Required VMware vCenter Converter ports

Products

VMware vSphere ESXi VMware vCenter Server

Issue/Introduction

This article describes the ports required to be open for VMware vCenter Converter.

Following the article and ensuring the ports are open ensures that common firewall configurations in the environment are compatible with Converter.

These errors can be seen which can indicate blocked ports:

Unable to contact the specified host
The host is not available, there is a network configuration problem, or the management services on the host are not responding
Failed to connect to peer
Error: Failed to connect to server
The operation failed
Incorrect user credentials
Unable to SSH to the source machine
Please check if a firewall is blocking access to the SSH daemon on the source machine
Failed to clone the volume
Unable to connect
FAILED: The request refers to an unexpected or unknown type
Failed to connect ISO image to remote VM
FAILED: unable to obtain the IP address of the helper virtual machine
SSH: Could not resolve hostname
Name or service not known
FAILED: An error occurred during the conversion
Unable to obtain IP address of helper virtual machine
A general system error occurred: unknown internal error
A file I/O error occurred while accessing

Environment

VMware vCenter Converter

Resolution

VMware vCenter Converter fails if one or more required ports are blocked. Follow the section that matches the conversion scenario.

In this article, these terms are used:

Source computer	The physical or virtual machine that is being converted.
Converter server	The server portion of VMware vCenter Converter. In a typical installation, both the Converter server and Converter client are installed at the same location. By default, this is the installation method that is used.
Converter client	The client portion of VMware vCenter Converter. In a custom installation, the Converter client can be installed to a different computer than the Converter server.
vCenter Server	The vCenter Server computer that is being used as the conversion destination, if such was chosen.
ESXi	The VMware ESXi host that is being used as the conversion destination, if one is chosen, or the ESXi host that is hosting the target virtual machine.
Fileshare path	The path to a virtual machine's `.vmx` file, if the source is an existing or standalone virtual machine, or the path to a directory if the destination is to be a standalone virtual machine.
Standalone virtual machine	A virtual machine that is being managed by a VMware product other than VMware ESXi.
Helper virtual machine	When converting a powered on Linux operating system (P2V), this is the target virtual machine that is being used temporarily for the purpose of copying files from the source computer. It uses the TCP/IP information that is entered in the Converter wizard for the target virtual machine. Ensure that this IP address can communicate directly with the source computer.

Notes:

After performing a corrective action, determine if the problems initially encountered are still being experienced.
To test port connectivity, do so from a command or shell prompt. For more information, see Opening a command or shell prompt.
To test TCP port connectivity use the telnet command. For more information, see Testing port connectivity with Telnet.
To test UDP port connectivity from Linux or MacOS use the traceroute command. For more information, see a traceroute man page.
To test UDP port connectivity from Windows use the Portqry utility. For more information, see the Microsoft Knowledge Base article 310099.
For powered-on Windows conversions to vCenter destinations, Proxy Mode feature in Converter 6.0 is introduced. By selecting this option, no direct connectivity is required from the source machine to the destination ESX host.

Converting a powered on Windows operating system (P2V)

Source	Destination	TCP Ports	UDP Ports	Notes
Converter server	Source computer	445, 139, 9089 or9090	137, 138	If the source computer uses NetBIOS, port 445 is not required. If NetBIOS is not being used, ports 137, 138, and 139 are not required. If in doubt, ensure that none of the ports are blocked. Port 9089 is used for Converter Standalone versions and 9090 issued for the Converter plugin. Note: Unless the Converter server is installed on the source computer, the account used for authentication to the source computer must have a password, the source computer must have network file sharing enabled, and it cannot be using Simple File Sharing.
Converter server	vCenter Server	443		Only required if the conversion target is vCenter Server.
Converter client	Converter server	443		Only required if a custom installation was performed and the Converter server and client portions are on different computers.
Source computer	ESXi	443, 902		If the conversion destination is vCenter Server, only port 902 is required from the source to the ESXi host management IP.

Converting a powered on Linux operating system (P2V)

Note: These are the default ports. If custom ports were used when installing vCenter Server, these will need to be changed to match the environment.

Source	Destination	TCP Ports	Notes
Converter server	Source computer	22	The Converter server must be able to establish an SSH connection with the source computer.
Converter client	Converter server	443	Only required if a custom installation was performed and the Converter server and client portions are on different computers.
Converter server	vCenter Server	443	Only required if the conversion target is vCenter Server.
Converter server	ESXi	443, 902, 903	If the conversion destination is vCenter Server, only port 902 is required from the source to the ESXi host management IP.
Converter server	Helper virtual machine	443
Helper virtual machine	Source computer	22	The helper virtual machine must be able to establish an SSH connection with the source computer. By default the helper virtual machine gets its IP address assigned by DHCP. If there is no DHCP server available on the network chosen for the target virtual machine, manually assign it an IP address.

Converting an existing virtual machine (V2V)

Note: These are the default ports. If custom ports were used when installing vCenter Server, these will need to be changed to match the environment.

Source	Destination	TCP Ports	UDP Ports	Notes
Converter server	Fileshare path	445, 139	137, 138	This is only required for standalone virtual machine sources or destinations. If the computer hosting the source or destination path uses NetBIOS, port 445 is not required. If NetBIOS is not being used, ports 137, 138, and 139 are not required. If in doubt, ensure that none of the ports are blocked.
Converter client	Converter server	443		Only required if a custom installation was performed and the Converter server and client portions are on different computers.
Converter server	vCenter Server	443		Only required if the target is vCenter Server.
Converter server	ESXi	443, 902		If the conversion destination is vCenter Server, only port 902 is required from the source to the ESXi host management IP.