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brucecmc
Contributor
Contributor

error when creating VM through VC 2.0

Hi folks,

I am trying to reestablish an ESX 3.0.1 host in virtual center 2.0...

I have 2 hosts, 1 I can access just fine, the other I could not, so I blew it away and tried recreating it..No matter what I attempt to do, I get the

"Unable to access the specified server. It either does not exist, the server software is not responding or there is a network problem".

I have

\- bounced both the esx host and the VC management server

\- I can ping between VC mgmt and esx host

\- I've restarted the the services on the esx host

\- The fqdn for both the VC mgmt and the host resolve to the correct IP's (from host to mgmt and mgmt to host)..

\- Both the host and the mgmt server are on the same subnet.

I think I have exhausted the recommendations from several of the posts in the forums, but none appear to work...

Any further suggestions?

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11 Replies
esiebert7625
Immortal
Immortal

Try dropping the ESX firewall temporarily and see if it works "service firewall stop". Also have you verified that the root login that you are using works OK. Can you SSH into the ESX server from the VC server? Can you login from the VI Client directly to the ESX server using the VI Client on the VC Server?

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brucecmc
Contributor
Contributor

Hey Eric,

thanks for the reply...I have the answers to some of those questions...

\- stopped firewall, same error.

\- root login is correct...have logged in locally to the esx host...

\- havent tried to ssh into it from vc...presently have remote connections turned off on the host.

\- can connect directly to host using vi client no problem...can create vm, etc.. just through VC am I experiencing the problem.

thanks

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esiebert7625
Immortal
Immortal

Is the host still in VC just showing as disconnected or has it been removed? Have you checked the ESX and VC server logs for more detail. Maybe the /var/log/vmware/vpx on the ESX server.

You can check several log files on the ESX server based on the problem you are experiencing, these include:

o Vmkernel - /var/log/vmkernel – records activities related to the virtual machines and ESX server

o Vmkernel Warnings - /var/log/vmkwarning – records activities with the virtual machines

o Vmkernel Summary - /var/log/vmksummary - Used to determine uptime and availability statistics for ESX Server; human-readable summary found in /var/log/vmksummary.txt

o ESX Server host agent log - /var/log/vmware/hostd.log - Contains information on the agent that manages and configures the ESX Server host and its virtual machines (Search the file date/time stamps to find the log file it is currently outputting to.)

o Service Console - /var/log/messages - Contain all general log messages used to troubleshoot virtual machines or ESX Server

o Web Access - /var/log/vmware/webAccess - Records information on Web-based access to ESX Server

o Authentication log - /var/log/secure - Contains records of connections that require authentication, such as VMware daemons and actions initiated by the xinetd daemon.

o VirtualCenter agent - /var/log/vmware/vpx - Contains information on the agent that communicates with VirtualCenter

o Virtual Machines - The same directory as the affected virtual machine’s configuration files; named vmware.log - Contain information when a virtual machine crashes or ends abnormally

How do I troubleshoot VirtualCenter server issues?

o To troubleshoot Virtual Center problems click on the Admin button in Virtual Center and then click the System Logs tab

o To view the log files directly open Windows Explorer and go to the C:\Windows\Temp\VPX directory on the Virtual Center server

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hicksj
Virtuoso
Virtuoso

- The fqdn for both the VC mgmt and the host resolve

to the correct IP's (from host to mgmt and mgmt to

host)..

What about from client to host? Some operations within the VI client require the client interact with the host directly. (same goes for related ports that may be blocked by any firewalls between VIC and host)

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brucecmc
Contributor
Contributor

Originally, the problem was it was disconnected. I subsequently removed the host and tried to recreate it and this is where i wound up...

I reviewed the logs suggested previously, and did not find anything more glaring...I will review again...obviously, I'm missing something...

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brucecmc
Contributor
Contributor

When you say client, i'm assuming you mean the VI Client...Yes, I can resolve the esx host fqdn from the client machine (which is also the VC 2.0 mgmt server)...No firewall between the 2, both on same subnet...

I have another esx host that i am not experiencing the problem...so, i suspect it is host specific...

very odd...

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esiebert7625
Immortal
Immortal

Also you might try putting Sysinternals TcpView on the VC Server and see what is going on when you try to connect to the ESX server, Microsoft Metwork Monitor might be helpful also. It's useful to try and isolate the problem to a specific area. In this case it could be application, database or network. You might also take a peek at the database and see if the host still exists in there, specifically the VPX_HOST table.

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brucecmc
Contributor
Contributor

roger that...

You lost me on the DB however...which DB are we referring to (location)??

bruce

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esiebert7625
Immortal
Immortal

VirtualCenter's SQL/Oracle/MSDE database

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brucecmc
Contributor
Contributor

of course you are... DUH!!!...

sorry...thanks for opening my eyes again...

bruce

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bjmoore
Enthusiast
Enthusiast

If you ssh into the box, check the status of the vmware-vpxa service as well as the mgmt-vmware service.

Might not hurt to check /etc/vmware/vpxa.cfg to make sure that the version on your "good" server matches the problem child.

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