's possible based on the KB article referenced in the other article in this post. The compatible options are all ESXi and never Workstation. I can't find any instructions on how to force Workstation to use VMware Paravirtual SCSI adapter.

[WrlsFanatic]

Great! I'll try changing the adapter as in the second KB article. Thank you!