Converting a virtual machine using VMware vCenter Converter fails with the error: Unable to allocate memory error

Products

• VMware

Issue/Introduction

Symptoms:

• Cannot convert a virtual machine using VMware vCenter Converter
• Converting a virtual machine using Converter fails at about 50%
• Converter agent service on the source server crashes
• The Event Viewer reports Event ID 7034
• In the vmware-converter-agent.log file located at C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\VMware\VMware Converter Enterprise\Logs, you see a backtrace similar to:

[#2] [2010-11-02 10:16:27.774 02820 error 'App'] Unable to allocate memory: 621522448 bytes [#2] [2010-11-02 10:16:27.868 02820 info 'App'] CoreDump: Writing minidump [#2] [2010-11-02 10:16:29.743 02820 panic 'App'] [#2] [#2] Panic: Unable to allocate memory [#2] Backtrace: [#2] backtrace[00] rip 00000615 (no symbol) [#2] backtrace[01] rip 00000000 (no symbol) [#2] backtrace[02] rip 00000000 (no symbol) [#2] backtrace[03] rip 00000000 (no symbol) [#2] backtrace[04] rip 00000000 (no symbol 
 [#2] backtrace[59] rip 00000000 (no symbol) [#2] backtrace[60] rip 00000000 (no symbol) [#2] backtrace[61] rip 00000000 (no symbol) [#2] [#2] [2010-11-02 10:16:29.743 02820 panic 'App'] Unable to allocate memory 

Environment

VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 5.0.x
VMware vCenter Converter 4.0.x
VMware vCenter Converter 4.1.x
VMware Converter 3.0.x
VMware vCenter Converter 4.2.x

Resolution

This issue occurs when at least one of the source disks from the virtual machine you are trying to convert contains a large amount of small files and a file-based conversion is performed. A file-based conversion is performed when you try to shrink the disks as part of the conversion.

If the drive that has a large amount of small files is the boot drive, you cannot perform a conversion and cannot resize the drive. VMware is aware of this issue and is working to resolve this.

To workaround this issue:

1. Convert the source machine without shrinking the disks.
2. Power on the resulting virtual machine after the conversion completes.
3. Identify the drives has a large amount of files.
4. Add a .vmdk file with the required size of the disk you want and present it as another drive to the guest operating system.
5. Copy the data from the drive you want to shrink to the newly presented drive.
6. After all the data is copied and verified, remove the disk you wanted to resize.
7. Assign the drive (that has the size you wanted) with the drive letter that it originally had on the physical system.