The LWD protected VM failed to be relocated cross vCenter(cold migration)

Products

• VMware vCenter Server
• VMware vCenter Server 8.0

Issue/Introduction

• A VM was relocated cross vCenter(cold migration), it's failed.
• The task was failed when the progress of vmdk copying reach 100%.
• Sometime, the host management agent hostd was crashed on the destination host.
• Some other VMs could be migrated.
• The VM was a LWD protected VM.

--VM_name.vmdk--
ddb.iofilters="spif:vmwarelwd"

Cause

This VM was protected by some data protection or backup software.

The LWD IO filter was attached to this VM by the data protection or backup solution.

On the destination vCenter, there was no such configuration.

Then the VM's vmdk was failed to be opened after it's copy to the destination host.

Resolution

As the VM will be moved to another vCenter, the LWD protection should be disabled before relocated operation.

1.Download the tool "lwd-cleanup-util.py" from KB344906.

"Putting ESXi into Maintenance mode, vMotioning or reconfiguring a VM fails due to the vmwarelwd ioFilter being attached"

2.Disable LWD protection for the VM plan to relocated

--List all LWD-protected VMs

# python ./lwd-cleanup-util.py -u '[email protected]' --list

--Disable LWD protection with a VM 

# python ./lwd-cleanup-util.py -u '[email protected]' -d -m VM_name

Note: It should be remove all snapshot of the VM before disable the LWD protection.

2.After disable LWD protection, migrate the VM to the target vCenter.