VMware vCenter Converter Standalone fails with the error: Vmacore::TimeoutException(Operation timed out) or Out of memory

Products

• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

Symptoms:

• Cannot convert a machine using VMware vCenter Converter Standalone.
• Converting a machine using vCenter Converter Standalone fails between 47 and 61 percent.
• In the Converter Standalone worker.log, you see errors similar to:
  
  [08624 error 'Ufa.HTTPService'] Failed to read request; stream: <io_obj p:0x027c099c, h:-1, <pipe '\\.\pipe\vmware-converter-worker-soap'>, <pipe '\\.\pipe\vmware-converter-worker-soap'>>, error: class Vmacore::TimeoutException(Operation timed out)
  
• After enabling the console access to the Helper Virtual Machine. In the messages.log file, located at /var/log/, you see entry similar to:
  
  Out of memory
  
  
  For more information on enabling console access, see Enabling Logging in to Helper Virtual Machine During Conversion of Powered-On Linux Sources with Converter Standalone 4.3.x and 5.x (1036746).

Environment

VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 5.0.x
VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 5.5.x
VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 4.3.x
VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 5.1.x
VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 4.0.x

Cause

This issue occurs when the Helper Virtual Machine deployed by vCenter Converter Standalone runs out of system memory before completing the conversion process.

Resolution

To resolve this issue, increase the memory of the Helper Virtual Machine.

 

To increase the memory on the Helper Virtual Machine:

1. Initiate the conversion process.
2. After creating the Helper Virtual Machine within vCenter Server, power off the Helper Virtual Machine.
3. Edit the virtual machine settings to increase the amount of memory. 
4. Power on the Helper Virtual Machine.
5. Remount the Helper ISO image (converter-helper-vm.iso or converter-helper-vm-x64.iso) to the virtual machine.
   
   Note: This image is located at C:\Program Files (x86)\VMware\VMware vCenter Converter Standalone on the machine in which vCenter Converter Standalone is installed. During the conversion process, the image is mounted. However, by interrupting this process when modifying the memory on the Helper Virtual Machine, you must remount the image.
   
   
6. Press CTRL-ALT-DEL on the virtual machine to start from the ISO image.
   
   Note: The conversion process continues.

Additional Information

Enabling Logging in to Helper Virtual Machine During Conversion of Powered-On Linux Sources with Converter Standalone 4.3.x and 5.x