VMware vCenter Converter Standalone is a powerful tool for converting physical machines, virtual machines, and other system images into VMware virtual machines. However, when attempting to convert a live Linux source machine, administrators often encounter a frustrating roadblock: the converter fails to query the source machine. This typically manifests as an error during the "Query Source Machine" phase, with messages like:
Ensure Default requiretty is commented out if it exists, as it prevents non-interactive shells from using sudo. 4. Check for Disk and Filesystem Errors The Problem: VMware Converter expects every source file
Security-Enhanced Linux (SELinux) often blocks the VMware Converter agent from executing binaries or accessing kernel-level information required for the query. The Problem: VMware Converter expects every source file
The Problem: VMware Converter expects every source file system to map to a single, unique mount point. If you have a single disk device mounted in multiple directories (like a disk bound to / and at the same time to a directory under /var), the partition analysis logic breaks. The Problem: VMware Converter expects every source file
During the query phase, the Converter attempts to write a small script/binary to the /tmp directory on the Linux source and execute it.
The helper binary vmware-converter-helper has a diagnostic mode: