Virtual Center Server Installation Error 2.5

[Joe_Ingram]

Platform: Windows 2003 R2 X86 fully patched

SQL 2005 w/ SPs on remote system.

When trying to perform a new installation using the downloaded VIM 2.5 CD ISO from the Downloads section the installation errors out during the Virtual Center Server install. The following is the error.

VMware Infratstructure Management Installer Information

Warning 25098. Setup has detected that the VirtualCenter Service is not running on this system. Please wait for the service to start and then try installing VMware Update Manager and/or VMware converter again.

After getting this error your only option is to clock OK and you are dropped to an installation message that the installation had been interupted before it could be completed.

If you attempt to rerun the install it instructs you to attempt to compelte the install and then is unable to hang onces the attempt is made to login to the service.

If you review the service you see that indeed the server is NOT running and you are unable to start the service. Reviewing the event logs after attempting to start the service reveals that the nessary registery entries are missing.

Please assist.

Thanks

[smajety]

Are you trying to upgrade VC or is it a fresh install ?

[mrcoffee11]

I have the problem too that I can not start the VirtualCenter service (3.01 to 3.5 and using Oracle 9.2.0.8.0, VC runing on a Windows 2003 host)

• I converted my physical VC server to a VM

• upgraded the VC software from 2.0 to 2.5

• When the installer finishes installing the VC, and starts installing the Update Manager, it stops because theVC service has not started.

• I can not start the service manually

I made a new plan of attack:

• install VC on a new VM

• This worked!

• Uninstall all the VMware software on the other VM that originally contained VC2.0, reboot and install VC2.5

• Same problem, can not start the service

After unsuccesfully trying to start the VirtualCenter service, Windows returns this error:

"Windows could not start the VMware VirtualCenter Server on Local Computer If this is a non-Microsoft service, contact the service vendor, and refer to service-specific error code 2.

So it looks like a local problem on the VM on which I want to update from VC 2.0 to VC 2.5. I can't debug using the logfiles in C:\windows\temp because there are no messages added in these files.

Yes I can install Windows again, but I don't want to do this, it costs me downtime. Who can help me with this issue??

Grtz,

Roderick

[wtsai]

Hi, Joe:

Were you able to resolve this issue eventually? I have the same problem installing VirtuaCenter 3.5. But I am installing it on a physical server running Win2k3 R2. At first I thought I put in the wrong IP address as I have multiple NICs on the server so I re-installed it. But still the same result. If this problem existed in 2.5 and is still around in 3.5, you would think this might be wide-spread. But googling around didn't reveal much except your thread here...

If you have somehow resolved this problem, I would appreciate it if you could drop me a note on how.

Thanks,

Winston

[Joe_Ingram]

Apparently even though the documentation states otherwise this error comes from the fact that we attempted to use WINDOWS SQL AUTH instead of SQL AUTH. After contacting TS they had us remove the installation completly and reinstall using SQL AUTH and this problem was resolved.

[Schorschi]

If your Windows servers are in a proper AD domain Windows (native) Authentication for SQL should always work. Creating DSNs and testing them before hand helps void issues with native authentication.

[coopsk]

I have exactly the same problem. Did anybody solve this problem? It would be of great help to me !

I tried to use both SQL AUTH and WIN NT AUTH but service still won't start.

Please help.

[ThompsG]

Hi,

Do any of you have disconnected hosts or hosts that can not be reached anymore? We had a similar problem and after going around and round, it turned out that removing the disconnected host allowed this to work. We had to change the VMware Update Manager service to manual and then repair the VC2.5 install (Add/Remove programs - change). Once VC was "repaired" set the VMware Update Manager service to Automatic and away we went.

This seems to have worked for us and hope it may help you.

Glen

[coopsk]

Hi .

I can log on to every host (esx) with no problem. The only problem is, I cannot log on to Virtual Center server.

We tried to restart vmware mgmt services on hosts (ESX linux), but that didn't help.

Till now, nothing solved this problem.

[ThompsG]

We may be barking up the wrong tree, but have you tried the following:

• Stopping the VMware Update Manager service

• Setting VMware Update Manager service to manual

• Repairing the VC install.

We need to do this and then once the VC service was started (I know yours currently is not) logon to VC and remove any disconnected hosts before starting the VMware Update Manager service.

Kind regards,

Glen

[coopsk]

The only thing that worked in my case, was create new database in SQL and then completely reinstall (uninstall) all components: VC server, Licencing server, VC client.

Since then everything was fine , service is running with no problem.

[ThompsG]

Glad to hear you have managed to solve your problem, even if it was such a drastic fix.

Glen

[ablej]

If your using Windows Authentication reset the VC pasword should match VC Service account in AD (vpxd.exe -password) also make sure the Virtual Center service is using a windows AD service account.

David Strebel

www.holy-vm.com

[Dave_Mishchenko]

Your post has been moved to the VI: VirtualCenter 2.x forum

Dave Mishchenko

VMware Communities User Moderator

[rgv75]

You cannot use Windows NT Authentication when running a remote SQL database. You have to use SQL Authentication. NT authentication only works if SQL server is running locally on the VC server. Check Page 10 of the VI3 Quick Start Guide.

Check on the VC Server's HKLM/Software/VMWare, Inc,/VMware VirtualCenter/DB, string #2, to see if you're still using a SQL Server account for authentication. Connection to the database by the VC uses the account in the registry for authentication, not the one used on the DSN. If using a domain account, make sure to use a SQL server account. If you need to change the account, change the account in the registry, then run "vpxd.exe" with the "-p" (vpxd -p) to change the password stored in the registry. From here, try restarting the service again.

Good luck.

[ablej]

You can use Windows Authentication with a remote SQL Server it's just "not supported". As long as the Virtual Center is using an AD account that has access to the VC database it works fine.

David Strebel

www.holy-vm.com

[greendxr]

This is the problem that I ran into last night trying to upgrade to VC2.5. We are currently using the same AD account as the VC service account and as the SQL account on our remote SQL server. Everything works fine and we would like to continue this in VC 2.5. This account is a local admin on both the SQL and VC server and was given the db_owner rights on the VC and msdb databases.

If anyone can tell me how they were able to upgrade their VC using a remote SQL server and an NT authntication I'd greatly appreciate it.

Thanks,

Eugene

[lweniger]

I fixed this problem by using the SQL Native Client for SQL 2005.

When I used SQL Native Client 10.0 the ODBC connection tested out fine, but the install process gave error 25098.