The most common cause is network filtering. Converter uses specific ports to communicate with the Linux agent.
VMware Converter Standalone has limited support for modern Linux distributions. The last major release (6.x) was primarily tested with:
The “Unable to query the live Linux source machine” error is vague but almost always environment-related. Start with the shell fix and SSH root access—that resolves 80% of cases. If not, methodically check dependencies and SELinux.
If the above steps fail, the logs will reveal the exact command that is failing. The most common cause is network filtering
To understand how to fix this error, it's helpful to first understand what happens behind the scenes when you click "Next" in the Converter wizard. When converting a powered-on Linux machine from a Windows machine:
Older revisions of VMware Standalone Converter rely on specific, legacy mechanisms ( hmac-sha1 , hmac-sha1-96 , or hmac-md5 ) to sign and manage automated actions over SSH. If the target environment's sshd_config strictly permits only modern hash mechanisms (like SHA-2 or SHA-3 variants), handshake routines timeout or disconnect.
The conversion process for a live Linux machine relies on the Converter Standalone agent being pushed to and executed on the source Linux host. This agent collects disk, partition, and OS configuration data. When the query fails, it indicates a breakdown in one or more of the following stages: The last major release (6
The Converter creates a temporary working directory under /tmp on the source Linux machine to extract and run its sysinfo utility. If there are problems writing to or executing files in this location, the query will fail.
VMware Standalone Converter is a popular tool used to convert physical machines to virtual machines (VMs) without requiring access to the vCenter Server. It's a handy utility for administrators who need to migrate physical servers to a virtual environment. However, like any complex software, it's not immune to errors. One such error that has been reported by several users is the inability to query the live Linux source machine.
: Unmount any duplicate mounts of the same device (e.g., if /dev/sda5 is mounted in two different locations) before starting the conversion. If the above steps fail, the logs will
: The source user should have /bin/bash as their default shell.
Are the on the same subnet? Which version of VMware Converter are you running?
) 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
(if not aliased to bash) can cause "bad interpreter" errors. Broadcom Community