VirtualCenter Service will not start after VC 2.5 update 2

[DBYRDJR]

Long time lurker - first time poster!!!

Here's the rundown:

VC 2.5 u1 has been up and running with ODBC connection working perfectly

Ran the VC 2.5 update 2

VMWare Infrastructure Client Update - appears to have run successfully

VMWare Virtual Center Server Update - appears to have run successfully

VMWare Update Manager Update - FAILS - Error states Virtual Center Server is not running.

However, I noticed in the vpxd.log:

ODBC Error: (28000) - [SQL Native Client][SQL Server] Login failed for user 'domain\server$'.

This looks pretty straight forward "The login ain't right".

My first thought was something in the ODBC connection was failing. I referenced http://communities.vmware.com/message/1032712 and made sure my ODBC System DSN connection works as it should.

Name, Description, Server – all there from prior to upgrade – check

Connect with Integrated Windows Authentication – there from prior to upgrade – check – for argument sake the ID is ‘vc_admin’

Default database, Use ANSI stuff – there from prior to upgrade – check

The summary comes up – click the ‘Test Data Source’ – check – connects like a champ.

My next thought was maybe I needed to change the ‘Connect with Integrated Windows Authentication’. I tried all variants and those connect types all fail in the ODBC. So I’m positive I’ve got the ODBC right.

I then checked the registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\VMWare, Inc\VMWARE VirtualCenter\DB 2 – yup – ‘vc_admin’ as it should.

So there is my confusion. The ODBC is using vc_admin but for some reason VC is trying to use ‘domain\server$’. I ran the vpxd.exe –p – and it updates the encrypted password for vc_admin in the registry just fine.

Where in the heck is VC getting ‘domain\server$’???

I’ve searched the registry thinking somewhere in there – NOPE

I’ve searched every file in VMWare install / program files - NOPE

[chill]

Did you check the login section in the Virtual Centre Server properties in Windows Services? Since U2 is essentially a new version, it might have removed the login credentials from there.

[allencrawford]

Is the VMware Update Manager service running as the vc_admin user ID? Is this a domain account or a local account? Does this account have "db_owner" rights to the MSDB database? The latter was a problem I just ran into with Update Manager (that permission was not in place when they upgraded from update 1 to update 2 so I had to get it added, remove Update Manger, and reinstall as the repair option didn't work).

[DBYRDJR]

Thank you Chill and Allencrawford for getting me thinking in the right direction.

Yes - the issue was that the service - by default - wants to load as 'system account'. When I switched it to the vc_admin - which is in Administrators group it started and ran like a champ.

I guess I get the 'Here's your sign' award on that one. I'm relatively new to VMWare and Virtual Center. I ASSUMED (incorrectly) that Virtual Center, durring install would create the service accounts it needs and either ask or assign the necessary permissions it needed.

Thanks for getting me thinking in the right direction!

[chill · Accepted solution]

Great!

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