VCP-DCV vSphere Architecture, Products and Solutions Practice Question
An administrator attempts to vMotion a powered-on VM from ESXi host A to host B. The vMotion fails with the error: 'the destination host does not have access to the virtual machine's network'. The VM is connected to a standard switch on host A with a VLAN ID 100. Host B is connected to a VDS that also has a portgroup with VLAN ID 100. What is the most likely cause?
⚠ Common exam trap
It's easy for candidates to assume matching VLAN IDs alone ensure network compatibility, overlooking that vMotion requires identical network switch types (standard-to-standard or VDS-to-VDS) for the migration to proceed.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The VM is using a standard switch while host B uses a VDS
The error 'the destination host does not have access to the virtual machine's network' occurs because vMotion requires network compatibility between source and destination hosts. Since the VM is connected to a standard switch on host A, but host B only has a VDS with a similarly named portgroup, the vMotion fails because standard switches and VDS are separate network constructs and cannot be directly mapped during a vMotion operation. The VLAN ID being identical is irrelevant because the network object types (standard vs. distributed) must match for the migration to succeed.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
The VM is using a standard switch while host B uses a VDS
Why this is correct
vMotion requires the source and destination to have the same network label; standard and VDS are different.
- ✗
The VM is connected to a network that is not present on the destination host
Why it's wrong here
The network is present on host B, but the type mismatch prevents recognition.
- ✗
Host B does not have the correct MTU set
Why it's wrong here
MTU mismatch would cause different errors, not network access.
- ✗
Host B does not have the correct VLAN configuration
Why it's wrong here
Host B has the same VLAN ID, so VLAN is correct.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This VCP-DCV practice question is part of Courseiva's free VMware certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the VCP-DCV exam.