Virtual Center Issues

[Al_MILCORP]

I have tried but cannot find any definitive answers to this problem. My virtual center is working fine, I can do everything except use "Open Console" to connect to my VMs. I get the infamous "Cannot connect to host (ESX): No connection could be made because the target machine actively refused it." As I said earlier HA, DRS, VMotion all works great but I can't view the VMs from "Open Console" any help will be greatly appreciated.

[kooltechies]

Hi,

Please try this KB link to resolve the problem.

http://kb.vmware.com/kb/749640

Thanks,

Samir

P.S : If you think that the answer is helpful please consider rewarding points.

[Al_MILCORP]

I tried the sugestions in the KB but no luck. Here's some more info; I'm using VC 2.5 U3 and ESX 3.5 U3. Again everything woks except "Open Console".

[rstierna]

Can you open it if you connect directly to the host with VI client?

[Al_MILCORP]

I'm not sure if I understand you. I have the VI Client installed on a server that contains the database and license server. When I login to this particular server I cannot connect using "open console"

[wazoo9000]

He/She wants you to connect directly to the ESX host that is hosting the virtual machine versus connectiong to VC. I am interested in this as well, are there any firewalls between your VC server and your ESX hosts? We will probably need some additional details in reguards to your topology.

[Al_MILCORP]

Yes. I can login to the esx host by using web browser by name or IP and view all the VMs on both ESX hosts but not using "open console" on VMware Infrastructure Client.

[rstierna]

When you state you are using open console you are doing this when connected using the Vi client? What i was curious to see is if you could use the Vi client, not web browser, and connect directly to the ip address of a host. You would be logging in as root. This ussually helps narrow down a database or vicenter issue.

Rob

[Al_MILCORP]

Yes with the VI Client I can logon to the esx host and use "open console" to view the the VMs. When I logon to my VI Client server I cannot use the "open console".

[rstierna]

Are you recieving information for the VM's on the perfomance tab? Have tried restarting the virtual center service on the VI Center system? You could also try running the reconfigure HA on each host in the cluster.

[Al_MILCORP]

Everything is fully operational on the VI Center system and no errors are displaying. Again, only the "open console" does not work from the center. Is there something in the esx hosts that could be altered? Thx!

[rstierna]

Did you try restarting the vicenter service and reconfiguring HA on each host? this has worked for me in the past when i was seeing some odd behavior from Vi Center.

[Al_MILCORP]

Performed suggested items but no change.

[rstierna]

Maybe you could try running or installing the vi client on another system than the VI center system. Not sure if your network is setup to allow this but it could help identify if there is an issue with the VI center OS blocking the connection for some reason ( Firewall )?? i have also found that windows event logs sometimes can provide some information. you could try to open the console and then check the system,security, and app.event log's to see if they have any new entries.

[Al_MILCORP]

I'm running the VI Client from two other systems with the same result and no errors showing in the "Event Viewer". The only indication I get is the error at the beginning of this post.

[rstierna]

Sorry! I'm running out of ideas. Do you have a support contract with

VMware? It sure seems to be either a database or VI center configuration

issue. I ran across on old post earlier today that mentioned they had an

issue with the ports changing after upgrading VI center. They found

that it was configured to use 905 or 903 instead of 902.

[rick-vanover]

Make sure you are running the correct VMware Infrastructure Client - meaning - your actual VpxClient.exe file is from Update 2 or earlier. Grab the current VI Client by going to: and click the link to download the client. Then re-connect to vCenter or directly to the ESX host.

Remember that ESX 3.5 U3 came out AFTER VC 2.5 U2 -> so the client on the ESX host will be newer.

[Al_MILCORP]

I'm running VC 2.5 U3.

[rick-vanover]

Yes, but what build is your client? Looking for a number like 119598 or 119826. If the Build # in the Help About number is not the greater of the two, you do not have the current VI Client.

[Al_MILCORP]

It's VI Client #119826 and V Center 119598.

Here's some more info. I have 2 ESX boxes and a iSCSI Openfiler 2.3 SANs. I have my iSCSI connections on a different subnet all other functions working, i.e. VMotion. HA, DRS, etc.

[Al_MILCORP]

deleted.

[geob]

Do you have IIS installed on the vCenter server? What port is the vCenter web server configured for? If IIS is installed, the vCneter web server must be configured for a port other than port 80.

[Al_MILCORP]

No IIS. If I had IIS installed, none of the other parts would be working. Thanks anyway.

[_David]

Put your ESX servers IP, long name and shortname in your VC servers HOSTS file.

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[Neth66]

Where are the VC Server, Client, and ESX hosts in relation to each other? I don't remember the exact details, but in ESX 2.5 days we had a similar problem, and we'd be able to see the console if the client was on the same subnet as the VC Server.

[Al_MILCORP]

The VC Server, Client and ESX host are all on the same subnet 10.1.X.X. I do have an isolated non-routable iSCSI to SANs with another service console 192.168.X.X.

[Al_MILCORP]

After careful research and testing I have found the problem. The issue stems from the MS ISA 2006 client. VMware console is Winsock based and all traffic of this type is intercepted by the firewall client which over wrote the local routing table. Just disabling the client is not enough, you have to remove it. Whew... mystery solved.

[Al_MILCORP]

Each of my esx boxes has the IP, FQDN, and short name in the host file. Thx!

[_David]

ok but do you have it in your VC servers hosts file as well?

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