Hey everyone! I'm trying to move a LUKS-encrypted virtual machine from a Proxmox server to VMware ESXi. I exported the VM as an OVA using a script, but I ran into some trouble during the import process. Specifically, after importing the OVA, I'm not being asked for the LUKS disk decryption passphrase. I'm curious if anyone else has faced a similar issue and how to possibly resolve it. Should I consider using Clonezilla or something else to copy the disk on Proxmox and re-export it? I'd appreciate any guidance! Here's the error message that's showing up:
`337.2156131 dracut-initqueue[857]: Warning: dracut-initqueue timeout - starting timeout scripts`
`338.0234691 dracut-initqueue[857]: Warning: dracut-initqueue timeout - starting timeout scripts`
`338.8116001 dracut-initqueue[857]: Warning: dracut-initqueue timeout - starting timeout scripts`
`Warning: Could not boot.`
`Starting Setup Virtual Console...`
`Entering emergency mode. Exit the shell to continue.`
4 Answers
It seems your initramfs might not have VMware disk drivers included by default. Try adding the necessary VMware drivers to the dracut configuration before moving. Alternatively, boot with a live CD to access the VM and rebuild the initramfs—using a Red Hat install CD could help you with that. Since it was installed in Proxmox, it’s likely missing VMware drivers.
I haven't done that specifically, but I think the problem may stem from the OVA format. It's more like a template than a full VM export, which can mess with how devices are mounted. The UUIDs and MAC addresses change during the import process, leading to potential confusion with device IDs. Just my two cents!
Check the dracut configuration in your original VM. The UUIDs it’s looking for might not match in VMware. You can either update VMware to use the original device UUIDs or configure dracut to use stable partition labels instead.
You might want to try creating a new VM and just adding the OVA's virtual disk to it. Also, make sure to choose UEFI if that was the configuration in the original VM.
That makes sense! Thanks for the tip!