vcenter 4.1, server 2008 R2, Management Webservices failing

[curriertech]

I've googled my face off and searched here as well but I haven't found anything that exactly matches my scenario, so here we go.

vCenter System: Fresh install of vCenter 4.1 on Server 2008 R2 with SQL 2005 Express. IIS is not installed.

Hosts: 4 ESX 4.0

Symptom 1: vCenter Client plugins won't enable, error about not being able to access the url to the xml files.

Cause 1: Management Webservices service keeps failing with the following error (in Windows event log):

Log Name: System

Source: Service Control Manager

Date: 8/9/2010 10:21:28 AM

Event ID: 7031

Task Category: None

Level: Error

Keywords: Classic

User: N/A

Computer: USBOSA00.americas.munters.com

Description:

The VMware VirtualCenter Management Webservices service terminated unexpectedly. It has done this 3 time(s). The following corrective action will be taken in 60000 milliseconds: Restart the service.

Event Xml:

-Josh.

[a_p_]

Just to clarify:

Cause 1: Management Webservices service keeps failing ...

Does this only occur after a reboot or can't the service be started manually at all?

If the service can be started manually, then you may need to set service dependencies, because the Webservices need access to the SQL server instance.

André

[curriertech]

The service starts, but within a few minutes it stops with the event log error in my initial post. Since the service is set to restart on failure, it's stoping/starting all the time, it's not just at boot.

-Josh.

[a_p_]

Did you already take a look at the vCenter Server log files and the Webservices logs (C:\Program Files\VMware\Infrastructure\tomcat\logs)? Any Error entries?

André

[Troy_Clavell · Accepted solution]

not the exact event ID error, but this may be useful

http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1009168

[curriertech]

That was it, thanks! All of my plugins are behaving and the service is stable.




-Josh.

[HMUSA]

Great thread.  You guys rock.  Resurrecting this for posterity, as I just had this pop up from out of nowhere.  Was working fine one day, and next you know the Mgmt Webservices wouldn't stay up.  A little searching around brought me here.  Changed the Tomcat port to 8006, and Bam. I'm good to go.

Thanks everyone!

p.s. I can't say 'out of nowhere', but I'm not sure how moving my Domain Controller from one totally independent (non vCenter) server to another would affect this.