Cross vCenter Migration and Clone requirements:

• Pre-requisite

• Network Port Requirements

• Supported vMotion, cold migrate, and cloning configurations

• Virtual Machine Networking Migration

• Metadata migration during Cross vCenter Migration

Pre-requisites:

• The source and destination vCenter Server instances and ESXi hosts must be running version 6.0 or later. 
• The cross vCenter Server and long distance vMotion features require an Enterprise Plus license. For more information, see Compare vSphere Editions.
• When using the vSphere Web Client, both vCenter Server instances must be in Enhanced Linked Mode and must be in the same vCenter Single Sign-On domain so that the source vCenter Server can authenticate to the destination vCenter Server.
  • When using the GUI (webclient) ELM (same SSO Domain) is required
  • When using sdk/api/PowerCLI ELM (same SSO Domain) is NOT required
• Both vCenter Server instances must be time-synchronized with each other for correct vCenter Single Sign-On token verification.
• For migration of compute resources only, both vCenter Server instances must be connected to the shared virtual machine storage.
• When using the vSphere APIs/SDK, both vCenter Server instances may exist in separate vSphere Single Sign-On domains. Additional parameters are required when performing a non-federated cross vCenter Server vMotion. The Move-VM cmdlet as of PowerCLI 6.5 supports both federated and non-federated Cross vCenter Server vMotion. For more information, see the VirtualMachineRelocateSpec section in the vSphere Management SDK Guide.

Network Port Requirements

• 8000 and 902 for vMotion and NFC between ESXi
• 902 for NFC on the ESXi host's Management subnet in case of Cross-vCenter vMotion, or cold migration (unless there is a dedicated subnet and vmkernel port)
• 443 between both vCenter Servers
• 443 between vCenter Server and the ESXi server (this is a requirement to have the ESXi host added to vCenter Servers)

Supported vMotion, cold migrate, and cloning configurations:

Virtual Machine Networking Migration

• * This includes all VMware Cloud on AWS versions and vSphere 6.7 and later
• VMs that require encrypted vMotion cannot use vMotion with a destination vCenter version prior to vSphere 6.5 GA.
• VMs that use vSphere HA restart priority properties introduced in vSphere 6.5 cannot use vMotion and cold relocate with a destination vCenter version prior to vSphere 6.5 GA
• vSphere Encryption is not supported with cross vCenter Server vMotioning and cloning of virtual machines for vSphere 6.7 and earlier.
• vSphere Encryption is supported through API on vSphere 7.0. For more information, see Encrypted vSphere vMotion.
• Cross vCenter Server vMotion is not supported with 3rd party switches.

Metadata migration during Cross vCenter Migration

Metadata that is migrated

• Snapshots and Hierarchy (including notes) : If disk consolidation is specified using a DiskMoveOption, specifically moveAllDiskBackingsAndConsolidate, when a clone or relocate API call is made, then VM snapshots are not moved as consolidation occurs otherwise, snapshots are moved.
• Per VM Configuration:
  • Notes : This is part of the VM config, so it will stay with the VM.
  • Reservations : Memory and swap reservations are moved.
  • NIOC (Pool, Priority, Reservation) : Reservations, limits, and shares (RLS) are moved. Pool or priority is uncertain.
  • SIOC (Shares, Limits) : It is a per-virtual disk setting, which is migrated along with the VM.
  • Advanced Settings : This is part of the VM config, so it will stay with the VM.
  • EVC Mode : Per-EVC settings will be retained (introduced in vSphere 6.7).
  • Latency Sensitivity : This is part of the VM config, so it will stay with the VM.
• If the following vCenter configuration elements exist on the destination vCenter (regardless of SSO):
  • Custom Attributes
  • Permissions: Access control settings for users and groups in vCenter.
• vSphere Cluster Overrides (everything mentioned below) : Per-VM DRS settings are migrated during xVC-vMotion, including DRS enablement, DRS mode (manual, partial, full automated), VM affinity/anti-affinity rules. Same applies to HA. The per VM HA overrides are carried over during migration. For vSphere 6.5 and above, the per VM orchestration settings are also carried over
  • vSphere DRS:
    • Enablement
    • Automation Level
    • Affinity and Anti-affinity Rules
  • vSphere HA
    • VM Restart Priority
    • Start Next Priority
    • Additional Delay
    • VM Dependency Restart Condition Timeout
    • PDL
      • Failure Response
    • APD
      • Failure Response
      • VM Failover Delay
      • Response Recovery
    • VM Monitoring

 Metadata that is not migrated

• Tasks
• Events
• If vCenter definitions does not exist on the destination vCenter (regardless of SSO)
  • vSphere Tags
  • Custom Attributes
  • Permissions
• vCenter per VM Performance History : this is local to the VC, you will get new stats once it lands on the new VC.
• vCenter Server Folder : This does not move, this is a VC Object. You place VMs into a Folder, so it does not get moved. You can specify a new Folder in the new VC.
• vApp Membership : Membership is not moved to the new VC.

• Per VM Configuration

• Using Enhanced Linked Mode section in the vCenter Server Host Management Guide.

• Long Distance vMotion requirements in VMware vSphere 6.0 (2106949).

• vMotion between VDS/VSS and N-VDS (NSX-T switch) (56991)
• VMware vSphere 6.5 Release Notes.
• Moving View-managed desktops between VMware vCenter Servers is not supported (1018045).
• Long Distance vMotion requirements in VMware vSphere 6.0
• VMware vSphere 6.0 における長距離 vMotion の要件

• VMware vSphere 6.0 におけるクロス vCenter Server vMotion の要件
• VMware vSphere 6.0 中的跨 vCenter 的 vMotion 要求