vMotion fails with NFS datastores

Products

• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

Symptoms:

• vMotion fails to certain host
• The messages log contains entries similar to:
  
  vmkernel: 0:05:45:39.324 cpu7:124820)WARNING: Swap: vm 124820: 2457: Failed to open swap file '/vmfs/volumes/90a85cb6-########/test1-8975ea00.vswp': Permission denied
  vmkernel: 0:05:45:39.324 cpu7:124820)WARNING: VMotion: 3517: 1289345597687356 D: Failed to reopen swap on destination: Permission denied
  vmkernel: 0:05:45:39.324 cpu7:124820)WARNING: Migrate: 295: 1289345597687356 D: Failed: Permission denied (0xbad005a) @0x41801f60cec1
  vmkernel: 0:05:45:39.324 cpu7:124820)VMotion: 3926: 1289345597687356 D: Estimated network bandwidth 23.545 MB/s before failure
  vmkernel: 0:05:45:39.324 cpu7:124820)WARNING: VMotionSend: 975: 1289345597687356 D: 9-0x4100a2001230:Received only 0 of 72 bytes: Timeout
  vmkernel: 0:05:45:39.324 cpu7:124825)WARNING: Migrate: 3324: 1289345597687356 D: Migration considered a failure by the VMX. It is most likely a timeout, but check the VMX log for the true error.
   
• The hostd log contains entries similar to:
  
   error hostd[######] [Originator@#### sub=#### opID=############################ user=#######:####.#####\###############] failed to open dvsfile /####/#######/##################/.########/## ## ## ## ## ## ## ##-## ## ## ## ## ## ##/## for write, error: Permission denied
   
• When the host is not in a cluster, you can vMotion the virtual machine to and from the host
• When the host is in a cluster, you can vMotion the virtual machine from the host, but cannot vMotion to the host
• The cluster is configured to use a shared swap file
• Performing a vMotion with a virtual machine among other hosts in the cluster is successful

Environment

VMware ESXi

Cause

This issue occurs if the NFS datastore is mounted as read only. 

Resolution

Work with storage array vendor to ensure proper permissions are set for the host in question.