vMotion failed with the error 'AH related spec cannot be applied to proposed config.'

Products

• VMware vCenter Server

Issue/Introduction

When attempting to perform a live vMotion of a VM from one host to another, the operation fails with the error 'AH related spec cannot be applied to proposed config'. This indicates that the target host does not support the same advanced hardware features required by the VM.

/var/log/vmware/vpxd/vpxd.log will show similar messages:

YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS.019Z warning vpxd[xxxxx] [Originator@6876 sub=Vmomi opID=lzhckuuu-xxxxxxx-auto-yyyyy-h5:] VMOMI activation LRO failed; <<xxxxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxx, <TCP '127.0.0.1 : 8085'>, <TCP '127.0.0.1 : 37432'>>, vm-1234, vim.VirtualMachine.relocate, <vim.version.v8_0_3_0, internal, 8.0.3.0>, (null)>, N3Vim5Fault12InvalidState9ExceptionE(Fault cause: vim.fault.InvalidState
--> )

--> (vim.fault.InvalidState) {
-->    faultCause = (vmodl.MethodFault) null, 
-->    faultMessage = (vmodl.LocalizableMessage) [
-->       (vmodl.LocalizableMessage) {
-->          key = "AH related spec cannot be applied to proposed config.", 
-->          arg = <unset>, 
-->          message = <unset>
-->       }
-->    ]
-->    msg = ""
--> }

YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS.019Z warning vpxd[xxxxxx] [Originator@6876 sub=drmLogger opID=CdrsLoadBalancer-zzzzzzz] VM [vim.VirtualMachine:vm-1234,DC1]: On-host overheadLimit (263) is larger than the DRS-generated value (259).

Environment

VMware vSphere ESXi 7.x

VMware vSphere ESXi 8.x

Cause

The VM is in an invalid state due to an issue with the overhead stats in the config cache.

Resolution

1. Ensure the virtual machine is powered off to avoid data loss during the process.

2. Disable Distributed Resource Scheduler (DRS) to prevent automatic rebalancing from interfering with the re-registration process. This is a crucial step to prevent conflicts and unexpected behavior.

3. Un-register the VM from its current host by right-clicking the VM in vCenter and selecting "Remove from Inventory"

4. Navigate to the datastore where the VM's files are located and re-register the VM on a different host that meets the required hardware specifications.

5. Re-enable DRS and set it back to its original configuration.

6. Power the VM back on after successful re-registration.

7. Attempt vMotion again.

Additional Information

For additional support, please reach out to Broadcom Support.