Linux virtual machines hangs after successful vMotion from ESXi 6.0 to 6.5

Products

• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

Symptoms:

• Linux Virtual machines stops responding after successful vMotion from ESXi 6.0 to 6.5 
• Virtual machine works fine once rebooted on 6.5 ESXi hosts

Cause

This issue occurs due to a difference in CPUID value for x2APIC post vMotion from ESXi 6.0 to ESXi 6.5.

Resolution

This issue is resolved in ESXi 6.5 Patch Release ESXi650-201811002, available at Support.broadcom.com
Workaround:
To workaround this issue if you do not want to upgrade, create DRS rules to separate virtual machines to make sure they either run on ESXi 6.0 hosts or ESXi 6.5 hosts in a Cluster with mixed ESXi versions

Additional Information

Create VM-Host Affinity Rules