Move-VM issues.

[huzer1]

Looking for a little assistance using the Move-VM command. First, some backstory. We are moving our environment to a "hardware hosted" solution. So we have 2 compute clusters and 2 Storage clusters. Internal/DMZ.

On the hosted solution DRS is on, SDRS is set to No Automation (Manual Mode)

Moving a vm from our current internal hardware to the hosted hardware (compute and storage) is generating errors. 

Specific Host and Specific Datastore
Move-VM -VM 'steve1' -VMotionPriority High -Destination 'CYS-V-esx-11-01.somedomain.com' -Datastore STG10-0001-FC-PL00-L031-gBlock1000e -Server 'ets-vc001.somedomain.com'

Move-VM : 11/21/2018 3:41:36 PM Move-VM         The operation for the entity "steve1" failed with the following message: "Unable to access the virtual machine configuration: Unable to ac
cess
file [STG10-0001-FC-PL00-L031-gBlock1000e]"
At line:1 char:1
+ Move-VM -VM 'steve1' -VMotionPriority High -Destination 'CYS-V-esx-11 ...
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : NotSpecified: (:) [Move-VM], CannotAccessVmConfig
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : Client20_TaskServiceImpl_CheckServerSideTaskUpdates_OperationFailed,VMware.VimAutomation.ViCore.Cmdlets.Commands.MoveVM

Move-VM : 11/21/2018 3:41:36 PM Move-VM         11/21/2018 3:41:36 PM   Move-VM         The operation for the entity "steve1" failed with the following message: "Unable to access the virtual machine
configuration: Unable to access file [STG10-0001-FC-PL00-L031-gBlock1000e]"
At line:1 char:1
+ Move-VM -VM 'steve1' -VMotionPriority High -Destination 'CYS-V-esx-11 ...
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : NotSpecified: (:) [Move-VM], CannotAccessVmConfig
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : Client20_TaskServiceImpl_CheckServerSideTaskUpdates_OperationFailed,VMware.VimAutomation.ViCore.Cmdlets.Commands.MoveVM

Move-VM -VM 'steve1' -VMotionPriority High -Destination 'CYS-V-esx-11-01.wyo.gov' -Datastore STG10-0001-FC-PL00-L031-gBlock1000e -Server 'ets-vc001.wyo.gov'

Move-VM : 11/21/2018 3:41:36 PM Move-VM         The operation for the entity "steve1" failed with the following message: "Unable to access the virtual machine configuration: Unable to ac

cess

file [STG10-0001-FC-PL00-L031-gBlock1000e]"

At line:1 char:1

+ Move-VM -VM 'steve1' -VMotionPriority High -Destination 'CYS-V-esx-11 ...

+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    + CategoryInfo          : NotSpecified: (:) [Move-VM], CannotAccessVmConfig

    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : Client20_TaskServiceImpl_CheckServerSideTaskUpdates_OperationFailed,VMware.VimAutomation.ViCore.Cmdlets.Commands.MoveVM

Move-VM : 11/21/2018 3:41:36 PM Move-VM         11/21/2018 3:41:36 PM   Move-VM         The operation for the entity "steve1" failed with the following message: "Unable to access the virtual machine

configuration: Unable to access file [STG10-0001-FC-PL00-L031-gBlock1000e]"

At line:1 char:1

+ Move-VM -VM 'steve1' -VMotionPriority High -Destination 'CYS-V-esx-11 ...

+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    + CategoryInfo          : NotSpecified: (:) [Move-VM], CannotAccessVmConfig

    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : Client20_TaskServiceImpl_CheckServerSideTaskUpdates_OperationFailed,VMware.VimAutomation.ViCore.Cmdlets.Commands.MoveVM

Host Cluster and Specific Datastore
Move-VM -VM 'steve1' -VMotionPriority High -Destination 'CYS-V-esx-11-01.somedomain.com' -Datastore STG10-0001-FC-PL00-L031-gBlock1000e -Server 'ets-vc001.somedomain.com'
Move-VM : 11/21/2018 3:41:36 PM Move-VM         The operation for the entity "steve1" failed with the following message: "Unable to access the virtual machine configuration: Unable to ac
cess
file [STG10-0001-FC-PL00-L031-gBlock1000e]"
At line:1 char:1
+ Move-VM -VM 'steve1' -VMotionPriority High -Destination 'CYS-V-esx-11 ...
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : NotSpecified: (:) [Move-VM], CannotAccessVmConfig
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : Client20_TaskServiceImpl_CheckServerSideTaskUpdates_OperationFailed,VMware.VimAutomation.ViCore.Cmdlets.Commands.MoveVM

Move-VM : 11/21/2018 3:41:36 PM Move-VM         11/21/2018 3:41:36 PM   Move-VM         The operation for the entity "steve1" failed with the following message: "Unable to access the virtual machine
configuration: Unable to access file [STG10-0001-FC-PL00-L031-gBlock1000e]"
At line:1 char:1
+ Move-VM -VM 'steve1' -VMotionPriority High -Destination 'CYS-V-esx-11 ...
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : NotSpecified: (:) [Move-VM], CannotAccessVmConfig
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : Client20_TaskServiceImpl_CheckServerSideTaskUpdates_OperationFailed,VMware.VimAutomation.ViCore.Cmdlets.Commands.MoveVM

[LucD]

That looks as if the storage on which the VM is living, can not be accessed from the cluster on which the VM is registered.

Can you browse that datastore with the Web Client?

Or edit the settings?

[huzer1]

I can browse all the data stores and edit settings on all the data stores.

I know hosts on the receiving cluster, can't see storage on our current environment (as mentioned above, we are moving our environment to a "hardware" hosted solution.)

When we began all this, we were told we had to specifically use the web client (we're still on 6.0 and use the software client) to move the data/compute at the same time.

[LucD]

Does that mean that you can only vMotion VMs through the Web Client?

Is there perhaps a plugin in the WebClient?

[huzer1]

Correct, if they are going to the new hardware. We can still migrate things around in our current hardware using the thick client.

There's no plugin's in the webclient.

[LucD]

I'm not getting the full picture here I'm afraid.
Both environments are living under the same vCenter.

The new HW is in a new cluster.

There is no shared storage between both clusters.

Are the VMs registered on the old or new ESXi nodes?

[huzer1]

Everything you said is spot on.

The VM's are currently on the old ESXI nodes.

[LucD]

So what happens when you do

Get-VM -Name steve1

and this one

Get-VM -Name steve1 |

Select Name,

    @{N='Config';E={$_.ExtensionData.Config.Files.VmPathName}},

    @{N='VMhost';E={$_.VMHost.Name}}

Does that ESXi node and datastore belong to the old environment?
And are they both available/accessible?

Just trying to find out why Move-VM says it can't access the VM's configuration.

[huzer1]

Both storage and host belong to the old environment and are accessible.

Edit: Did the command wrong the first time.

[LucD]

You forgot the 1st line of the 2nd snippet (the Get-VM and the pipeline), but it doesn't really matter.

All seems to be ok with that VM.

Going back to the original error, it does look as if the destination datastore (STG10-0001-FC-PL00-L031-gBlock1000e) can not be accessed.
Which confirms what you stated earlier, the old environment can't "see" the storage on the new HW.

If you intend the svMotion to run over the network then the Management networks on both sides need to be able to reach each other.

Is that the case?

[LucD]

You will also need to provide a Portgroup parameter on the Move-VM cmdlet.
Unless you have a shared VDS between both clusters.

[huzer1]

Are you referring to the management for the compute nodes? If so, yes, their hosts are built on the same network as ours.

[LucD]

I'm still not sure how you can not access the storage on the new HW from your PowerCLI session.

Just to confirm, if you do a Get-Datastore, the datastores on the new HW are not included?
If yes, how can you see them in the Web Client (which connects to the same vCenter as your PowerCLI session I assume)

[huzer1]

I am able to see all storage in both new and old environments if I run a Get-Datastore.

We also only have 1 vcenter server. (fyi)

Lastly just so you can see, here's the server migrating in the web client without issue.

PS. Thank you very much for sticking with this and all of your assistance!

[LucD]

If I translate that screenshot to PowerCLI code, I get to this.

You might want to check if I got all the names correct.

What does this say?
I don't think you need the Server parameter since you only have 1 vCenter, and you are connected.

$cluster = Get-Cluster -Name 'CYS-V-CLU-12 Internal Cluster'

$esx = Get-VMHost -Name 'CYS-V-esx-12-01.somedomain.com' -Location $cluster

$ds = Get-Datastore -Name 'STG10-0001-FC-PL00-L031-gBlock1000e'

$vm = Get-VM -Name 'steve1'

Move-VM -VM $vm -Destination $esx -Datastore $ds -VMotionPriority High