VMware Converter error

C

Child of Wonder

2[H]4U
Joined
May 22, 2006
Messages
3,270
Performing some P2V's for a client and had a strange issue with Converter today.

Ran a P2V on a Win2003 physical server using Converter Standalone 4.0.1. Everything runs great until the process gets to 69% then the speed drops to about 200KB/s. It eventually crawls to 70% after another 30 mins then the conversion fails with:

"A general system error occurred:
The specified network name is no longer available."

I'm using IP addresses for both the source physical server and destination vSphere host. The datastore is FC and has plenty of free space.

There is a KB article from VMware (1004615) but it points to networking issues. I don't think this is the case since several physical servers have been converted from the client with Standalone Converter installed and the process with this particular physical box runs like a champ until it hits 69%.

Seems to me that there may be a process locking files on the physical server and is preventing the conversion from completing, however I've killed as many processes on the physical box as possible such as SQL, HP SIM, etc. Next I may try a cold conversion.

Anyone else had this happen?
 
Cold convert next. Technically, converter is not guaranteed - it may just not work, although I 'd still stab at network issues with that error. I've seen a flakey network card that didn't like the constant sustained transfer rates before.
 
are you changing the volume sizes during the migration?
in this scenario, converter does a file level copy instead of a block level.
for servers that have a great number of tiny files, i've seen transfers fail with the same error.

there is a newer version of the standalone tool that may be worth a shot.
 
lopoetve said:
Cold convert next. Technically, converter is not guaranteed - it may just not work, although I 'd still stab at network issues with that error. I've seen a flakey network card that didn't like the constant sustained transfer rates before.
Click to expand...

A cold migration is what I'm planning for Friday. I already know the server has issues as every time it boots it throws a temperature alarm and requires an override to continue the boot process even though the temperatures all read fine.

If the cold migration fails maybe replacing the NIC is in order. Other physical servers attached to the same switch have succeeded.
 
michealo said:
are you changing the volume sizes during the migration?
in this scenario, converter does a file level copy instead of a block level.
for servers that have a great number of tiny files, i've seen transfers fail with the same error.

there is a newer version of the standalone tool that may be worth a shot.
Click to expand...

Yes, the volume sizes were reduced. Odds are good the cold migration will be successful unless there is a physical NIC issue with the physical server.

Fingers crossed!
 
Cold migration failed. The physical server was an old P series HP blade. We decided to update the BIOS and network firmware and give a hot migration another go. That time it worked but the new virtual server would only reboot over and over.

Seems the physical server not only has physical issues but the OS may have some problems, too.
 
Child of Wonder said:
Cold migration failed. The physical server was an old P series HP blade. We decided to update the BIOS and network firmware and give a hot migration another go. That time it worked but the new virtual server would only reboot over and over.

Seems the physical server not only has physical issues but the OS may have some problems, too.
Click to expand...

What OS ? make sure the HDD controlelr is the correct type for the server os.
 
The last two high priority P2V migrations I had to perform turned out to be on machines that had been already been down over 7 months due to hardware problems on hardware a couple of years out of warranty.

Removing half the RAM from one got it to work. Luckily, they were both the same hardware platform, and after we did the first one, we just moved the drives from the second one into the first one to P2V it as well. In my case I was lucky, and the OS was otherwise intact on both...

I feel your pain.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top