Vmware Standalone Converter Unable To Query The Live Linux Source Machine Full May 2026
Advanced Troubleshooting Steps
If the above steps do not resolve the issue, try the following advanced troubleshooting steps:
Ensure tar, gzip, and grep are installed.
For RHEL/CentOS:
yum
When VMware Standalone Converter fails with "Unable to query the live Linux source machine," it usually means
the Converter worker service cannot successfully execute its discovery scripts on your Linux machine via SSH Broadcom Community Quick Fixes for Common Blockers Check these high-probability issues first: No-Password Sudo : The account you provide must have passwordless sudo privileges
for all commands. Converter often fails because it cannot interactively answer a sudo password prompt. your_user ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD: ALL /etc/sudoers file using Exec Permissions on /tmp : Converter uploads and executes scripts in the source's directory. If is mounted with the flag, discovery will fail. : Temporarily remount it: mount -o remount,exec /tmp Bash Profile "Echo" Statements Advanced Troubleshooting Steps If the above steps do
statements, they can break the SFTP/SCP connection used by Converter to transfer files.
: Comment out any visual echo output in your shell configuration files. Broadcom Community Structural & Disk Issues
If permissions are correct, the issue might be how your disks are mounted: Duplicate Mount Points : If a single device (e.g.,
) is mounted to multiple directories, Converter often gets confused and cannot map the volumes. Unmount any duplicate mounts before starting. Unsupported Volume Managers : Converter primarily recognizes standard partitions and
. Software RAID, ZFS, or proprietary volume managers may prevent the query from completing. Shell Assignment : Ensure the user account has a functional shell like assigned in /etc/passwd . Accounts set to /sbin/nologin When VMware Standalone Converter fails with "Unable to
(if not aliased to bash) can cause "bad interpreter" errors. Broadcom Community
The "Unable to query the live Linux source machine" error in VMware vCenter Converter Standalone usually happens because the tool cannot gather hardware information via SSH or execute its required "sysinfo" scripts. 1. Fix Multiple Mount Points (Critical) Converter expects each source file system to have exactly one unique mount point : If a single device (e.g., ) is mounted in two places (like /mnt/backup ), the volume analysis fails. : Check your mount points with the command and
any duplicate or extra entries before starting the conversion. 2. Solve Execution Permissions in The Converter copies a script to the source's directory to gather system info. If is mounted with the flag, the script will fail to run. Fix A (Remount) : Temporarily remount with execution rights: mount -o remount,rw,exec /tmp Fix B (Change Path) : On the Windows machine running Converter, edit the converter-worker.xml file (found in C:\ProgramData\VMware\VMware vCenter Converter Standalone\ ). Uncomment the
scripts output text (like a "Welcome" message), it can break the automated query. Comment out any Root Login PermitRootLogin yes /etc/ssh/sshd_config Shell Assignment : Ensure the user has a valid shell like assigned in /etc/passwd , rather than /sbin/nologin 4. Network and Firewall Check
Linux P2V issue: unable to query the live Linux source machine If the above steps fail, the logs will
Here’s a detailed content piece covering the error “VMware Standalone Converter unable to query the live Linux source machine (full)” , including causes, symptoms, and step-by-step solutions.
If the above steps fail, the logs will reveal the exact command that is failing.
On the Linux Source Machine:
Look at the system logs or the specific converter logs located typically at:
/var/log/vmware-vcenter-converter-standalone-agent/converter-agent.log
On the Windows Converter Machine:
Check the Worker logs:
C:\ProgramData\VMware\VMware vCenter Converter Standalone\Logs\converter-worker.log
What to look for:
nc source_ip 9000 | gunzip -c | vmkfstools -A lsilogic -c 2GB output.vmdk
If full query fails, you can try agentless conversion for simple disk cloning, but this is rarely successful for full system conversion.