Unable to convert a VMware virtual machine snapshot to a memory dump
Article ID: 379821
Updated On:
Products
Issue/Introduction
Converting a VMware virtual machine snapshot to a memory dump with vmss2core.exe fails with the following error :
Unrecognized .vmss file (magic 4f434e45)
Example:
#vmss2core.exe -W8 snapshot.vmsn snapshot.vmem
vmss2core version 8456865 Copyright (C) 1998-2017 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved.
Unrecognized .vmss file (magic 4f434e45).
Environment
VMware vSphere 8.x
Cause
This issue occurs because the virtual machine is encrypted.
When a snaphot with memory is taken, vmem file is also encrypted.
Resolution
- Decrypt VM
Decrypt an Encrypted Virtual Machine or Virtual Disk
- Take a new snapshot and convert the snapshot file to a memory dump with the vmss2core tool
https://knowledge.broadcom.com/external/article?articleNumber=181598
- Re-encrypt VM
Encrypt an Existing Virtual Machine or Virtual Disk
Additional Information
If the VM can be suspended, follow the resolution steps in KB: Converting VMEM & VMSS Files From an Encrypted VM
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