Cross vCenter vMotion failed with error: "Destination host did not receive data from the source host on the vMotion network"

Products

• VMware vCenter Server
• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

Cross vCenter vMotion may fail due with the following network unreachable error message:

The vMotion failed because the destination host did not receive data from the source host on the vMotion network. Please check your vMotion network settings and physical network configuration and ensure they are correct. Migration [######:#######] failed to connect to remote host <##.#.##.###> from host <##.#.##.##>: Network unreachable. vMotion migration [######:########] failed to create a connection with remote host <##.#.##.###>: The ESX hosts failed to connect over the VMotion network The vMotion migrations failed because the ESX hosts were not able to connect over the vMotion network. Check the vMotion network settings and physical network configuration. 

Environment

VMware vCenter Server 
VMware vSphere ESXi

Cause

This issue can occur if the vMotion vmkernel is configured on the vMotion TCP/IP stack, but the gateway address is not configured under TCP/IP Configuration. 

Resolution

Configure a gateway address for the vMotion stack under TCP/IP Configuration.

1. Login to the vSphere Client 
2. Select a host in inventory
3. Click on the Configure tab
4. Select TCP/IP Configuration under the Networking menu
5. Verify the vMotion stack is listed and the proper gateway address is listed. 
   1. If not configured, select the kebab menu and select Edit
   2. Enter the gateway within the VMkernel gateway box.
6. Repeat steps 2-5 on each host in the cluster. 

Additional Information

For more information regarding configuring TCP/IP stack configuration on ESXI hosts, please refer: Change the Configuration of a TCP/IP Stack on a Host