VMware vSphere Web Client - migrate option greyed out

[Ty1on]

When selecting a VM to migrate the option to migrate is greyed out.  In fact, Power On, Migrate, Revert to Current Snapshot are greyed out.  I would like to migrate this VM to another host and datastore.

ESXi version 5.1.0 build 1021289

VMware vCenter Server, 5.1.0 build 947673

I've migrated 154 VMs and out of the 154 VMs migrated approximately a dozen VMs would not allow for live migrations(migrate... option greyed out).  I could not identify any commonality between the dozen VMs that did not allow for live migrations.

I really need to migrate this VM in a live state if at all possible.

When vCenter checks to see if a VM is a valid candidate to migrate, what does it check for because the migrate option is NOT grey for about a second before it becomes greyed out?

[bakesale]

Bump, I too am seeing the exact same issue. 

[peetz]

There is probably some VM configuration in place that prevents vMotion.

Please check Virtual Machine Configuration Requirements for vMotion in the vSphere Client.

Do these VMs e.g. use raw disks?

Can you post the configuration settings of one of these VMs?

- Andreas

[STM256]

Thank you Andreas,

That was the case for me. The VM i tried to power on was using a port group that don't seem to exist anymore, or at least it could not be found on the host the VM was located.

I didn't see any error messages so i was a bit confused, especially since i had it powered on before. That may have been on another host in the cluster though.

Kind regards,

Simon

[leoliu114]

Hi, Guys

I got the same problem here as well. However, when I use VC client instead of Web Client, the "Migrate" button there is available. It is just greyed out only in Web Client...

My environment is ESXi 5.5 with vCenter 5.5, VM version is 9.0

Appreciated all the helps here~~~

Leo

[brisbrain]

Hi,

Just wondered if anyone has had any luck resolving this issue.

Seeing the exact same issue in our 5.1 environment with VMs that are both version 7 & 9

Regards,

Brian

[dbilbo]

Also just had this issue using 5.1. Trying to live storage and host vmotion with the web client.  The thick vsphere client does not have the migrate option greyed out but the web client does.  I remembered we have netbackup that uses change block tracking feature in vmware and sometimes the migrate option is greyed out when the vm is powered off. We have to remove from inventory and add it back or run another backup to have the migrate option open again.  I did not want to power off the vm, so from netbackup I did a manual incremental backup.  Which should not take that long.  Then I looked in the web client but the migrate option was greyed out still.  I am using ie8 and decided to delete all browsing history (cookies, etc), then closed and restarted ie.  I logged back into vsphere web client and the vmotion option was open again and was able live storage and host vmotion.  I had to do this twice.  I think, in our case, it has something to do with the change block tracking.  Maybe this helps.

[dbilbo]

Wanted to add to my other post and clarify that I did not have to clear the browser history (cookies,etc).  After I did a netbackup manual incremental (which uses change block tracking) on the vm that had the migrate option greyed out in the webclient, I just refreshed the vsphere web client web page and the vm that had the migrate greyed out was opened and I could do the host and datastore live migration from the web client.

[VaseemMohammed]

I was also facing the same problem.

The browser was Firefox and the "Client Integration Plugin" was not loaded.

Once it was enabled, option where available to use.

Hope this helps.

[shanfitz]

I saw this same scenario today in my environment...running vCenter VCSA 6.0 U1b and a 5.5U3 host...initially, I tried to put the host in Maintenance Mode and DRS began migrating VMs...received an error about one of the VMs DRS tried to migrate, so I canceled the "enter Maintenance Mode" task...after doing this, I noticed 3 of the VMs remaining had the "migrate" option grayed out, while 2 VMs allowed me to manually migrate...as I was researching this issue, I came across this discussion and checked my thick client...yes, migrate option was available there...while continuing to look, I saw in my Web Client that the 3 "problem" VMs were trying to migrate again (which failed)...this reminded me that I have it configured to attempt migrations 3 times...once these "problem" VMs failed migrating 3 times, I checked them again, and the option to manually migrate them was again available in the Web Client.  I was then able to successfully migrate each of the VMs from this host and then place the host into Maintenance Mode.

Anyway, I know this is an older thread, but thought I would post my findings should it be able to help someone else down the road...

Shannon

[Mauro Bonder]

please check this KB VMware KB: Troubleshooting when virtual machine options are grayed out in vSphere Client

[MrSPN]

Thank you  - This article solved my problem. Not sure how my permissions got removed, but I had to add my Admin Vsphere account to have admin permissions for the VM.  I was then able to migrate.

[Skampie]

Hi All,

has there ever been someone who has realy found a solution because this issue is stil occuring.

I'm pretty new to VMware and i stumbled on this thread but the possible solutions further down this thread do not seem to work for me.

it's pretty strange this behaviour and also random. Most of the Vm's are functioning okay but some of them cannot be migrated from the webclient but can by the thick client. These are all very different vm's.

so if someone was lucky enough or clever enough to solve this, plz respond to this thread and share the solution.

greetz Peter

[azlans27]

I also have same problem with you bro. Exactly same. I migrated the VM with vSphere Client to ESXi 6.0 from ESXi 5.5 but the problem is still there; migrate option is greyed out in web client.

Waiting for someone to share solution in this thread.

[anwarbfr]

Hello,

Any updates please about this problem of grayed migrate option.

my vcsa  version is 6.5

My  all  esxi version is 6.0

no job backup running

migration ok for some VMs but not ok for other VM.

migration not ok with the HTML5

Thanks,

[pparkerii]

I resolved this by removing from inventory, then browsing to the datastore where the config file (vmx) is stored - which I looked up PRIOR TO REMOVING FROM INVENTORY - Edit guest, go to options tab and take note of the virtual machine config file path and file name.

Remove from inventory (do not delete)

Browse to datastore and folder

right click on the vmx file and choose Add to inventory

Go thru the wizard and choose a resource folder (I selected a different resource folder from the original resource folder in case that folder was my issue (called retired servers).

It worked like a charm for me.

[jsnyder]

I found an easier fix to this issue.  Disconnect the host from vCenter, remove the host and then add the host back.  After that we were able to finish our storage vmotions.

[KERRvmware]

We found the issue was that the VM was already being vmotioned, but the vsphere console wasn't showing the task. Had to use Get-Task to see it. Pity, the old fat vpshere client never had these issues.

[sdahiya17]

I too faced the same issue in vSphere 6.5 Web Client.

Then I launched HTML5 vSphere client and I got the option to migrate and vmotion completed successfully.

Strange that in Web client Migrate option was greyed out for only 1 virtual machine

[BerndtSchumann]

I have also seen similar behavior differing between the client version, and the HTML5 client did help me, too. Unfortunately, I have not been able to figure out the root cause.

[Vijay2027]

In my case I had to clean up vCenter server Database as per the below KB article:

https://kb.vmware.com/s/article/2044369