Migration Error: "The operation is not allowed in the current state"

Products

• VMware vCenter Server
• VMware vCenter Server 7.0

Issue/Introduction

When performing a vMotion migration operation, there is an error similar to:

 

Unable to migrate from <source server> to <destination server>: "The operation is not allowed in the current state".

 

The operation cannot be performed in the current state ("Powered on").  

 

vMotion may fail at 13% with error: executing callbacks

Environment

• VMware vCenter Server 7.x, 8.x
• VMware ESXi 7.x, 8.x

Cause

This issue occurs when there is a pending task to be completed on the ESXi host. [ example: host entering maintenance mode.]

 

 

Resolution

Before performing these steps, ensure no legitimate tasks (such as a scheduled snapshot or backup) are currently running.

1. Cancel Pending Tasks: Check the vSphere Client "Recent Tasks" pane. If a task related to the virtual machine or host appears stuck, right-click the task and select Cancel.

2. Restart VMware vCenter Server Service: SSH into the vCenter Server Appliance as root and run the following command: service-control --restart vmware-vpxd

3. Restart ESXi Management Agents: SSH into the affected ESXi host as root and restart the hostd and vpxa agents: /etc/init.d/hostd restart /etc/init.d/vpxa restart

4. Reconnect the ESXi Host: In the vSphere Client, right-click the ESXi host, select Disconnect, wait for the task to complete, then right-click the host and select Connect.

If these steps fail to resolve the issue, consult the product documentation to retrieve vCenter and ESXi logs for further analysis.

Additional Information

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Restarting the Management agents in ESXi