There was an error in communication

[kublikhan]

ESX version: 3.5 U4

VIX version: latest

Command run:

C:\Program Files (x86)\VMware\VMware VIX>vmrun -T esx -h https://172.17.235.10/sdk -u serveruser -p serverpass -gu administrator -gp guestpass runProgramInGuest "[shared2] APDNA1101/APDNA1101.vmx" c:\windows\notepad.exe
Error: Cannot open VM: [shared2] APDNA1101/APDNA1101.vmx, There was an error in communication=

We are having a problem connecting to an ESX 3.5 U4 server with VIX. Snapshot is reverted ok, image powers up ok, but cannot connect to the guest image with VIX. We can copy files to the image without issue however. Any ideas what could be wrong here?

[sbonello]

we have the same problem api 1.10.1 vcenter 4.1.

[monkeykong1984]

I'm also getting this problem on 4.1, anyone resolved this issue yet??

[Thomy23]

Same here with VIX1.11.0  running on a 4.1 vMA connected to a 4.1U1 VC-Server managing 4.1U1 ESXi Hosts.

[Thomy23]

Is the Host where you run the command in the same subnet (and not firewall active) as the ESX host? In my case this was the problem, the documentation says that vmrun needs to connect to port 443 of the host/VC server, but i found out that for some commands (vmrun ... suspend <PathToVMXFile> in my case) the communication goes from the machine where vmrun was issued directly to the ESX host to some port (i assume 8443) and to the VC-Server on port 443.

Does this solve your issue?

[kublikhan]

No, the client machine and esx server are not on the same subnet. They are not even in the same country. The datastore is on a different subnet as well, but it's on the same router. Putting all of the machines on the same subnet is not a viable solution for us. Does VIX require all clients, esx servers, and datastores to be on the same subnet? Here is the log files:

vmware-vix:
Oct 25 23:58:12.178: app-2268| Log for Vix pid=5804 version=-1 build=build-368992 option=Release
Oct 25 23:58:12.178: app-2268| The process is 32-bit.
Oct 25 23:58:12.178: app-2268| Host codepage=windows-1252 encoding=windows-1252
Oct 25 23:58:12.178: app-2268| Foundry Init: setting up global state (0 threads)
Oct 25 23:58:12.178: app-2268| Vix_InitializeGlobalState: vixLogLevel = 0
Oct 25 23:58:12.178: app-2268| Vix_InitializeGlobalState: vixApiTraceLevel = 0
Oct 25 23:58:12.178: app-2268| Vix_InitializeGlobalState: vixDebugPanicOnVixAssert = 0
Oct 25 23:58:12.178: app-2268| Vix_InitializeGlobalState: vixLogRefcountOnFinalRelease = 0
Oct 25 23:58:12.178: app-2268| Vix_InitializeGlobalState: asyncOpWarningThreshold = 1000000
Oct 25 23:58:12.178: app-2268| Vix_InitializeGlobalState: enableSyncOpSelection = FALSE
Oct 25 23:58:12.178: app-2268| Vix_InitializeGlobalState: enableExternalThreadInterface = TRUE
Oct 25 23:58:12.178: app-2268| LOCALE windows-1252 -> NULL User=409 System=409
Oct 25 23:58:12.178: app-2268| VixHost_ConnectEx: version -1, hostType 5, hostName https://<myip>/sdk, hostPort 0, options 528
Oct 25 23:58:12.178: app-2268| HOSTINFO 28779581451581 @ 2864716Hz -> 0 @ 1000000Hz
Oct 25 23:58:12.178: app-2268| HOSTINFO ((x * 2998529205) >> 33) + -10046224981807
Oct 25 23:58:12.178: app-4696| HOSTINFO 28779581451665 @ 2864716Hz -> 0 @ 1000000Hz
Oct 25 23:58:12.178: app-4696| HOSTINFO ((x * 2998529205) >> 33) + -10046224981836
Oct 25 23:58:13.968: app-4696| Vix: [4696 vixVIMProxy.c:3449]: VixVIMVmRequestTicketImpl: requesting old-MKS ticket for VM '[datacenter-2/shared1] CPXAV1100/CPXAV1100.vmx'
Oct 25 23:58:35.249: app-1704| Cannot connect to server myserver.com:902: A connection attempt failed because the connected party did not properly respond after a period of time, or established connection failed because connected host has failed to respondCnxAuthdConnect: Returning false because CnxAuthdConnectTCP failed
Oct 25 23:58:35.249: app-1704| CnxConnectAuthd: Returning false because CnxAuthdConnect failed
Oct 25 23:58:35.249: app-1704| Cnx_Connect: Returning false because CnxConnectAuthd failed
Oct 25 23:58:35.249: app-1704| Cnx_Connect: Error message: Failed to connect to myserver.com:902
Oct 25 23:58:35.249: app-1704| Vix: [1704 foundryVMPowerOps.c:5567]: Error VIX_E_HOST_TCP_SOCKET_ERROR in FoundryVMOpenSocketToVMXThroughAuthd(): unable to contact authd: 'Failed to connect to server myserver.com:902'
Oct 25 23:58:35.249: app-4696| Vix: [4696 foundryVMPowerOps.c:5046]: Error VIX_E_HOST_TCP_SOCKET_ERROR in FoundryVMFinishConnectingToVMX(): failing open because we can't contact authd
Oct 25 23:58:35.249: app-4696| VixVM_FinalRelease: Close VM socket.

vmware-vixWrapper:
Oct 25 23:58:12.108: app-2268| Log for VixWrapper pid=5804 version=1 build=build-368992 option=Release
Oct 25 23:58:12.108: app-2268| The process is 32-bit.
Oct 25 23:58:12.108: app-2268| Host codepage=windows-1252 encoding=windows-1252
Oct 25 23:58:12.108: app-2268| config points to non-existent implementation library 'C:\Program Files (x86)\VMware\VMware VIX\\ws_server_esx-4\32bit\vix.dll'
Oct 25 23:58:12.108: app-2268| config points to non-existent implementation library 'C:\Program Files (x86)\VMware\VMware VIX\\ws_server_esx-4\32bit\vix.dll'
Oct 25 23:58:12.108: app-2268| config points to non-existent implementation library 'C:\Program Files (x86)\VMware\VMware VIX\\ws_server_esx-4\32bit\vix.dll'
Oct 25 23:58:12.108: app-2268| config points to non-existent implementation library 'C:\Program Files (x86)\VMware\VMware VIX\\ws_server_esx-4\32bit\vix.dll'
Oct 25 23:58:12.111: app-2268| Loading Vix implementation library C:\Program Files (x86)\VMware\VMware VIX\\VSphere-4.1\32bit\vix.dll

I thought maybe it was because one of the ports was not open. But I checked both ports 443 and 902 and it looked like the ports are open:
C:\>C:\PortQryV2\PortQry.exe -n <myip> -e 443
Querying target system called:
<myip>
Attempting to resolve IP address to a name...
IP address resolved to <myip>
querying...
TCP port 443 (https service): LISTENING

C:\PortQryV2\PortQry.exe -n <myip> -e 902
Querying target system called:
<myip>
Attempting to resolve IP address to a name...
IP address resolved to <myip>
querying...
TCP port 902 (unknown service): LISTENING