Cross vCenter Migration and Clone requirements in VMware vSphere 6.x and later

Products

• VMware vCenter Server

Issue/Introduction

vMotion across vCenters is a functionality available since VMware vSphere 6.0. This feature allows migrating virtual machines (VMs) between different vCenter Server instances.
This article outlines the requirements to use the feature.

Environment

• VMware vCenter Server 6.x
• VMware vCenter Server 7.x
• VMware vCenter Server 8.x

Resolution

Table of Contents:

• Pre-requisites
• Network Port Requirements
• Supported vMotion, cold migrate, and cloning configurations
• Virtual Machine Networking Migration
• Metadata migration during Cross vCenter Migration

1. Pre-requisites

   To enable migration across vCenter Server instances, the environment must meet the following requirements:
   • The source and destination vCenter Server instances and ESXi hosts must be running version 6.0 or later.
   • The cross vCenter Server and long distance vMotion features require an Enterprise Plus license. For more information, see VMware vSphere Product Line Comparison.
   • Both vCenter Server instances must be in Enhanced Linked Mode (ELM), so that the source vCenter Server can authenticate to the destination vCenter Server.

     Note: When using the vSphere APIs/SDK, both vCenter Server instances may exist in separate vSphere Single Sign-On domains. Additional parameters are required when performing a non-federated cross vCenter Server vMotion. The Move-VM cmdlet in PowerCLI 6.5 supports both federated and non-federated Cross vCenter Server vMotion. For more information, see the VirtualMachineRelocateSpec section in the vSphere Management SDK Guide

   • Both vCenter Server instances must be time-synchronized with each other for correct vCenter Single Sign-On token verification.
   • For migration of compute resources only, both vCenter Server instances must be connected to a shared virtual machine storage.
   
   
   

2. Network Port Requirements

   The following network ports need to be open in order for Cross-vCenter vMotion to be possible:

   TCP Port	Source	Destination	Required for
   8000	Source ESXi vMotion IP address(es)	Destination ESXi vMotion IP address(es)	vMotion communication and transfer of the compute portion
   902	Source ESXi Management IP address	Destination ESXi Management IP address	NFC transfer of the Storage parts of the VM to the remote ESXi host
   443	Source vCenter Management IP address	Destination vCenter Management IP address	Communication between the vCenter Server to negotiate the migration
   443	Source/Destination vCenter Management IP address	Source/Destination ESXi Management IP address	This is a requirement to have the ESXi host communicate with the vCenter Servers they're managed by.

   
   
   

3. Virtual Machine Networking Migration

   Source vSwitch type	Destination vSwitch type	Supported
   Distributed Switch	Distributed Switch	Yes
   Distributed Switch	Standard Switch	No
   Standard Switch	Standard Switch	Yes
   Standard Switch	Distributed Switch	Yes

   Notes:

   • This includes all VMware Cloud on AWS versions.
   • vSphere Encryption is supported through API with vSphere 7.0 and later versions. For more information, see What Is Encrypted vSphere vMotion.
   • Cross-vCenter Server vMotion is not supported with 3rd party switches.

   
   
   

4. Metadata migration during Cross vCenter Migration

   Metadata that is migrated

   1. • Snapshots and Hierarchy (including notes): If disk consolidation is specified using a DiskMoveOption, specifically moveAllDiskBackingsAndConsolidate, when a clone or relocate API call is made, then VM snapshots are not moved as consolidation occurs otherwise, snapshots are moved.
      • Per VM Configuration:
        • Notes: Notes are part of the VM configuration, hence they stay with the VM.
        • Reservations: Memory and swap reservations are moved.
        • NIOC (Pool, Priority, Reservation): Reservations, limits, and shares (RLS) are moved. Pool or priority is uncertain.
        • SIOC (Shares, Limits): It is a per-virtual disk setting, which is migrated along with the VM.
        • Advanced Settings: This is part of the VM config, so it will stay with the VM.
        • EVC Mode: Per-VM EVC settings will be retained.
        • Latency Sensitivity: This is part of the VM config, so it will stay with the VM.
      • If the following vCenter configuration elements exist on the destination vCenter (regardless of SSO):
        • Custom Attributes
        • Permissions: Access control settings for users and groups in vCenter.
      • vSphere Cluster Overrides (everything mentioned below): Per-VM DRS settings are migrated during Cross vCenter vMotion, including DRS enablement, DRS mode (manual, partial, full automated), VM affinity/anti-affinity rules. the same applies to HA. The per-VM HA overrides are carried over during migration. Per-VM orchestration settings are also carried over
        • vSphere DRS:
          • Enablement
          • Automation Level
          • Affinity and Anti-affinity Rules
        • vSphere HA:
          • VM Restart Priority
          • Start Next Priority
          • Additional Delay
          • VM Dependency Restart Condition Timeout
          • PDL: Failure Response
          • APD:
            • Failure Response
            • VM Failover Delay
            • Response Recovery
          • VM Monitoring
          
          
          

   2. Metadata that is not migrated

      • Tasks
      • Events
      • vCenter definitions that do not exist in the destination vCenter (regardless of SSO), such as:
        • vSphere Tags
        • Custom Attributes
        • Permissions
      • vCenter per VM Performance History: this is local to the VC, new stats will be collected once the VM starts in the destination vCenter.
      • vCenter Server Folder: This does not move, it is a VC Object. VMs are manually placed into a Folder, so it does not get moved. A new Folder needs to be specified in the destination VC.
      • vApp Membership: Membership is not moved to the new VC.
      • Per VM Configuration
      VM Storage Policies per VMDK: This may or may not persist as the policy may or may not exist on the target VC

Additional Information

• For more information about cross vCenter Server vMotion, refer to:
  • Network Compatibility Checks During vMotion Between vCenter Server Instances
  • MAC Address Management During Migration Between vCenter Server Systems
• For information related to installing vCenter Server in Enhanced Linked Mode, see vCenter Enhanced Linked Mode for vCenter Server Appliance.
• For other related information, see vMotion between VDS/VSS and NSX-T virtual switch.