ESX 4.1, 348481 host wont add to EVC after upgrade of vCentre to version 5

[firestartah]

Hi

I'm currently having a very strange problem where one of my ESX hosts is now now adding to EVC after my upgrade of the vCentre server to version 5. It gives me the below error when i try add it to the EVC mode that it was on prior to the upgrade.

I would obviously try update the server but due to EVC being disbaled now i can vMotion virtual machines across. Has anyone experienced this problem before?

Thanks

Gregg

[Troy_Clavell]

The Host in question doesn't have any VM's running on it, does it?  If so, you may, because you can't vMotion your guests, be forced to power off the guests and then add the host to the Cluster.  Also, confirm the host in question still has VT-x enabled.

http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1011712

couple other things: Make sure the host is in Maintenance Mode, and if you are running vCenter as a VM, ensure the vCenter VM is not running on the host in question.

Message was edited by: Troy Clavell---added new notes.

[firestartah]

Hi

It does have production virtula machines running on it or else i would have just upgraded it to the latest patch level and I cant migrate the vm's off the hosts as it denies me saying it needs EVC enabled unfortunately.

Also a pain is the VC is hosted on this host

Gregg

[Troy_Clavell]

you'll have to power down your vCenter VM, make a note of the datastore it's on, log directly into another ESX Host within the cluster, browse datastore, add vCenter VM back into inventory and power on.

Once vCenter is back on-line you may try and vMotion guests.  However it may not work and ultimately you may have to power off the guests to get your host into MM.

You may end up using the below article to create a new EVC Cluster and move your hosts into that.

Also, see KB below

http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1013111

[firestartah]

Hi

Cool I worked it out. So what i did was disconnect the host in VC,the remove it (a bit of a pain of loss of stats and vm's losing their folders but small price to pay and i can move them back after). now that it's removed it's out of the cluster but all the vm's are still running no problem. All i did then was add the host outside the cluster,edit the cluster settings and apply EVC on the remaining hosts that are working and now i can vmotion everything across to my other hosts and update my non working host.

Thanks for the advice Troy

Gregg

[Troy_Clavell]

glad to see you got it resolved Gregg!

[firestartah]

Yep after upgrading it to the latest patch level the server now works with EVC for vCentre5 :smileygrin: