Troubleshooting the migration compatibility error: Unable to access the virtual machine configuration: Unable to access file
Article ID: 310795
Updated On:
Products
VMware vCenter Server
Issue/Introduction
Symptoms:
- vMotion fails
- When performing a vMotion migration the following compatibility error is displayed:
Unable to migrate from <source server> to <destination server>: Unable to access the virtual machine configuration: Unable to access file. [<datastore>] <file> .
Environment
VMware VirtualCenter 2.0.x
VMware vCenter Server 4.1.x
VMware vCenter Server 5.0.x
VMware VirtualCenter 2.5.x
VMware vCenter Server 4.0.x
VMware vCenter Server 4.1.x
VMware vCenter Server 5.0.x
VMware VirtualCenter 2.5.x
VMware vCenter Server 4.0.x
Resolution
This issue occurs if vCenter Server is unable to access the virtual machine configuration files across the ESX/ESXi hosts that are participating in the vMotion.
This error typically occurs if the virtual machine is located on local storage. However, it can also indicate a misconfiguration of the shared storage between the ESX/ESXi hosts.
To workaround this issue:
- Verify your storage configuration. Ensure that the virtual machine is located on shared storage and not a local datastore that is only viewable to one specific ESX/ESXi host. The shared datastore must be presented to both ESX/ESXi hosts in your environment that you intend to vMotion between. Select the ESX/ESXi host within the vCenter Server client and click the Summary tab to see which datastores are currently presented to each ESX/ESXi host.
- Power down the virtual machine and perform a cold migration.
Additional Information
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