ESXi 6.5.0 7388607 Web Client 1.24.0 7119706 blank console screen - clearing cache doesn't help

[AveryFreeman]

Hi,

Yes, like the title says, I tried clearing my cache, including saved web data, in firefox, Chromium and Chrome and I still have black / blank screens for VM consoles, regardless of which ones they are.

I recently updated both the system and web client to 7388607 and 7119706 respectively.

The console had stopped working in Chrome at first, and then I tried Firefox and it worked the first time I had ever opened it in Firefox, which seemed to suggest that clearing the cache would have fixed it, but it did not.

I tried Chromium because I had never opened it in Chromium before, but it never worked at all.

Really not sure what's going on. Never had a problem like this before updating - have been using ESXi for about 3 years, since v5.0.

Any ideas?

[daphnissov]

Try to open the VM console in a Chrome incognito window. If that still doesn't work--and it sounds like it may not--post a comment on the Fling page and someone from the host client team should respond.

[admin · Accepted solution]

The black screen can be caused due to the following reasons

1. Issue related to DNS/FQDN of host/guest

Verify the DNS/FQDN of both ESXi host and guest

2. ESXi host may need to restart management agent services (kb1003490)

Check the other VM hosted by the same ESX/ESXi host.If they don’t have issue this may not be the root cause

3. Video memory of VM is too small for WDDM video driver

  (C:\Program Files\Common Files\VMware\Drivers\wddm_video\)

VMware suggest video RAM increase from default 4MB to minimum 8MB when use WDDM driver, or somewhere between 4-32 MB (kb1016770)

4. Firewall blocking ports 902/903 (kb749640)

To enable port on proxy, do this

   Log in to ESXi, open /etc/vmware/config

   add line -

    vmauthd.server.alwaysProxy = "TRUE"

   service xinetd restart

Just check if these are causing the issue.

Hope this helps!!

[AveryFreeman]

OK, that sounds great, I'll try it now

I'm trying it in Windows and the console is still blank (I usually use Arch Linux but I have another partition I can boot from if I need to...)

It still doesn't work, but I'm noticing something -- recently I had only been checking one VM to see if it works, so I'm feeling kind of silly for not noticing this earlier by checking more thoroughly before writing my first message:

I have 3 VMs that run constantly - Windows Server 2016, Debian and FreeNAS (DC controller, random work server and file server)

The FreeNAS console works fine now

I thought neither the DC or Debian screens were working, but apparently the DC was just at a lock screen (e.g. CTRL-ALT-DEL wakes it up).

so that leaves the Debian VM.  It's the only one that's not working.  But I know it's still operating because I can SSH into it and it sends me files it downloads for my work all day every day...

I wonder why it would only be one VM?  And why the possibly most common linux distro?

[AveryFreeman]

I already tried restarting management services (should have put that in initial message, sorry)

I will check the other things you mentioned - it's a great place to start.  Thank you very much!

[AveryFreeman]

OK, so the PTR record for ESXi wasn't being created automatically by my MS DNS server VM for some reason - worked fine for everything else AFAIK.   I tried to create it manually but it said it already existed, so I just deleted the A-name and re-created it immediately afterwards.  Had to "refresh" in MS DNS for the PTR to show up in the list but it is there now

That didn't start the Debian VM's screen after I re-loaded the web client, so I shut it down using SSH and adjusted the VM's video ram from 4MB to 16MB.

That did it!  I will have to remember that from now on in case it happens again.  Thank you very much, I really appreciate it!