vSphere Web Client 6.7 Never Stops Loading

[Darren_DnFn]

So I am totally lost on this one. I have been using vSphere 6.7 for two months now, and starting to get the hang of it (I know the essentials by this point). About a month a go I did a fresh install of vCSA 6.7 rather than the shitty Windows version as recommended, which is much better. While for the most part things have been operating smoothly, last Friday I was unable to see anything in the Web Client upon logging in. It just keeps loading and never displays anything in the Hosts and Clusters, VMs and Templates, Storage and Networking Menu. I can access Administration and do things in there, but my datacenter, cluster, ESXi hosts and VM's no longer show up. As you can see below.

I have let it load for well over half an hours and still it never finishes loading. I have looked everywhere for a solution and there isn't any helpful webpages I could find that could resolve this problem. I try logging in Chrome and Opera (I use Firefox mostly as I find the Java support the least buggy) and still the same issue. Even clearing the cache on my browser, to see if something might have caused a hang-up. To rule out flash issues, I tried the HTML version of the Web Client, and the same thing, just blank screens. I reinstalled Flash just in case, no luck. I am currently using Windows Server 2016 to connect to my ESXi (6.7.0), vCSA (6.7.0) and VM's which are all on one separate server since I am just using an embedded database. I have also tried powering down everything, restarting the vCSA a few times; nothing. And yes I am logging in with my SSO domain account administrator@vcenter.server (I changed the domain from the default vsphere.local just because).

I would much rather not have to re-install the vCSA again (I made a few configuration errors, when I was still figuring out what setting I wanted the first couple times I installed it). Plus I don't want to have to re-deploy all my VMs again. If anyone has any ideas at all or suggestions, please do let me know. It would be much appreciated. This is the first time I have seen this error, and have been using the Web Client fairly seamlessly otherwise.

[daphnissov]

SSH into your vCSA and do a service-control --status --all and paste the output.

Also

(I changed the domain from the default vsphere.local just because)

is never a good idea to change things from the default. Don't change it from vsphere.local just because it looks cooler if you did. That can set you up for problems in the future.

[msripada]

I guess it is because of faulty plugins or unsuppprted plugins loading..

can you check the plugins installed and check which one is not being used or not supported

Thanks,

MS

[Darren_DnFn]

Hello again daphnissov,

Yeah sure no problem I can do that. Here is the output.

Stopped:

vmcam vmware-content-library vmware-imagebuilder vmware-mbcs vmware-netdumper vmware-perfcharts vmware-rbd-watchdog vmware-sps vmware-updatemgr vmware-vcha vmware-vsan-health vsan-dps vsphere-ui

Running:

applmgmt lwsmd pschealth vmafdd vmcad vmdird vmdnsd vmonapi vmware-analytics vmware-cis-license vmware-cm vmware-eam vmware-pod vmware-postgres-archiver vmware-rhttpproxy vmware-sca vmware-statsmonitor vmware-sts-idmd vmware-stsd vmware-vapi-endpoint vmware-vmon vmware-vpostgres vmware-vpxd vmware-vpxd-svcs vmware-vsm vsphere-client

Now some of these I turned off an purpose to save a little bit on RAM utilization. The server I am using only has 16 GB, and since I only have three VMs I didn't want to have to put 24 GB of RAM, just because the vCSA is real hog. As such I found a guide here https://www.virten.net/2017/02/homelab-downsizing-vcenter-server-appliance-6-5/ and used that save some memory. I have had them turned off for quite some time, and never noticed performance issues before. The ones from this website were the ones I turned off. Content Library Service and Profile-Driven Storage Service I turned off after deploying my VM's. Another guide said to turn both off, but realized I couldn't deploy without them, so turned them back on for a while, to get the VMs deployed properly.

Out of curiosity why can't you change the SSO domain during the install? I know it can't be your Active Directory domain, but why does it have to be vsphere.local. As the default that seemed like a potential security risk as any vsphere user would know that domain.

[Darren_DnFn]

Yeah I checked my plugins they look fine to me. You can take a look if you want. One that isn't on the list is the Enhanced Authentication Plugin that you see when you are on the SSO login screen.

[daphnissov]

If you've manually stopped and disabled some, I wouldn't recommend doing that because it can have undesirable results (stopping those that are regularly started). If you don't have sufficient lab resources then that's just something you need to fix. But vCSA has a minimum footprint even on the tiny size, and cranking it down from there only causes problems. So turn the stuff back on, reboot your vCSA, and see if it returns to normal.

Out of curiosity why can't you change the SSO domain during the install? I know it can't be your Active Directory domain, but why does it have to be vsphere.local. As the default that seemed like a potential security risk as any vsphere user would know that domain.

Well, first, someone knowing the domain in which user principals sit is not ipso facto a security risk. This "security through obscurity" is a myth and isn't real security. Second, while yes you "can" change the SSO domain, unless you have a very specific and very good reason to do so (i.e., this is not a good one), leave it at vsphere.local. The main reason there is future upgrades, updates, and even other internal things may not work properly if you do so. It's not that they shouldn't work, but that the reality of enterprise software development is such that they can only test limited permutations of settings, and defaults are much more tested than non-defaults. So you set yourself up for a better chance for success on down the line if you stick with vsphere.local.

[Darren_DnFn]

Yeah good call, it is unfortunate that the vCSA requires so much RAM even for a tiny deployment. But it is just something you have to live with. I kind of figured as much when I was looking at ways to reduce the footprint that it may cause issues. These issues may not have showed up right away, so I thought I got away with it, but I guess overtime it lead to negative results. I will turn them back on and give the vCSA a reboot again.

Thanks for the info on the SSO, domain that makes a lot of sense. It is one of those just because you can do it, doesn't mean you should type of situations, I hear you. That is why you have strong passwords instead. Is it possible to change the SSO domain after installing it, I have never tried that before, or would that require a fresh install?

[daphnissov]

Nope, changing the SSO domain is not possible after it's been set up, so that's a reinstall. If you haven't really got rocking and rolling with this vCSA yet, I might suggest you do that. Once again, not saying you'll see failure, but you're rolling the dice when you don't really need to.

[Darren_DnFn]

That's what I figured. Wouldn't be the first time I did a fresh install so I know the steps really well. The last time I did I got through it pretty quick. Probably the best solution and easiest solution. Thanks again for the help daphnissov.

[Darren_DnFn]

So I did a fresh install as you suggested daphnissov​, changing the SSO domain back to the default vsphere.local, and leaving all services running. And it worked beautifully, since I didn't delete my VMs I was able to grab them when I added the host in the vSphere Web Client, which saved a ton of work (I prefer the Flex over the HTML). All I had to do was wait for the vCSA to finish installing again. Anyways, everything worked fine and was noticeable a lot smoother now that the RAM wasn't being constricted by manually turning off some of the services I needed, like I had done before.

However, all this being said, it seems that this issue returns when ever I power down my servers for the weekend. The boss prefers we turn them off to save power, and I am just testing things out anyways, so not exactly something I need left on all weekend. But for some reason this loading issue returns. I am not sure if it relates to this at all, but before this loading issue I would get this error every once and while.

I was able to find some articles on this VMware Knowledge Base​, and sometimes this fixes the above issue other times it can take a few tries, and several restarts, and powering off and on again to get it working. But usually I can get it back up again. It doesn't seem like there is a permanent fix for the above problem either. It has something to do with the vmware-vpxd service, which for some reason sometimes will not turn on when the vCSA is powered on. And I pretty sure this is automatic service.

From what I remember this loading issue started after I tried to apply the patch to my vCSA. Through an email I found out that VMware just recently put a patch out for 6.7.0 VMware vCenter Server 6.7.0b Release Notes​. Now it is up to 6.7.0b. In either event, this patch failed for some reason, even though it came straight from the VMware website, and I have been having this loading issue ever since. Since the patch didn't work, I went back to just 6.7.0.

So even after, doing a third fresh install of the vCSA 6.7.0 (no a or b patch), when I shut everything down and then turn it back on the loading problem will reappear. I don't have to keep reinstalling the vCSA every single time I turn of my servers for the weekend.

[windogwow2017]

same problem here.

the fix is, wait for 10 min and hope the page will load.

[Alessandr0]

I've got same problem. Waited long enough to understand that it will never finish loading. Don't know how to resolve it without reinstallation.

[msripada]

any plugins?

[jcfran]

WORKAROUND - Open the site in an incognito window.

[jcfran]

I feel really crazy because clearing my cache resolved the problem. VMware Knowledge Base