"The virtual machine requires hardware features that are unsupported or disabled on the target host" when migrating a virtual machine

Products

• VMware vCenter Server
• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

Symptoms:
Migrating a Virtual Machine from one host to another host fails with the below error message :
The virtual machine requires hardware features that are unsupported or disabled on the target host. If possible, use a cluster with Enhanced vMotion Compatibility enabled (EVC)
CPUID details: incompatibility at level 0xx register 'xxx'
Host bits: xxxx:xxxx:xxxx:xxxx:xxxx:xxxx:xxxx:xxxx
Required: xxxx:xxxx:xxxx:xxxx:xxxx:xxxx:xxxx:xxxx


 

Environment

VMware vSphere ESXi 6.5
VMware vSphere ESXi 6.7
VMware vSphere ESXi 7.0VMware vCenter Server 6.7.x
VMware vCenter Server 6.5.x
VMware vCenter Server 7.0x

Cause

This issue occurs because the target host does not provide the same or greater level of CPU features as the source host. Typically, this is because the destination host uses an older CPU family, an older revision of the same CPU family, or the destination host CPU is from a different manufacturer.

In the absence of Enhanced vMotion Compatibility (EVC), virtual machines cannot be migrated to hosts whose CPUs do not provide the same or greater capability and features. When a VM is powered on, it will consume all available CPU features and capabilities on the origin host. These cannot be removed transparently and thus the absence of equivalent or superior features or capabilities on the destination host will cause vMotion migrations to fail.

Resolution

1. Power down the VM and migrate it to the desired target before powering back on(i.e. Cold Migration).
2. To Configure EVC on the cluster
   • VMware Documentation (v6.7 and later) - Enable EVC on an Existing Cluster
   • For more information about EVC support and implications, see VMware EVC and CPU Compatibility FAQ (313545) process support

Note:  Until you power-off and then power on the Virtual Machine new features are not available to the Virtual Machine and cannot access any new features that are added until the Virtual Machine is power-off. A reboot of the guest is not sufficient. 

• Refer to the following link for steps to configure EVC mode, “The target host does not support the virtual machine’s current hardware requirements” error vMotioning a VM (318962).

Workaround:
In the case of a specific VM see KB Virtual machine migration fails due to EVC mode mismatch (344646) for a solution.

Additional Information

EVC and CPU Compatibility FAQ (313545)