Multiple Instances of VI Client?

[pcmd]

Hi All.

I know about VC, but I can't afford it right now.

Is there a way to have multiple instances of the VI Client open at the same time?

When I try, the second one crashes.

Thanks.

steven

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Thanks for your kindness and patience as I continue this adventure in the world of server virtualization.

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[virtualdud3]

There shouldn't be any problems in connecting multiple instances of the VI client to a given ESX host.

What exactly happens when the second connection "crashes"?

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[pcmd]

Sorry, I forgot to mention....

Each instance of the VI Client is pointing to a different ESX Server, but is being opened on the same Windows computer.

I don't have a problem the other way around (i.e. connecting two VI Client instances to the same ESX server from different computers).

steven

:,_`:`.:,_`:`.:,_`:`.:,_`:`.:,_`:`.:,_`:`.:,~`:

Thanks for your kindness and patience as I continue this adventure into the world of server virtualization.

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[Dave_Mishchenko]

Hi Steve, I'm able to connect multiple clients to different hosts - just tried with 3 hosts. Do you get any sort of error message? Do you have any other VMware products installed on your workstation and which OS are you running? Which version of ESX do you have installed?

[pcmd]

Hi Dave.

"Do you get any sort of error message?"

I don't think so, but I'll check on it. I can't do it right now due to other tasks, but as soon as I do, I'll post a response specifically about this = whether or not there are any error messages or whatever.

"Do you have any other VMware products installed on your workstation...?"

Yes. I also have VMWare Converter and VMWare Player.

"...which OS are you running?"

Windows XP Pro (32bit).

"Which version of ESX do you have installed?"

3.0.2 (upgraded from 3.0.1 and applied all pre-October patches about two weeks ago).

Thanks for your attention on this.

steven

:,_`:`.:,_`:`.:,_`:`.:,_`:`.:,_`:`.:,_`:`.:,~`:

Thanks for your kindness and patience as I continue this adventure into the world of server virtualization.

Bullies need not reply

[virtualdud3]

Are you by any chance running any sort of firewall on your Windows XP machine?

You shouldn't have any problems with muliple VI client sessions from the same box to different ESX hosts, or connecting multiple VI clients from different boxes to the same host.

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[pcmd]

Yes, I do have the Windows firewall running on the XP box, and I am still having this problem.

I can have one copy of the VI Client open, connected to one of my ESX boxes, but when I open another, and log into a different ESX box, both clients crash. So, I can only have one open at a time.

:,_`:`.:,_`:`.:,_`:`.:,_`:`.:,_`:`.:,_`:`.:,~`:

Thanks for your kindness and patience as I continue this adventure into the world of server virtualization.

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[Rumple]

Since patching your servers have you re-installed the VIC client on your machine? Have you verified that both ESX server now show the same version number using vmware -v?

[pcmd]

I just checked and they are both

Version: 3.0.2

Build: 57941

UPDATE:

I verified that it is indeed a problem with connecting to two different ESX boxes, and not a problem with multiple clients open on the workstation.

I am able to have two instances of the VI client open on the same workstation, connected to the same ESX box.

I just can't have one pointing to one ESX box and the other pointing to the other. When I attempt this, they both crash.

ALSO-FastSCP:

I tried FastSCP. I like it. It is indeed fast.

However, same problem...

I should be able to connect FastSCP to two different ESX boxes at the same time and copy files from one ESX box over to the other.

In my situation, this is not possible.

When I connect to one of them (either one, doesn't matter), it works just fine; I can move things around between folders on the same ESX box, etc.

When I tell it to connect to a second ESX box, either it fails to connect to the second one, or it does connect to it, but then disconnects the original one.

ALSO-VMware Converter:

When I use VMware Converter to import a machine into one ESX box (either ESX box), it works just fine.

Same thing when I go the other way.

However, when I try to copy a VM from one ESX box to the other, it fails with all kinds of different error messages about not being able to find the host, etc.

HISTORY (is this somehow related?):

In order to ensure that all of the settings are exactly the same on both of my ESX boxes, I cloned the first one and used the image of it to create the second one.

I changed the IP addresses, hostnames, etc on the second one, and even uploaded the separate license file.

So, as far as I know, they are now completely different systems, but is there some way in which this path could result in some setting behind the scenes which is causing these multi-connectivity issues?

Thanks.

steven

:,_`:`.:,_`:`.:,_`:`.:,_`:`.:,_`:`.:,_`:`.:,~`:

Thanks for your kindness and patience as I continue this adventure into the world of server virtualization.

Bullies need not reply

[ejward]

I just checked and they are both

HISTORY (is this somehow related?):

In order to ensure that all of the settings are exactly the same on both of my ESX boxes, I cloned the first one and used the image of it to create the second one.

I changed the IP addresses, hostnames, etc on the second one, and even uploaded the separate license file.

So, as far as I know, they are now completely different systems, but is there some way in which this path could result in some setting behind the scenes which is causing these multi-connectivity issues?

So you did an image of one ESX host to another? What did you use to do that? I'm not that familer with Linux but, in the Windows world, there is a GUID that is used in the background for Active Directory functions. Even if you change the machine name and IP address, Active Directory still refers to it by it's 26 digit GUID. Does ESX use something like that?

[pcmd]

Ya, I'm very familiar with these things in the Windows world.

I used Acronis TrueImage to do this.

"Does ESX use something like that?"

I guess that's what I'm asking.

Thanks, Ed.

steven

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Thanks for your kindness and patience as I continue this adventure into the world of server virtualization.

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[ejward]

True Image does Linux? Wow, I'll have to try that.

[pcmd]

Well, it does anything as far as I know. It doesn't seem to care about file system. It just takes an image of whatever is there.

Of course, if you want to get more granular (like getting a particular EXT3 partition imaged correctly and restored to a different drive in a particular order or whatever), I'm not totally sure, but it works fine like that with NTFS partitions and for taking an image of the entire hard drive (or 800GB RAID array in this case) and restoring it to another comparable piece of hardware.

steven

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Thanks for your kindness and patience as I continue this adventure into the world of server virtualization.

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[pcmd]

Another update...

Now that I have upgraded one of my ESX boxes from 3.0.2. to 3.5...I still can't connect two separate instances of the VIClient to two different ESX boxes.

I have the old VIClient and can connect it to a 3.0.2 ESX, and I have the new VIClient and can connect it to the 3.5 box, but just not both at the same time.

Wile I have the new VIClient connected to the 3.5 box, I try to connect the old VIClient to a 3.0.2 box and it does connect at first.

So, it does connect, and I can even go in and click around, moving from tab to tab, checking on various things for a minute or two, but then gives me the following error message,

"Connection to the server has been lost. The application will now exit."

I click "OK", and it (the old VIClient) exists.

I will update this thread again after upgrading another ESX box to 3.5.

steven

:,_`:`.:,_`:`.:,_`:`.:,_`:`.:,_`:`.:,_`:`.:,~`:

Thanks for your kindness and patience as I continue this adventure into the world of server virtualization.

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[pcmd]

Hi again.

Well, I now have two ESX boxes upgraded to 3.5 (the 'correct' way; via the special instructions), and still have the same problem;

I can not connect to two different ESX host boxes with separate instances of the VIClient running on the same Windows client at the same time (either one or both crash).

Here is the current version info for both ESX host boxes...

Version: 3.5 (12/10/2007)

Build: 64607

Post 3.5 Updates/Patches: none

Any ideas?

Thanks.

steven

:,_`:`.:,_`:`.:,_`:`.:,_`:`.:,_`:`.:,_`:`.:,~`:

Thanks for your kindness and patience as I continue this adventure into the world of server virtualization.

Bullies need not reply

[bfent]

If you have many hosts to install or just want to automate the process, you should look into scripting them.

It seems to me the problem is the fact that your second host is an image of your first host. ESX has GUIDs for several things including partitions. Just changing the IP and hostname may not be enough. I would suggest reinstalling your imaged host from scratch.

[pcmd]

I do understand the concept, but I went the imaging route because it's so much easier for someone with my level of experience and amount of available time.

Questions:

1. Is there a resource which I can look at which will tell me (simply)

a. What items within the ESX system have GUIDs?

b. Which of these GUIDs are specifically related to the problems I'm experiencing?

2. How can I change these GUIDs?

Thanks.

steven

:,_`:`.:,_`:`.:,_`:`.:,_`:`.:,_`:`.:,_`:`.:,~`:

Thanks for your kindness and patience as I continue this adventure into the world of server virtualization.

Bullies need not reply

[ejward]

When did you take an image of the first host? Right after the install or, after you configured licensing, virtual switches, etc.

This may be a dumb question but, these two hosts have different IP addresses and names right?

Once you restored the image onto the second host, how did you change the IP address? I had to do this once in ESX and it wan't pretty. My point is that if you were able to get in there and change the IP address and host name, you are very qualified to do a fresh install. It's really just next, next, time zone, next, host name and IP address, next, next, set password, next, next, finished.

[pcmd]

Ed, you're too kind. "...you are very qualified..."

Yep, I know what you mean. What I'm going through must just sound stupid to some folks out there.

However, I persist.

Not a dumb question at all (i.e. "...these two hosts have different IP addresses and names right?"), but I already mentioned this detail earlier.

...or was that in a different thread. ....sorry if so.

Yes, I did indeed figure out (my own way) how to change the IP address and host name on the resulting ESX host after restoring an image from the original.

It went beyond that too though. There were a few other things that I had to do to get it going.

For the IP address, basically, I just put the new ESX box on a separate switch and connected to it 'offline' with a computer configured staticly on the same subnet.

Then I was able to change the IP address and hostname to a new one (each of the two console ports at a time)....then connected it to the main subnet and all was fine.

So....

If I decided to just go the scripted install route...is there a way to 'save' the configuration of a currently working ESX host and use that somehow to automatically configure the new install host?

I just don't understand why something like this has to seem like such a wild or crazy idea. It's not like it's groundbreaking to suggest having the ability to backup the configuration of a server like this....is it?

I totally get the whole hardass thing in the *nix world with not wanting to rely on GUIs and such (really....I get it and can even relate with it to a degree....even though I'm not there due to my 'newbiness'), but this wouldn't have to be a GUI at all (though I don't have any allergies to GUIs either).....there could easily be some kind of commandline app to export the bulk of the settings that someone would want to take and pass on to another host.

Anyway.....?

steven

p.s. By the way, thanks for your attitude in conversing with me about this. I can tell you're sincerely trying not to freak out on me; even though maybe you'd like to. Treating me with respect goes a long way.

:,_`:`.:,_`:`.:,_`:`.:,_`:`.:,_`:`.:,_`:`.:,~`:

Thanks for your kindness and patience as I continue this adventure into the world of server virtualization.

Bullies need not reply

[mike_laspina]

Hello,

This is an interesting issue. You have imaged an ESX Server. This should be OK except for one thing I can think of. That is now you have a clone of the certificate used for securing the communication session and this may be just the issue. The client may get confused with the certificate being the same across two hosts.

Compare the certs in the etc directory under ssl