VMware Cloud Community
mcdonab
Contributor
Contributor

Can't add ESX host - weird error

I upgraded to VC2 -and now I can't add one of my ESX servers (that was working fine before) to VC. It's accessible because I connect to it - it prompts me for the account and password and then it displays the VM's on the server. But when I hit finish it says "Unable to access the specified host. It either does not exist, the server software is not responding or there is a network problem". I rebooted the ESX server, but that didn't help. Any ideas? thanks!

Reply
0 Kudos
34 Replies
sbeaver
Leadership
Leadership

Double check your licenses and make sure the license server shows all the licenses you are supposed to have

Steve Beaver
VMware Communities User Moderator
VMware vExpert 2009 - 2020
VMware NSX vExpert - 2019 - 2020
====
Co-Author of "VMware ESX Essentials in the Virtual Data Center"
(ISBN:1420070274) from Auerbach
Come check out my blog: [www.virtualizationpractice.com/blog|http://www.virtualizationpractice.com/blog/]
Come follow me on twitter http://www.twitter.com/sbeaver

**The Cloud is a journey, not a project.**
Reply
0 Kudos
soleblazer
Hot Shot
Hot Shot

I second sbeaver, I had the exact same problem and I had to connect to the esx box direct, and alter the license information. In my case I had pointed the ESX to the correct license server (the vc box), but didnt select the right options under "ESX license servertype"

Reply
0 Kudos
mcdonab
Contributor
Contributor

I think that only applies to ESX 3. All of my boxes are currently 2.x - so they're all host based licensing - but I upgraded VC because my next implementation will be 3... I got all of my new licenses emailed to me from Vmware (well the activation codes - you know the drill). so I added them to one file for the license server... I can't see how it would licensing... I'll check it though, thanks!

Reply
0 Kudos
mstahl75
Virtuoso
Virtuoso

I would verify that the VC_ESXHOST licenses all exist in VC for all your servers. It may also be possible that it is failing when installing the VC Agent and you might need to install it manually. There is at least one post like that on the forum. Not sure that is your problem, but it might be.

Reply
0 Kudos
sbeaver
Leadership
Leadership

If that is the case do you have any other hosts added to VC. COuld it be the VC license is missing?

Steve Beaver
VMware Communities User Moderator
VMware vExpert 2009 - 2020
VMware NSX vExpert - 2019 - 2020
====
Co-Author of "VMware ESX Essentials in the Virtual Data Center"
(ISBN:1420070274) from Auerbach
Come check out my blog: [www.virtualizationpractice.com/blog|http://www.virtualizationpractice.com/blog/]
Come follow me on twitter http://www.twitter.com/sbeaver

**The Cloud is a journey, not a project.**
Reply
0 Kudos
mstahl75
Virtuoso
Virtuoso

I think the usual error if the VC license is missing is the "There are not enough licenses..." error. Or it seems that way usually.

Reply
0 Kudos
sbeaver
Leadership
Leadership

Yes I think you are right on that so maybe the way ESX server thinks it is licensed and maybe DNS / name resolution?

Steve Beaver
VMware Communities User Moderator
VMware vExpert 2009 - 2020
VMware NSX vExpert - 2019 - 2020
====
Co-Author of "VMware ESX Essentials in the Virtual Data Center"
(ISBN:1420070274) from Auerbach
Come check out my blog: [www.virtualizationpractice.com/blog|http://www.virtualizationpractice.com/blog/]
Come follow me on twitter http://www.twitter.com/sbeaver

**The Cloud is a journey, not a project.**
Reply
0 Kudos
jfmartin
Contributor
Contributor

Hi,

How did you add the license to VC 2.0 ? By copying and pasting the content of every .lic file into the consolidated vmware.lic on the VC server ?

This part is not very clear in the vmware documentation.

Thanks.

JF

Reply
0 Kudos
mcdonab
Contributor
Contributor

Yeah I just copied and pasted to make up one master .lic file. You're right it wasn't very clear.

thanks guys - I still don't know what the problem is. It's not DNS because when I attempt to attach to the ESX server it comes back with the VM'

s listed on that server. I hit next - and thats when I get the message. I think I'll try that one suggestion and just manually install the VC software on the ESX server... thanks

Reply
0 Kudos
John_Bergin
Contributor
Contributor

Did you get this running? I have the same error.

Reply
0 Kudos
mcdonab
Contributor
Contributor

No I sent it on to Vmware support... They're looking at right now. It's been a week though and still no resolution... when I know I'll post it.

Reply
0 Kudos
John_Bergin
Contributor
Contributor

Thanks. I will keep watching this thread. No point swamping them with 40 cases of the exact same thing.

Reply
0 Kudos
sbeaver
Leadership
Leadership

No I disagree with that. The more requests VMware gets on an issue the higher up the priority the issue goes.

Steve Beaver
VMware Communities User Moderator
VMware vExpert 2009 - 2020
VMware NSX vExpert - 2019 - 2020
====
Co-Author of "VMware ESX Essentials in the Virtual Data Center"
(ISBN:1420070274) from Auerbach
Come check out my blog: [www.virtualizationpractice.com/blog|http://www.virtualizationpractice.com/blog/]
Come follow me on twitter http://www.twitter.com/sbeaver

**The Cloud is a journey, not a project.**
Reply
0 Kudos
John_Bergin
Contributor
Contributor

posted request and you are right sbeaver.

Reply
0 Kudos
admin
Immortal
Immortal

What is the SR number for this issue? Can you check if vpxa was installed on the host you're trying to add?

Reply
0 Kudos
mki
Contributor
Contributor

same issue here -

VC 2.0 one new ESX3 box and 6 ESX 2.5.2

for five 2.5.2 servers it worked, but for one (the first in this company), it doesn't. Number of free VC-access licenses is enough (4 free and it's a 4CPU box).

Cannot find a significant difference between the boxes atm., but try to find one and will post it here...

Message was edited by:

mki

Reply
0 Kudos
John_Bergin
Contributor
Contributor

Unusual.

Reply
0 Kudos
kharbin
Commander
Commander

We are having lots of the same issues. Some days it works, some days it don't. Even with properly licensed hosts and VC there is no keeping everything running. Always a license problem, always having to do the same fixes again and again.

I hate to say it, but VC2 is a really big piece of crap. Quality control was asleep when this product came up for testing.

Some of my clients have 4000+ ESX hosts. I can not put this VI3/VC2 into client locations. I don't want to hear the complaints.

VMware, when is VC 2.1 comming out? When will licensing work as advertised? This is not enterprise ready.

Reply
0 Kudos
mcdonab
Contributor
Contributor

Just an update for anyone that's interested. I updated to VC2.1 and it didn't help. I also built a mock VS using MSDE and the ESX server still wouldn't add properly... so clearly the problem is in the ESX server. I've tried several different things there as well... Still no success. Has anyone resolved this? Vmware support is still working on it as well.

thanks!

Reply
0 Kudos