Error: spec.url is not correct - HCX RAV Migration Hangs at Event 32

Products

• VMware HCX

Issue/Introduction

HCX Replication Assisted vMotion (RAV) migration fails during the switchover phase. The migration hangs at Event 32.

• Migration status displays: "Event 32. Creating placeholder VM for switchover at target side."
• /common/logs/admin/app.log on the Cloud Manager shows: 

  ERROR c.v.v.h.a.vcenter.VcConnection- Error Logging onto VCenter:https://<ESXi-IP> User:USERNAME_PLACEHOLDER, me
  ssage: java.net.SocketTimeoutException: Read timed out
  INFO  c.v.v.h.a.v.HostFileOperationsFacet-  The download URL for the file is https://null/folder/########-####-####-####-############/####.vmx?dsName=######
  WARN  c.v.h.s.rav.jobs.CreateImageWorkflow- [migId=########-####-####-####-############] Unable to download vmx.
  com.vmware.vim.binding.vmodl.fault.InvalidArgument: A specified parameter was not correct: spec.url

Environment

• VMware HCX 4.11.x
• VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF)

Cause

The target ESXi host is in an unhealthy or unresponsive state. The hostd service on the destination host is not responding to SOAP requests, preventing HCX from retrieving the VMX file required to create the placeholder VM.

Resolution

1. Verify the health of the destination ESXi host identified in the migration logs.
2. Attempt to SSH or access the host console (DCUI). If the console hangs after entering credentials, the hostd service is likely unresponsive.
3. Restart management agents on the ESXi host or reboot the host if it is unresponsive.
4. Once the host is healthy, perform a Force Cleanup on the HCX migration group.
5. Retry the migration.

If you believe you have encountered this issue, gather the host logs and open a support case with Broadcom Support specifically with the ESX team to investigate the root cause of the host unresponsiveness. 

For more information, see Creating and managing Broadcom support cases.

Additional Information

HCX Health Check and Best Practices