This topic provides guidance for troubleshooting issues during physical to virtual (P2V) and virtual to virtual (V2V) conversions in Virtual Machine Manager (VMM) 2008 and VMM 2008 R2.
Before beginning a formal troubleshooting process, confirm that the source computer meets the requirements described in P2V: Requirements for Physical Source Computers or V2V: Requirements for Virtual Machines.
Communication Issues (Offline P2V)
Possible cause (or causes)
In an offline P2V conversion, Virtual Machine Manager cannot contact the source computer after it reboots into the Windows Preinstallation Environment (Windows PE).
Solution (or solutions)
Determine whether Windows PE has storage or network drivers by examining the following log files on the source computer while it is under Windows PE: x:\Windows\inf\setupapi.app.log and x:\Windows\inf\setupapi.dev.log. You can also check the scvmm_winpe_setupapi.log file on the boot volume of the source computer after it is rebooted to the original operating system from WinPE. Find out which drivers are required, and copy the driver packages to the Driver Import folder in the VMM installation root: for VMM 2008, %SYSTEMDRIVE%:\Program Files\Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008\Driver Import, and for VMM 2008 R2, %SYSTEMDRIVE%:\Program Files\Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 R2\Driver Import.
Volume Shadow Copy Service Issues (P2V)
Possible cause (or causes)
The Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) fails to take a snapshot of the contents of the source computer's drives.
Solution (or solutions)
View the system and application event logs for VSS errors on the source computer. If you cannot correct them, try to do an offline P2V, which does not use VSS.
Agent Issues (P2V)
Possible cause (or causes)
Installation of the VMM agent on the source computer fails.
Solution (or solutions)
If the installation of the VMM agent on the source computer fails, view the VMM*.log on the source computer to gather additional information. The log files are saved in C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\VMMLogs with Windows 2000 Server, Windows XP, or Windows Server 2003 or in C:\Users\All Users\VMMLogs with Windows Vista or Windows Server 2008.
Patch or Driver Issues (P2V)
Possible cause (or causes)
A patch or driver file that is required for the P2V Fixup step is missing.
Solution (or solutions)
If a patch file or driver is missing, download the requested patch and driver files to the Patch Import directory on the VMM server (the default path is <C>:\Program Files\Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008\Patch Import), and extract the files by using the Add-Patch cmdlet.
Less than 512 MB RAM (offline P2V only)
Possible cause (or causes)
The source computer has less than 512 MB RAM.
Solution (or solutions)
Add more RAM to the source computer to equal at least 512 MB.
Offline P2V
Possible cause (or causes)
Cannot troubleshoot offline P2V.
Solution (or solutions)
To enable tracing on the source computer during an offline P2V, create a file named scvmm_enable_winpe_tracing.txt and save it to the root of the source computer's boot volume. This file does not need to contain any data or information. A trace file named scvmm_winpe.etl will be created and saved on the source computer.
Firewall Issues (P2V)
Possible cause (or causes)
Firewall blocks P2V by not allowing an exception for remote administration (RemoteAdmin service).
Solution (or solutions)
If the firewall is controlled by Group Policy, use GPEDIT.msc to enable an exception for the IP address of the VMM host, for open ports, and for authorized applications. The path is: GPEDIT.msc->Computer configuration->Administrative Templates->Network->Network Connections->Windows Firewall.
BITS transfer fails (P2V)
During a P2V conversion, the Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS) transfer fails with the error ERROR_NO_TRACKING_SERVICE.
Possible cause (or causes)
The HTTP SSL service might be down.
Solution (or solutions)
Ensure that the HTTP SSL service is running, and then try the P2V conversion again.
Error with a Host in Limited State (V2V)
Possible cause (or causes)
When a Hyper-V host is selected as the target host for a V2V conversion, the Migrate Wizard displays the following warning: "Virtual machine <VMName> cannot be migrated from host <source host> because the host is in a state that has limited management functionality. For hosts in the OK (Limited) state, a virtual machine can be migrated only within the same VirtualCenter server.
Solution (or solutions)
Proceed with the V2V conversion as normal. This error is unrelated to V2V.
Missing Hosts (V2V)
Possible cause (or causes)
Migrate Wizard lists only ESX Server hosts. How can I perform a V2V conversion to a Hyper-V host (or to any host that is not listed)?
Solution (or solutions)
Make sure that the default filter is expanded to show All Hosts.
Communication Issues (V2V)
Possible cause (or causes)
During a V2V conversion, communication fails between the VMM server or the destination host and the ESX Server host, the VMM library, or the Windows shared folder that stores the VMware configuration and data files.
Solution (or solutions)
The resolution depends on the scenario:
- If the VMware virtual machine is on an ESX Server host, check Secure Shell (SSH) and HTTPS.
- If the VMware virtual machine is on the VMM library, check WSMan permissions and settings and Windows Firewall exceptions for the Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS) and HTTPS ports.
- If the VMware virtual machine is on a Windows or NFS shared folder, check WSMan on the destination host or Server Message Block (SMB).
Updates
Possible cause (or causes)
A patch or driver file that is required for the operating system fix up is missing.
Solution (or solutions)
Download the required patch and driver files to the Patch Import directory on the VMM server (the default path is %SYSTEMDRIVE%\Program Files\Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008\Patch Import), and then extract the files by using the Add-Patch cmdlet.
Permissions Issues (V2V)
Possible cause (or causes)
VMM does not have permission to access one or more files involved in the V2V process from the command line.
Solution (or solutions)
The resolution depends on the location of the source VMware virtual machine. If the virtual machine and virtual machine configuration file are on a Windows or NFS shared folder, make sure that the machine account for the destination host (and the account under which VMM service is running on the VMM server) has access to the share. If the virtual machine is on an ESX Server host, make sure that the host is in an OK state.
Unrecognized .vmx or .vmdk File Format (V2V)
Possible cause (or causes)
A V2V conversion was performed on a configuration file with an unsupported or unrecognized .vmx or .vmdk file format.
Solution (or solutions)
If the .vmx or .vmdk file format of the source virtual machine is not recognized, V2V conversion is not supported for that virtual machine in this version of VMM.
Operating System Issues
Possible cause (or causes)
VMM cannot find a supported operating system or does not recognize the physical disk layout on the new .vhd file, and VMM cannot complete the conversion.
Solution (or solutions)
If VMM does not support the disk layout or operating system of the VMware virtual machine, VMM will convert the VMDKs to VHDs and create the virtual machine but will not complete the operating system fix up. As a result, the virtual machine might not start up or function correctly.
See Also