HCX Bulk or RAV migration creates additional folders named [<VM_name>_1] or [<VM_name>_<UNIX_timestamp>] on the destination datastore

Products

• VMware HCX

Issue/Introduction

• The Replication Assisted vMotion (RAV) or Bulk Migration completes successfully.
• Upon inspecting the destination datastore, additional folders named [<VM_name>_1] or [<VM_name>_<UNIX_timestamp>] are observed alongside the expected [<VM_name>] folder.
  

Environment

VMware HCX

Cause

• This is the expected behavior according to the current product design.

By appending a timestamp to the destination folder on specific VMs, HCX ensures that if you migrate the same VM multiple times (e.g., after a failed attempt or a rollback), the new files do not conflict with "leftover" files from previous attempts.

 

Resolution

No action is required.

• If you wish to consolidate the files into a single VM folder structure, consider performing a Storage vMotion to a different datastore.

  • Right-click the migrated VM in vCenter.

  • Select Migrate > Change storage only.

  • Move the VM to a different datastore.

  • vCenter will automatically rename the folder and the .vmdk files to match the current Virtual Machine Inventory name during the move.