svmotion script wait-task error

[vm-au-user]

I'm trying to get a script to work that will svmotion all machines listed in folder to a new datastore cluster and new host (which are in a separate cluster) once the migration is completed, power on the vm.

The error I'm getting

Wait-Task : Cannot validate argument on parameter 'Task'. The argument is null or empty. Supply an argument that is not null or empty and then try the command again.

At C:\temp\svmotion\final.ps1:11 char:18

+         Wait-Task -Task <<<<  $task

    + CategoryInfo          : InvalidData: (:) [Wait-Task], ParameterBindingValidationException

    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : ParameterArgumentValidationError,VMware.VimAutomation.ViCore.Cmdlets.Commands.WaitTask

Here is my script

#Import Plugins and Connect to vCenter

Add-PSSnapin VMware.VimAutomation.Core

$creds = Get-Credential

$viserver = Read-Host "vCenter Server:"

Connect-VIServer -Server $viserver -Credential $creds

# Get a List of VM's from the relocation folder

$vmlist = get-vm -location "relocateme"

#Stoage vMotion each VM in selected cluster in a staged fashion

foreach($vm in $vmlist)

{

  Write-Host Relocating..."$vm"

  $task = Get-VM -Name $vm.Name | Move-VM -Datastore "Test Datastore" -Destination VMHOST1.NET

  Wait-Task -task $task

  Start-VM $vm.name

}

Once the script has exited get-vm -location "relocateme" shows the VM listed, however write-host $vmlist and write-host $vm both contain no data.

If I do write-host $task it is also blank. What am I missing?

The names of our VM's are long and contain special characters. Could this be the problem?. An example machine name is "AA-BB-CC-DD (Test Machine for Migrations)[T][+]"  (excluding the commas).

I'm using Powercli 5.1

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[vm-au-user]

I found the issue is definitely related to the VM Name, if I shorten the test machines name to about 8 Characters it works. The original name must be too long

Can I svmotion using some other identifier other than the VM name?

[LucD]

That sounds very strange, the length of the displayname of the VM normally has nothing to do with this.

But you didn't use the RunAsync switch it seems

$task = Get-VM -Name $vm.Name | Move-VM -Datastore "Test Datastore" -Destination VMHOST1.NET -RunAsync

You don't get a Task object when you don't run the cmdlet in the background with the RunAsync switch

[vm-au-user]

Thanks for your response.

Adding -RunAsync made no change

Attached is what I see when I run it. Notice when try to write out the contents of $task is comes back with 3 lines of blank space.

[LucD]

Which vSphere version are you running this against ?

[vm-au-user]

Vsphere 5.1 with ESXi hosts running 5.1.0. 799733

[vm-au-user]

I've temporarily removed the $task = to try and get this working for 1 machine only, so this script is now this.

#Gets a list of Virtual Machines within the Folder that was identified before and assigns to a variable

$vms = get-vm -location "relocateme" | Select Name

Write-Host $vms

foreach ($vm in $vms) {

  Get-VM -Name $vm.Name | Move-VM -Datastore "Test Datastore" -Destination VMHOST1.NET -RunAsync

  }

I've renamed the machine and this is what I found:

AU-IT-SYD010 (Test Migration Machine)[TM][+]

(the original doesn't work)

AU-IT-SYD010

(works)

AU-IT-SYD010 (

(works)

AU-IT-SYD010 (Test Migration Machine)

(works)

AU-IT-SYD010 (Test Migration Machine)[

(fails!!!)

Get-VM : 9/05/2013 9:20:17 AM    Get-VM        The specified wildcard pattern is not valid: AU-IT-SYD010 (Test Migration Machine)[

At C:\temp\svmotion\svmotion7.ps1:14 char:8

So the problem is with the "[" symbol in the name of the machine.

Further more if I run the command with a "*" at the end it works.

Move-VM "AU-IT-SYD010 (Test Migration Machine)[TM][+]*" -Datastore "Test Datastore" -Destination VMHOST1.NET

Can I append a * to the end of each machine before the command is run?

[LucD]

The square brackets are meta characters for the Name parameter, that probably explains why you're seeing the failures.

If you place the name in single quotes it should work.

[vm-au-user]

Thanks for your help, the one-liner works fine.

To do this in a loop, is there a way to update the contents of $vms to add single quote to before and after the name?

[LucD]

You could use the single character meta character (?) , something like this

foreach ($vm in $vms) {

  Get-VM -Name $vm.Name.Replace('[','?').Replace(']','?') |

   Move-VM -Datastore "Test Datastore" -Destination VMHOST1.NET -RunAsync

}

But that is not a fool-proof method I admit.