VM Clone from Azure to vSphere using Converter fails at 1% with NFC_NETWORK_ERROR

Products

• VMware vCenter Server

Issue/Introduction

• Attempting to clone a Virtual Machine from Microsoft Azure to a VMware vSphere environment using VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 9.x, the task fails at 1%.
• %ALLUSERSPROFILE%\VMware\VMware vCenter Converter Standalone\vmware-converter-worker.log contains the following error sequence:

[NFC ERROR]NfcNetTcpSetError: Unexpected EOF
[NFC ERROR]NfcNetTcpRead: EOF should not be reached
[NFC ERROR]NfcNet_Recv: requested 264, received only 0 bytes
[NFC ERROR]NfcGetMessage: NfcNet_Recv failed: NFC_NETWORK_ERROR

Environment

VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 9.0

Cause

This issue occurs due to environmental network limitations that prevent direct communication between the source VM in Azure and the destination ESXi host in the vSphere environment.

By default, the Converter Standalone client facilitates a direct Network File Copy (NFC) connection between the source and the destination. If the source VM cannot reach the destination ESXi host directly on TCP port 902, the NFC handshake fails during the data transfer phase.

Resolution

To resolve this issue, use the Proxy Mode feature in VMware vCenter Converter Standalone. This configuration forces the data traffic to route through the Converter Standalone Server machine rather than requiring a direct connection from the source VM to the ESXi host. Refer to Remote Hot Cloning of Powered Оn Source Machines That Are Running Windows

Proceed with the steps below:

1. Launch the VMware vCenter Converter Standalone wizard.
2. Proceed through the Source System and Destination System configuration steps.
3. On the Destination page, or within the Options section (depending on the specific version layout), locate and select the checkbox for Use proxy mode. 
4. Review the Network Settings to ensure that the machine running the Converter Standalone Server has the following ports open to the destination vCenter and ESXi hosts:
   TCP 443 (vCenter Server)
   TCP 902 (ESXi Hosts)
5. Complete the wizard and start the conversion task.

Additional Information

For more detailed information on configuring managed destinations and proxy settings, refer to the Tech Doc