vsphere client 4.1 white console screen

[oldmetalguy]

I support ESX 3.5, 4.0 and now 4.1 hosts. When I installed the viclient 4.1 on my windows 7, (giving me all 3 versions of the client), now any host I connect to and try to open a console of a running vm gives just a white screen.

I really really really don't want to whack my machine and re-install it, so is there a magic fix out there?

[a_p_]

Check the firewall on the Windows 7 host and see if it blocks ports.

André

[oldmetalguy]

firewall is off, as the other versions of the client worked fine prior to installing 4.1.

did some further testing, if I uninstall all of the versions, install 2.5 and 4.0, it will work correctly. If I install 4.1, it breaks it everytime.

on my XP box sitting right beside me, I have all 3 versions installed, and it works fine.

It looks like it's a specific incompatibility when installing onto windows 7 64 bit.

[daswaney276]

In my environment I've had 2 admins report similar issues. When using Windows 7 64 bit and the vSphere Client 4.1 build 258902, they experience a "white screen" when they have connected to our vSphere 2.5 Virtual Center and choose "open console".

I'm also using Windows 7 64 bit and vSphere Client 4.1 build 258902, connecting to the same 2 Virtual Center servers, but I am not able to reproduce the issues they are experiencing.

Right now the only solution we've run across is to have them run their 4.1 client from a different machine from the 2.5 client.

[NeilP]

Same issue here..

VI 2.5 and 4.0 clients work fine to a ESX 3.5 server farm

When I install 4.1 VSphere client (to connect to our test ESXi 4.1 hosts) and try to connect to our ESX 3.5 I get this White Screen issue when using the console to the VM's.

Connecting to our our ESXi 4.1 VM's, the console works fine.

I am running Windows 7 x64.

NP

[MaartenK]

Hello,

I`m experiencing the same problem. When I want to open a console from a VM from esx3.5 build 259926 I`m getting a white screen too.

Windows 7 64x

vSphere client 4.1 build 258902

Infrastruce cient 2.5 build 146733

I attached an example

[daswaney276]

Well I've found a solution to the white screen issue, but its UGLY. The only way I've been able to fix the problem was to install the vCenter Clients in a specific order.

1.) install vCenter Client 2.5 Update 5

2.) install vCenter Client 4.0 Update 2 <-- its the install of this client that allows the 2.5 client to continue to work

3.) install vCener Client 4.1

4.) (optional) un-install vCenter client 4.0 Update 2

Ive tried all installing 4.0U2 after 2.5 and 4.1 were installed but it did not fix the problem. At this point I have no idea why this works, I can only assume that the install routine for 4.0 Update 2 modifies something in the registry. I know for a fact that when you install the 4.0Update 2 client it does modify the directory \Program Files (x86)\vmware\infrastructure\Virtua Iinfrastructure Client\Launcher. There are 2 dll files that are put in there when 2.5 is installed. 4.0U2 removes those dll's. I have attempted to manually move those DLL's but that alone does not correct the white screen issue.

I do have a SR open with Vmware on this so hopefully they can figure out what part of the install routine of 4.0U2 isn't in the 4.1 install and correct this issue.

[daswaney276]

A co-worker just told me that uninstalling the clients and then re-installing did not correct his issue.

I've modified the steps below to be a bit more inclusive.

To fix White screen issue on a machine that is already broken

This was successfully done on one machine that was experiencing the problem. It may be the shotgun approach but it worked. Your Milage May Vary

1.) Un-install All Virtual Center Clients

2.) Un-install Microsoft Visual J# 2.0 Second Edition(This was installed by one of the 4.0 versions) <--- I suspect that this is the big issue

3.) Delete the directory structure located at \Program Files (x86)\Vmware\Infrastructure

4.) Get a program such as CCleaner - Run that, then use the Registry Cleaning Option and run that till there are no Errors (I'm not recommending this program its just the one I used and was successful with)

5.) install vCenter Client 2.5 Update 5

6.) install vCenter Client 4.0 Update 2 <-- its the install of this client that allows the 2.5 client to continue to work

7.) install vCener Client 4.1

8.) (optional) un-install vCenter client 4.0 Update 2

[NeilP]

Is there actually anywhere you can download those specific VMWare Infrastructure clients. Whether on VMWare.com or whatever?

Before anyone says "connect to the browser on your ESX/ESXi servers"; we dont have those particular versions installed in our environment and dont particularly want to install those specific versions just to be able to download the clients.

Specifically

vCenter Client 2.5 Update 5 and vCenter Client 4.0 Update 2

I need to be able to download these from the Internet..

Many thanks,

NP

[NeilP]

Even after cleaning and reinstalling in the way specified, it didnt work for me.

However, I have a workaround if you cant get this method to work. :smileydevil:

Before you install 4.1 Client, take a copy of the Launcher directory in the Virtual Infrastructure Client directory. Copy it somewhere else and rename it to Launcher OLD (or whatever).

Install the 4.1 Client

Put your Launcher OLD directory back to the Virtual Infrastructure Client directory, so you should now have a Launcher directory and Launcher OLD directory..

When connecting to 3.5 Clients, use the VPXClient.exe file in the Launcher OLD directory (356kb)

When connecting to 4.1 Clients, use the VPXClient.exe file in the Launcher directory (367kb)

You can create separate shortcuts to both and run them depending on the ESX/ESXi servers you are connecting to.

The console works for me in both instances..

Cheers,

NP

[daswaney276]

I will definitely have to give that method a try to see if is a more universal fix. The method that I've listed above seems to work about 50% of the time. I took a long shot and opened SR with VMware on this one to see if there was a fix that was out there. I will give credit to the support group for the work they did to try and troubleshoot this problem. Their first stop was the compatibility matrix, and the VMware 2.5 Virtual Center Client is not "supported" on a Windows 7 platform. Even with that being said we did spend several hours going over different possibilities and scenarios to try and correct the problem. We never were successful. I did submit a Feature Request to have supported added, but I think its a long shot.

Long term plans, we're going to have to upgrade our Virtual Center to 4.1, but that means acquiring new hardware for it (its time anyway).

I do have a question about utilizing the multiple Launcher approach tho. Even with the ability to open a console to my VC 2.5 controlled VM's and not get a white screen, I'm not able to attach an iso from the local client computer. On my XP machine thats not a problem. Are you able to attach an ISO to yours with the multiple Launcher idea?

The only other Idea I have to try and make this work is to ThinApp VirtualCenter 2.5 and see if that works.

[NeilP]

Hi there

Yes, I've tested ISO images with both 'parallel' clients and the dialog box opens up to select the ISO image. Are you getting an error when trying to map to an ISO image?

NP

[daswaney276]

No there's no error message... the dialog box opens up and allows me to select an iso image. The client acts like its going to make the connection, but it never does. After that the Connect/Disconnect icon goes into its grey state. If you close the Console window and open it back up its ready for you to "Connect ISO" again. The option to "Disconnect" never comes up.

Thanks,

David Swaney

OIR - ECS

Phone: (615)741-1424

Email : David.Swaney@state.tn.us

>>> NeilP <communities-emailer@vmware.com> 8/18/2010 7:54 AM >>>

,

A new message was posted in the thread "vsphere client 4.1 white console screen":

http://communities.vmware.com/message/1593429#1593429

Author : NeilP

Profile : http://communities.vmware.com/people/NeilP

Message:

[NeilP]

Hmm.. Both clients work fine with me..

I installed 2.5 Update 6 client.

Then 4.0 Update 2 client (Build 253290) - I had to install 4.0 into VMWare workstation then update to update 2 with host update utility in order to download the 4.0 Update 2 client.

Then 4.1 (Build 258902)

I did not remove 4.0.

FYI My client version numbers

VMWare Infrastructure client 2.5.0 Build 227637 (VMware VirtualCenter 227637)

VMWare VSphere client 4.1.0 Build 258902 (VMWare ESXi Build 260247)

Cheers,

NP

[ronmanu07]

Thanks NeilP this fix worked a treat, I couldn't remote console to any of my 3.5 vm's because of the 4.1 client, but now all is good.

Cheers. :smileygrin:

[MessageBroadcas]

Wow did they not even test this before they launched it!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Pretty horrible for an enterpise product to be released with this big of an issue.

Running esx.3.5 with vcenter and 4.0 esxi boxes. This issue is repeatable on all of our windows 7 boxes with ease.

[FrostyatCBM]

NeilP's fix worked for me too ... thanks!

[gispro]

Hi Neil,

Thank you, thank you, thank you. Worked like a charm

Uninstalled all clients, deleted the Program Files/Infrastructure sub tree, reinstalled the 2.5 client, saved the Launcher folder, reinstalled the 4.1 client, reinstated the old Launcher folder under a different name, and it's all working perfectly

Very simple approach, without having to sort to unrelated installs. I'm not unfamiliar to having multiple client versions installed (of other s/w), so this works for me.

Funny thing though:

I did test the 4.1 vSphere client against our old ESX 3.5 (Nb! not "i", but the full ESX) prior to upgrading them to version 4.1, and the client worked as it should then (i.e. no white screens). Only when I ran it against my ESXi 3.5 some days later, did I experience the white-screen problem.

Maybe the problem is some issue on ESX vs. ESXi ?

--

Lars I. Nielsen, GisPro

[NeilP]

No problem.. Glad to hear its worked for more than just me.. :smileygrin:

The issue was a royal pain in a$$ 😞

I also had white screen issues both with 3.5 AND 3.5i. As its easily sorted out with client software (Launcher directories), I would say that the problem is with the 4.1 Infrastructure client's failure to provide backward console compatibility with the 3.5/i servers, not the other way around.

....Mainly as I'd rather patch my Windows 7 box than my live, stable ESX/ESXi environments!

Cheers,

Neil

[AWahlert]

Hi List,

we had the same problem here:

Win 7 / 64 Bit VI 3.5 U 4 and some Vsphere Standalone Hosts.

On the Console Tab in VSphere Client we only saw a white screen. We disabled Win DEP: bcdedit.exe /set nx AlwaysOff

Now it's solved. No reinstalling any version of VI Client. Everything worked fine since this Step.

kind regrads from Vienna

Andreas