"Replace a process level token' privilege" error during Pre-Check when migrating to VC 6.5

Products

• VMware vCenter Server

Issue/Introduction

This article provides information on how to assign the Replace a process level token privilege to the user performing the upgrade.

Symptoms:

• When migrating a vCenter Server 6.0 installed on Windows to the vCenter Server Appliance 6.5, pre-check fails with the error:
  User running the upgrade does not have 'Replace a process level token' privilege  

• In the runner.log file, you see entries similar to:
  "requirementMismatchSpecs": [
  {
  "text": {
  "id": "common.error.windows.missing_privilege.text",
  "localized": "User running the upgrade does not have 'Replace a process level token' privilege.",
  "translatable": "User running the upgrade does not have 'Replace a process level token' privilege."

Environment

VMware vCenter Server Appliance 6.0.x
VMware vCenter Server 6.0.x
VMware vCenter Server 5.5.x
VMware vCenter Server 6.5.x
VMware vCenter Server Appliance 6.5.x

Cause

This issue occurs when the user running the migration does not have Replace a process level token privilege.

Resolution

To resolve this issue, assign Replace a process level token permissions to the user performing the upgrade. For more information on this permissions, see the Microsoft TechNet article Replace a process level token.

Additional Information

If the vCenter Server service is running in a user account other than the Local System account, verify that the user account has these permissions:

• Member of the Administrators group
• Log on as a service
• Act as part of the operating system (if the user is a domain user)
• Replace a process level token