Replication Assisted vMotion(RAV) The target host does not support the virtual machine's current hardware requirements. com.vmware.net.feature.req.switchversion

Products

• VMware HCX

Issue/Introduction

An HCX Assisted vMotion migration fails during the switchover phase with a source-side relocate error. The migration task reports that the target host does not support the virtual machine’s current hardware requirements.

The error message observed is similar to the following:

“The target host does not support the virtual machine's current hardware requirements.
com.vmware.net.feature.req.switchversion: The destination virtual switch version or type (VDS 9.0.0) is different than the minimum required version or type (VDS 7.0.3) necessary to migrate VM from source virtual switch. (vim.fault.FeatureRequirementsNotMet)”

Environment

Vmware HCX

Cause

This error indicates a mismatch in the VMware Distributed Switch (VDS) version or type between the source and destination environments, which prevents the VM from being successfully migrated using HCX Assisted vMotion. In this case:

• The source environment is using a VMware Distributed Switch (VDS) running an older version (for example, VDS 7.0.3).
• The destination environment is using a VMware Distributed Switch (VDS) running a newer version (for example, VDS 9.0.0).

Resolution

To resolve this issue, ensure that the VMware Distributed Switch (VDS) versions and types are compatible between the source and destination environments. This may require upgrading the source vCenter Server and its associated Distributed Switch to match the version used on the destination side.

However, such upgrades can introduce additional considerations and dependencies, particularly if the existing environment is running on older hardware or has operational constraints. In scenarios where the customer is deploying a new VCF 9 environment to replace legacy infrastructure, aligning Distributed Switch versions may not be feasible without significant changes to the current setup. In such cases, the most practical approach may be to enable Hybrid Mode on the vCenter Server, which allows migration between different vDS versions by bypassing strict switch version validation.

For detailed guidance, refer to the Workaround section of the referenced vCenter KB article: Migrating a virtual machine between two different vDS versions.