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djsupreme
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vCenter 5.5 Web Client shows incorrect inventory

I upgraded my vCenter to 5.5 from 5.1 and it works except the Web Client has incorrect inventory data.  It is missing some VMs and has some ghost VMs that don't actually exist.  There aren't any error messages that suggest the server is malfunctioning.  The really strange thing is that when I connect with the vSphere Client on Windows, everything is correct there.  Also Veeam shows all the correct inventory when it connects to the vCenter server.  So its only the Web Client that is wrong.  Has anyone experienced this or have any ideas on how to force the Web Client to refresh?

edit: forgot to mention this is VCSA

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TanyaVM
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I finally resolved my issue. It turns out I used a newer version (v1.0.1) of OpenSSL which exports the key file in a different format.  You can tell because the "incorrect" key file contents will have a ----- BEGIN PRIVATE KEY while the "correct key file contents will have a ----- BEGIN RSA PRIVATE KEY.  I basically did the entire certificate process below using OpenSSL v0.9.8 and sure enough, the ----- BEGIN RSA PRIVATE KEY was in there and I was able to register the Inventory service.

VMware KB: Configuring Certificate Authority (CA) signed certificates for vCenter Server Appliance 5...

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a_p_
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Only a thought. Is it the same when you connect from another PC and/or after deleting the Internet Explorer's cache.

André

djsupreme
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I tried it just now from another machine but no luck.  It doesn't appear to be cache related.  Good idea though, always something that should be tried.

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LeonEP
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Did you get any further with this?

I have been deploying a new system and have been configuring my environment mostly in the vsphere software client.

Upon logging back into my vsphere web client, I find that only my single vcenter vm exists in the inventory and none of my distributed switches.

I found this after noticing that one of my vmkernel ports on a distributed switch was showing no link status in the software client so I went to investigate in the web client.

Also using the vcenter appliance.

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MP230
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Hi you are not alone with that problem. I am having issues with the inventory as well which results in outdated inventory data shown in the web client. The fat client works fine but you are not able to manage vmx-10 vms...

Issue History:

-Inventory filled up the disk volume because it was writing 90GB of logs (xhive) on the drive -> result server crash

-Web client shows outdated data even if you create new items in the web client they will not show up

-Tried to troubleshoot this problem with VMware support for like 5 hours ->result / recommendation -> Reinstall

-Since i already had a single component (intenvory service) go wild and fill up my disk volume we set up a separate vm for each module (vCenter, sso, inventory service, webclient) -> Result same behaviour

-Uploaded logs of all modules to VMware

We tried everything you can find in KB´s... resetting the inventory database doesn´t work either Smiley Sad

Since we are using vCenter on a windows installation it´s not a vCenter appliance problem...

Unfortunately i am waiting now for several days to hear from support...

I can give you an update if they get back to me.

Greetings from Germany

Marcel

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djsupreme
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Thanks Marcel, that would be very helpful if you can repeat what you hear back from VMware (when you hear back).

One interesting thing I noticed on my VCSA is that if I create a folder using the Web Client, the new folder doesn't ever show up in the Web Client, but I can see the folder from the Windows Client.  So it seems that even the operations performed by Web Client aren't visible in Web Client.

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MP230
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Hey, yeah that´s the same behaviour i have here. It doesn´t really matter what kind of object you are creating in web client. After creation it won´t show in web client at all but in fat client. It seems like the inventory service just stops updating the inventory data which will be presented to the web client. Support is currently reviewing my logs so i hope i get some information until tomorrow. Will keep you updated.

Marcel

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estereterete
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We've got the same problem. After 30 days working, and after removing a host from inventory; web client stopped updating inventory. We still see the phantom host, and with machines associated.

When we try to access these vm, now running in another host, we get:

pastedImage_1.png

We've tried stopping services, it didn't work.

pastedImage_0.png

We've opened a support case, I'll keep you updated.

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estereterete
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Finally, I got it solved on the support case!!!!!

http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?language=en_US&cmd=displayKC&externalId=203795...

service vmware-inventoryservice stop
# Remove stored data:
rm -rf /storage/db/inventoryservice/data
/usr/lib/vmware-vpx/inventoryservice/scripts/ds-invoke.sh -Dvim.logdir=/var/log/vmware/vpx/inventoryservice com.vmware.vim.dataservices.CreateDb /storage/db/inventoryservice/data changeme default changeme
service vmware-inventoryservice start
vcenterhost=vchost.mydomain.com
/usr/lib/vmware-vpx/inventoryservice-registration/vcregtool.sh -Dvim.logdir=/var/log/vmware/vpx/inventoryservice-registration com.vmware.vim.dataservices.vcregtool.RegisterVC -action register -lookupserviceurl https://$vcenterhost:7444/lookupservice/sdk -isurl https://$vcenterhost:10443 -vcurl https://$vcenterhost/sdk/vimService -vccert /etc/vmware-vpx/ssl/rui.crt -vcprivkey /etc/vmware-vpx/ssl/rui.key -vcinstancecfg /etc/vmware-vpx/instance.cfg -vcendpointsdir /usr/lib/vmware-vpx/endpoints -vcextensionsdir /usr/lib/vmware-vpx/extensions
service vmware-vpxd restart

djsupreme
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Thanks for the update .  Rebuilding the database didn't help in my case but that log file referenced in that KB article helps me.  Rebuilding did change the behavior a bit as after when I logged in I immediately received the error "Client is not authenticated to VMware Inventory Service".  I rolled back.

In my /var/log/vmware/vpx/inventoryservice/ds.log I have this error:

inherited from com.vmware.vim.binding.vim.fault.InvalidLogin: Cannot complete login due to an incorrect user name or password.


I tried reinstalling all my signed certificates and I also tried this KB article about re-registering the inventory service:

VMware KB: vCenter Inventory Service fails to start in vCenter Server Appliance 5.x

Unfortunately no change for me.  Anyone got a suggestion based on that error message I receive?

Message was edited by: djsupreme "fixed KB link"

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Mystics27
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I have the exact same problem as djsupreme, i.e. after trying the "fix" I no longer could login to the vSphere Web Client ("Client is not authenticated to VMware Inventory Service") so I also had to roll back and I'm back to an outdated inventory.

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pmitoraj
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Same issue here. We have fresh installation with vcsa 5.5. Virtual machines are created via API. All is visible in standalone client but webclient shows only vcenter vm. After applying procedure from #8 web client does not respond at all.

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estereterete
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We had this errror too:

           inherited from com.vmware.vim.binding.vim.fault.InvalidLogin: Cannot complete login due to an incorrect user name or password.

Our vcenter, has two dns names, due to legacy reasons. We had to put both of them in /etc/hosts.

vcenter:~ # cat /etc/hosts
127.0.0.1  vcenter.domain.com vcenter localhost
external-ip vspherecsl.domain.com vspherecsl

After this, we just followed  http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?language=en_US&cmd=displayKC&externalId=203795...

and it worked.

pmitoraj
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Now I can confirm that workaround is working. I have information from our vmware contact that vmware is working on the issue and real fix should be available in days..

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Phil_Prevost
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Same issue, just a little more infomation to added to the thread.  I have replaced the default certificates on my vCSA 5.5.0.5101 build 1398493, so when I attempt to re-regeister the inventoryservice it doesn't complete successfully.

Successfully loaded VC certificate

Cannot read VC private key file /etc/vmware-vpx/ssl/rui.key

java.lang.NullPointerException

  at com.vmware.vim.dataservices.vcregtool.RegisterVC.loadVcPrivateKey(RegisterVC.java:478)

  at com.vmware.vim.dataservices.vcregtool.RegisterVC.loadVcProviderInfo(RegisterVC.java:300)

  at com.vmware.vim.dataservices.vcregtool.RegisterVC.register(RegisterVC.java:203)

  at com.vmware.vim.dataservices.vcregtool.RegisterVC.doRegistration(RegisterVC.java:1253)

  at com.vmware.vim.dataservices.vcregtool.RegisterVC.main(RegisterVC.java:1332)

Failed to perform register action

com.vmware.vim.dataservices.vcregtool.exception.RegistrationException

  at com.vmware.vim.dataservices.vcregtool.RegisterVC.loadVcPrivateKey(RegisterVC.java:483)

  at com.vmware.vim.dataservices.vcregtool.RegisterVC.loadVcProviderInfo(RegisterVC.java:300)

  at com.vmware.vim.dataservices.vcregtool.RegisterVC.register(RegisterVC.java:203)

  at com.vmware.vim.dataservices.vcregtool.RegisterVC.doRegistration(RegisterVC.java:1253)

  at com.vmware.vim.dataservices.vcregtool.RegisterVC.main(RegisterVC.java:1332)

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djsupreme
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Update:

I updated to 5.5.0b but looks like it didn't help.  I still receive the same kind of errors and the same behavior.

inherited from com.vmware.vim.binding.vim.fault.InvalidLogin: Cannot complete login due to an incorrect user name or password.

Everything works from Windows client and Veeam but Web Client shows incorrect inventory information.

Also be warned, after updating to 5.5.0b my root and administrator@vsphere.local passwords were immediately expired.  The only way I could log in and reset them was because I already had a ssh keypair for root set up.

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TanyaVM
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I finally resolved my issue. It turns out I used a newer version (v1.0.1) of OpenSSL which exports the key file in a different format.  You can tell because the "incorrect" key file contents will have a ----- BEGIN PRIVATE KEY while the "correct key file contents will have a ----- BEGIN RSA PRIVATE KEY.  I basically did the entire certificate process below using OpenSSL v0.9.8 and sure enough, the ----- BEGIN RSA PRIVATE KEY was in there and I was able to register the Inventory service.

VMware KB: Configuring Certificate Authority (CA) signed certificates for vCenter Server Appliance 5...

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djsupreme
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Amazing work TanyaVM, it turns out I had the same issue.  My default OpenSSL is also v1.0.1.  I went ahead and duplicated the Windows orientated instructions from that KB article and was able to get inventory service working.  Thanks for posting the solution.

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Mystics27
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Worked for me too, thanks TanyaVM.

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MP230
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Hi,

got the issue figured out in our non-vcsa environment. After going through several reinstalsl, throubleshooting hours, i found 2 hosts acting weird (not reporting performance or inventory data). Reinstalled both hosts and the inventory service runs fine! Seems the service was waiting for the hosts to get back to it and didn´t want to go on with refreshing inventory data until the hosts reported their data.

Weird stuff going on with the inventory service Smiley Happy

Greetings from Germany

Marcel

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