Unable to perform vMotion between different clusters due to missing TCP/IP gateway

Products

• VMware vSphere ESXi
• VMware vCenter Server

Issue/Introduction

• When attempting to perform a vMotion between different cluster, the migration fails in both directions.
• Error observed as follows- '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. '

Environment

VMware vCenter Server

Cause

The issue is caused by a missing gateway address in the vMotion TCP/IP stack configuration. When vMotion traffic must travel between different network segments/subnets, the dedicated stack requires gateway to route traffic correctly. Additionally, an incorrect VLAN configuration at the port group level can contribute to initial connectivity failures.

Resolution

1. Verify Distributed Port Group VLAN Configuration

• Ensure the Distributed Port Group used for vMotion is configured with the correct VLAN ID.

• Confirm that the VLAN ID matches the configuration on the physical switch ports.

2.Configure the vMotion Gateway

• Log in to the vSphere Client.

• Navigate to:
  ESXi Host → Configure → Networking → TCP/IP configuration

• Select the vMotion TCP/IP stack and click Edit.

• In the IPv4 Gateway field, enter the correct gateway IP address for the vMotion network.

• Click OK to save the changes.

3. Validate Connectivity

• From the ESXi CLI, verify host connectivity using the vMotion stack:

  vmkping -I vmkX <Destination_vMotion_IP> -S vmotion

• Successful responses confirm proper routing and connectivity.

Additional Information

If you recreate the VMkernel adapter using the Default TCP/IP stack, it may appear to work because it inherits the default gateway; however, for performance and isolation, it is recommended to use the dedicated vMotion TCP/IP stack with its own correctly configured gateway.