diff --git a/plugins/hypervisors/vmware/src/main/java/com/cloud/hypervisor/vmware/manager/VmwareStorageManagerImpl.java b/plugins/hypervisors/vmware/src/main/java/com/cloud/hypervisor/vmware/manager/VmwareStorageManagerImpl.java
index 3e2b5a02f6c..a98032c7fdd 100644
--- a/plugins/hypervisors/vmware/src/main/java/com/cloud/hypervisor/vmware/manager/VmwareStorageManagerImpl.java
+++ b/plugins/hypervisors/vmware/src/main/java/com/cloud/hypervisor/vmware/manager/VmwareStorageManagerImpl.java
@@ -647,7 +647,8 @@ public class VmwareStorageManagerImpl implements VmwareStorageManager {
             }
 
             // 4 MB is the minimum requirement for VM memory in VMware
-            vmMo.cloneFromCurrentSnapshot(workerVmName, 0, 4, volumeDeviceInfo.second(), VmwareHelper.getDiskDeviceDatastore(volumeDeviceInfo.first()), null);
+            String vmxFormattedVirtualHardwareVersion = VirtualMachineMO.getVmxFormattedVirtualHardwareVersion(vmMo.getVirtualHardwareVersion());
+            vmMo.cloneFromCurrentSnapshot(workerVmName, 0, 4, volumeDeviceInfo.second(), VmwareHelper.getDiskDeviceDatastore(volumeDeviceInfo.first()), vmxFormattedVirtualHardwareVersion);
             clonedVm = vmMo.getRunningHost().findVmOnHyperHost(workerVmName);
             if (clonedVm == null) {
                 String msg = "Unable to create dummy VM to export volume. volume path: " + volumePath;
@@ -965,7 +966,8 @@ public class VmwareStorageManagerImpl implements VmwareStorageManager {
 
             if (clonedWorkerVMNeeded) {
                 // 4 MB is the minimum requirement for VM memory in VMware
-                vmMo.cloneFromCurrentSnapshot(workerVmName, 0, 4, volumeDeviceInfo.second(), VmwareHelper.getDiskDeviceDatastore(volumeDeviceInfo.first()), null);
+                String vmxFormattedVirtualHardwareVersion = VirtualMachineMO.getVmxFormattedVirtualHardwareVersion(vmMo.getVirtualHardwareVersion());
+                vmMo.cloneFromCurrentSnapshot(workerVmName, 0, 4, volumeDeviceInfo.second(), VmwareHelper.getDiskDeviceDatastore(volumeDeviceInfo.first()), vmxFormattedVirtualHardwareVersion);
                 clonedVm = vmMo.getRunningHost().findVmOnHyperHost(workerVmName);
                 if (clonedVm == null) {
                     String msg = "Unable to create dummy VM to export volume. volume path: " + volumePath;
diff --git a/vmware-base/src/main/java/com/cloud/hypervisor/vmware/mo/HypervisorHostHelper.java b/vmware-base/src/main/java/com/cloud/hypervisor/vmware/mo/HypervisorHostHelper.java
index 1b94ca881b4..3dd65e6c3a0 100644
--- a/vmware-base/src/main/java/com/cloud/hypervisor/vmware/mo/HypervisorHostHelper.java
+++ b/vmware-base/src/main/java/com/cloud/hypervisor/vmware/mo/HypervisorHostHelper.java
@@ -1637,7 +1637,7 @@ public class HypervisorHostHelper {
 
         return controllerSpec;
     }
-    public static VirtualMachineMO createWorkerVM(VmwareHypervisorHost hyperHost, DatastoreMO dsMo, String vmName, String hardwareVersion) throws Exception {
+    public static VirtualMachineMO createWorkerVM(VmwareHypervisorHost hyperHost, DatastoreMO dsMo, String vmName, String vmxFormattedHardwareVersion) throws Exception {
 
         // Allow worker VM to float within cluster so that we will have better chance to
         // create it successfully
@@ -1651,8 +1651,8 @@ public class HypervisorHostHelper {
         VirtualMachineMO workingVM = null;
         VirtualMachineConfigSpec vmConfig = new VirtualMachineConfigSpec();
         vmConfig.setName(vmName);
-        if (hardwareVersion != null){
-            vmConfig.setVersion(("vmx-" + hardwareVersion));
+        if (StringUtils.isNotBlank(vmxFormattedHardwareVersion)){
+            vmConfig.setVersion(vmxFormattedHardwareVersion);
         }  else {
             ClusterMO clusterMo = new ClusterMO(hyperHost.getContext(), hyperHost.getHyperHostCluster());
             DatacenterMO dataCenterMo = new DatacenterMO(hyperHost.getContext(), hyperHost.getHyperHostDatacenter());
diff --git a/vmware-base/src/main/java/com/cloud/hypervisor/vmware/mo/VirtualMachineMO.java b/vmware-base/src/main/java/com/cloud/hypervisor/vmware/mo/VirtualMachineMO.java
index 5f61b31171c..74e6308d741 100644
--- a/vmware-base/src/main/java/com/cloud/hypervisor/vmware/mo/VirtualMachineMO.java
+++ b/vmware-base/src/main/java/com/cloud/hypervisor/vmware/mo/VirtualMachineMO.java
@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@ import java.util.concurrent.ExecutorService;
 import java.util.concurrent.Executors;
 import java.util.concurrent.Future;
 
+import com.cloud.utils.exception.CloudRuntimeException;
 import org.apache.commons.collections.CollectionUtils;
 import org.apache.commons.lang.StringUtils;
 import org.apache.log4j.Logger;
@@ -3292,6 +3293,18 @@ public class VirtualMachineMO extends BaseMO {
         return vhOption.getHwVersion();
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Return a hardware version string in the format expected by Vmware
+     * Format: "vmx-DD" where DD represents the hardware version number
+     * @param virtualHardwareVersion numeric virtual hardware version
+     */
+    public static String getVmxFormattedVirtualHardwareVersion(int virtualHardwareVersion) {
+        if (virtualHardwareVersion < 1) {
+            throw new CloudRuntimeException("Invalid hardware version: " + virtualHardwareVersion);
+        }
+        return String.format("vmx-%02d", virtualHardwareVersion);
+    }
+
     public VirtualHardwareOption getVirtualHardwareOption() throws Exception {
         VirtualMachineConfigOption vmConfigOption = _context.getService().queryConfigOption(getEnvironmentBrowser(), null, null);
         return vmConfigOption.getHardwareOptions();
diff --git a/vmware-base/src/test/java/com/cloud/hypervisor/vmware/mo/VirtualMachineMOTest.java b/vmware-base/src/test/java/com/cloud/hypervisor/vmware/mo/VirtualMachineMOTest.java
index 0e61b591bba..d1afb90d98e 100644
--- a/vmware-base/src/test/java/com/cloud/hypervisor/vmware/mo/VirtualMachineMOTest.java
+++ b/vmware-base/src/test/java/com/cloud/hypervisor/vmware/mo/VirtualMachineMOTest.java
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ package com.cloud.hypervisor.vmware.mo;
 
 import com.cloud.hypervisor.vmware.util.VmwareClient;
 import com.cloud.hypervisor.vmware.util.VmwareContext;
+import com.cloud.utils.exception.CloudRuntimeException;
 import com.vmware.vim25.ManagedObjectReference;
 import com.vmware.vim25.VirtualDevice;
 import com.vmware.vim25.VirtualLsiLogicController;
@@ -27,6 +28,7 @@ import com.vmware.vim25.VirtualSCSIController;
 import com.vmware.vim25.VirtualSCSISharing;
 import org.junit.After;
 import org.junit.AfterClass;
+import org.junit.Assert;
 import org.junit.Before;
 import org.junit.BeforeClass;
 import org.junit.Test;
@@ -117,4 +119,21 @@ public class VirtualMachineMOTest {
         }
 
     }
+
+    @Test
+    public void testGetVmxFormattedVirtualHardwareVersionOneDigit() {
+        String vmxHwVersion = VirtualMachineMO.getVmxFormattedVirtualHardwareVersion(8);
+        Assert.assertEquals("vmx-08", vmxHwVersion);
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    public void testGetVmxFormattedVirtualHardwareVersionTwoDigits() {
+        String vmxHwVersion = VirtualMachineMO.getVmxFormattedVirtualHardwareVersion(11);
+        Assert.assertEquals("vmx-11", vmxHwVersion);
+    }
+
+    @Test(expected = CloudRuntimeException.class)
+    public void testGetVmxFormattedVirtualHardwareVersionInvalid() {
+        VirtualMachineMO.getVmxFormattedVirtualHardwareVersion(-1);
+    }
 }
\ No newline at end of file