New Install ESXi 3.5 issue

[Ilia_shapira]

I installed a few days ago the ESXi 3.5 on a server with Adaptec 3408 RAID

Everything was working fine, but the next morning from the install the server stoped responding, I was able to ping it but the local consloe was not responding and I was also not able to connect remotly. I restrted the server and again all day everything was working fine. Next morning again tthe same story.

I'm new to VMWARE so can anyone please tell me what can be the problem, where should I start looking and what should I do ?

Thanks.

[Dave_Mishchenko]

Which release are you running? Are you able to connect if you restart the management agents at the console? Do you see any error messages when you press ALT-F1 or ALT-F12? Have you logged a support request with VMware on this?

[skippermdj]

Dave - thanks for your response.

Running ESXi 3.5 Build 82664

Ticket 1122375151 opened 7/13, status is "unassigned"

Text of ticket is as follows:

"Management network fails at random intervals

after several hours. Address is still pingable, but Virtual

Infrastructure Client is hung until reboot of host or restart of

management network on host.

Running VIC 2.5.0 Build 84647 on Windows XP,

VMWare ESX3i build 82644 on Supermicro X7DAE with Intel Quad-core 5410

processor, 8GB ECC RAM, 2 internal Intel GB Nics, 2 dual-port Intel GB

nics, 3 NICS teamed for VMNetwork/ManagementNetwork, 2 NICS teamed for

VirtualMachineNetwork, one spare (unused) NIC.

I am running headless, but can SSH into the ESX3i host in Tech Support

Mode even when the VIClient is hung. Is there a console command that

will restart the management network that I can use as a work-around?"

I'll post the message log separately when I get back to my office.

Thanks!

[mhennecke]

Since you can ssh into your system, could you do the following:

cd /tmp

vm-support

And then attach the resulting esx-*.tgz file to your open ticket? This will collect up the various log files and any core files that might be there to help us understand what is happening to the management agents.

To restart the management agents, you can execute the command:

/sbin/services.sh restart

[Dave_Mishchenko]

You can use the command /sbin/services.sh restart

It'll restart wsmand, sfcbd-watchdog, sfcbd, slpd and hostd.

[xcheney]

How come I can't SSH to ESXi Server? Is there anything I need to enable on the Server?

Thanks.

[Dave_Mishchenko]

SSH is not supported on ESXi. If you're thinking about doing this on a production system, it would be better not to.

To enable it

1) At the console of the ESXi host, press ALT-F1 to get to the console.

2) Type in 'unsupported' and press enter. You won''t see unsupported as you type it in.

3) You'll then get a prompt for a password. Enter the password for root.

4) Edit the file /etc/inetd.conf. You'll have to use vi as your editor so the command will be vi /etc/inted.conf

5) Find the line that starts with #SSH. Then remove the # and save the file.

6) Either reboot the host or kill the inetd process (i.e. first run ps | grep inetd to find the process for inetd and then kill

After that you'll be able to login with the root login via SSH.

[xcheney]

Cool, Dave, Thanks for that!

[cdickerson]

So July 28th, Update 2 comes out... what are the odds that our problems are fixed?

[cdickerson]

Well I will answer my own question. No. At least in my environment, U2 didn't fix the VC agent from stop responding. The managment IP is pingable, and the VM's are still up and accessible. But VC reports the host and the VM's are disconnected.

[Dave_Mishchenko]

Did you update VC as well? And do you still have the problem where it's only in one of hosts?

[cdickerson]

Yes I did update VC to update 2. It isn't always the same host. It appears to be random.

[jesse_gardner]

Same problem I think? Mine ran for several weeks before the VI agents fail. However, on the F12 window I get a constant spam of the error: "FS3: 1014: Error reading HB addr 3e5a00: I/O error".

This is on an IBM x3650 with all recent BIOS/FW updates. ESXi 3.5 Update 2 build 110271.

Suppose I could have a hardware (SCSI/RAID/HD) problem. I'll continue looking.

[eosys]

Hello,

We have exactly an equivalent problem on a supported system IBM XSeries 235 8671-8RG.

It seems that all services of the system management respond eratically:

• on the console: network ping test sometime sucess, sometime fail.

• connection using VIC is the same.

• conection using ssh is also the same

• http connexion Id.

• ping the host using PC sometime there are some error

But for the VM everything is OK. The VM is a test VM with neither CPU nor memory nor network charge.

We use the latest Esxi version.

The Esxi is basically configured using Static IP.

We can recover IP connection to management restarting network directly on the conole. But it is not lkong term solution!