Migrating VMs with attached RDMs fails with the error "Storage vMotion failed to create the destination disk /vmfs/volumes/DATASTORE_NAMEf/VM_NAME/VM

Products

VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

You are trying to migrate a VM with RDM disk(s) attached, keeping the RDM disk(s), not intending to convert the RDM into a vmdk.
The Storage vMotion is failing.
You see in the hostd logs entries similar to:

2024-10-11T06:02:48.113Z In(166) Hostd[2099101]: [Originator@6876 sub=Vcsvc.VMotionSrc.5321013267882353922] ResolveCb: Failed with fault: (vim.fault.GenericVmConfigFault) {
2024-10-11T06:02:48.113Z In(166) Hostd[2099069]: -->    faultMessage = (vmodl.LocalizableMessage) [
2024-10-11T06:02:48.113Z In(166) Hostd[2099069]: -->       (vmodl.LocalizableMessage) {
2024-10-11T06:02:48.113Z In(166) Hostd[2099069]: -->          key = "msg.svmotion.fail.internal",
2024-10-11T06:02:48.113Z In(166) Hostd[2099069]: -->          message = "A fatal internal error occurred. See the virtual machine's log for more details.",
2024-10-11T06:02:48.113Z In(166) Hostd[2099069]: -->       },
2024-10-11T06:02:48.113Z In(166) Hostd[2099069]: -->       (vmodl.LocalizableMessage) {
2024-10-11T06:02:48.113Z In(166) Hostd[2099069]: -->          key = "msg.svmotion.disk.createphase.fail",
2024-10-11T06:02:48.113Z In(166) Hostd[2099069]: -->          message = "Failed to create one or more destination disks.",
2024-10-11T06:02:48.113Z In(166) Hostd[2099069]: -->       },
2024-10-11T06:02:48.113Z In(166) Hostd[2099069]: -->       (vmodl.LocalizableMessage) {
2024-10-11T06:02:48.113Z In(166) Hostd[2099069]: -->          key = "msg.svmotion.destdisk.createfail",
2024-10-11T06:02:48.113Z In(166) Hostd[2099069]: -->          arg = (vmodl.KeyAnyValue) [
2024-10-11T06:02:48.113Z In(166) Hostd[2099069]: -->             (vmodl.KeyAnyValue) {
2024-10-11T06:02:48.113Z In(166) Hostd[2099069]: -->                key = "1",
2024-10-11T06:02:48.113Z In(166) Hostd[2099069]: -->                value = "/vmfs/volumes/61####52-f1####90-6##2-00########3b/testVMname/testVMname_2.vmdk"
2024-10-11T06:02:48.113Z In(166) Hostd[2099069]: -->             },
2024-10-11T06:02:48.113Z In(166) Hostd[2099069]: -->             (vmodl.KeyAnyValue) {
2024-10-11T06:02:48.113Z In(166) Hostd[2099069]: -->                key = "2",
2024-10-11T06:02:48.113Z In(166) Hostd[2099069]: -->                value = "The specified device is not a valid physical disk device"
2024-10-11T06:02:48.113Z In(166) Hostd[2099069]: -->             }
2024-10-11T06:02:48.113Z In(166) Hostd[2099069]: -->          ],
2024-10-11T06:02:48.113Z In(166) Hostd[2099069]: -->          message = "Storage vMotion failed to create the destination disk /vmfs/volumes/61####52-f1####90-6##2-00########3b/testVMname/testVMname_2.vmdk (The specified device is not a valid physical disk device).
2024-10-11T06:02:48.113Z In(166) Hostd[2099069]: --> "
2024-10-11T06:02:48.113Z In(166) Hostd[2099069]: -->       }
2024-10-11T06:02:48.113Z In(166) Hostd[2099069]: -->    ],
2024-10-11T06:02:48.113Z In(166) Hostd[2099069]: -->    reason = "A fatal internal error occurred. See the virtual machine's log for more details.",
2024-10-11T06:02:48.113Z In(166) Hostd[2099069]: -->    msg = "A fatal internal error occurred. See the virtual machine's log for more details.
2024-10-11T06:02:48.113Z In(166) Hostd[2099069]: --> Failed to create one or more destination disks.

You check the vml ID of the RDM LUN (step 1 in the Resolution section) and it doesn't match the vml ID seen in the RDM descriptor file (step 2 in the Resolution section).

Environment

VMware ESXi 7.0.x

VMware ESXi 8.0.x

Cause

The vml ID seen by the host may get changed after the RDM LUN mapping files are created. However, the vml ID recorded on the RDM mapping file will not change after the mapping file is created.

To migrate the VM this information has to be queried to be re-written, and upon querying the vml IDs related to these disks as the IDs have changed, the proper LUNs are not found, hence the migration error.

Resolution

How to identify if there is inconsistency:

1. To check the vml ID of a LUN seen by the host, with the naa ID of the LUN, run the command:

esxcli storage core device list -d naa.#######################

and look for the line with "Other UIDs: vml.###########################################################"

For example:

esxcli storage core device list -d naa.600a09803830########5275574d7572

naa.600a09803830########5275574d7572:
   Display Name: NETAPP iSCSI Disk (naa.600a09803830########5275574d7572)
   Has Settable Display Name: true
   Size: 20971520
   Device Type: Direct-Access
   Multipath Plugin: NMP
   Devfs Path: /vmfs/devices/disks/naa.600a09803830########5275574d7572
   Vendor: NETAPP
   Model: LUN C-Mode
   Revision: 9141
   SCSI Level: 6
   Is Pseudo: false
   Status: on
   Is RDM Capable: true
   Is Local: false
   Is Removable: false
   Is SSD: true
   Is VVOL PE: false
   Is Offline: false
   Is Perennially Reserved: false
   Queue Full Sample Size: 0
   Queue Full Threshold: 0
   Thin Provisioning Status: yes
   Attached Filters: VAAI_FILTER
   VAAI Status: supported
   Other UIDs: vml.0200690100600a09803830########5275574d75724c554e20432d
   Is Shared Clusterwide: true
   Is SAS: false
   Is USB: false
   Is Boot Device: false
   Device Max Queue Depth: 255
   No of outstanding IOs with competing worlds: 32
   Drive Type: unknown
   RAID Level: unknown
   Number of Physical Drives: unknown
   Protection Enabled: false
   PI Activated: false
   PI Type: 0
   PI Protection Mask: NO PROTECTION
   Supported Guard Types: NO GUARD SUPPORT
   DIX Enabled: false
   DIX Guard Type: NO GUARD SUPPORT
   Emulated DIX/DIF Enabled: false

2. To check the vml ID seen by the VM in the RDM descriptor file, browse into the VM folder and run:

vmkfstools -q /vmfs/volumes/DATASTORE_NAME/VM_NAME/VM_NAME.vmdk

For example, if the disk to be check was testVMname_2.vmdk:

vmkfstools -q /vmfs/volumes/61####52-f1####90-6##2-00########3b/testVMname/testVMname_2.vmdk
Disk /vmfs/volumes/61####52-f1####90-6##2-00########3b/testVMname/testVMname_2.vmdk is a Passthrough Raw Device Mapping
Maps to: vml.02007e010600a09803830########5275574d75724c554e20432d

3. Comparing the 2 vml IDs from the outputs above:

Other UIDs: vml.0200690100600a09803830########5275574d75724c554e20432d
Maps to: vml.02007e010600a09803830########5275574d75724c554e20432d

Note: In this case, the beginning of the vml IDs are different.

To correct the VML ID inconsistency:

Shut down the virtual machine where the RDM disk is incorrectly appearing.
Remove the RDM(s) from the virtual machine:
1. Right-click the virtual machine and click Edit Settings.
2. Note the SCSI device ID that the RDM disk is using (for example, SCSI 1:5).
3. Remove the RDM hard disk from the virtual machine, ensuring that the Delete from Disk option IS selected, and then click OK.
  
  Note: Unlike VMDK files, the Delete from Disk option does not delete the data on the disk, it only removes the RDM pointer files. Data on the RDM remains intact.
Re-attach the RDM disk(s) to the virtual machine in the same slot noted in step 2.

The vml ID in the RDM descriptor file will now match the vml ID seen currently by the host.

Additional Information

This issue can also arise when performing both compute and storage migration if the RDM LUN is presented to the target host with a different LUN ID.

Related information: