Troubleshooting migration compatibility error: Currently connected device uses backing which is not accessible
Symptoms
When performing a VMotion migration the following compatibility error is displayed:
Unable to migrate from <source server> to <destination server>: Currently connected device '<device>' uses backing '<device>', which is not accessible .
Resolution
Overview
This unable to migrate error message indicates that the virtual machine cannot be migrated because one of the connected devices is not accessible on the destination host.
The possible devices that can show this message when connected are:
CD ROM Drive
Floppy Drive
Serial Port
Parallel Port
Workaround
To workaround the issue, perform one of the following actions:
If you are using an image file (ISO, FLP, etc.), ensure that it is accessible from all ESX Servers. Store the files on a datastore that is shared between all ESX Servers that will participate in the VMotion of the virtual machine.
Disconnect the device from the virtual machine before performing the migration.
