VMware

VMware VirtualCenter 2.5 Update 4 Release Notes

 

VMware Infrastructure Management Installer | 23 February 2009 (Localized version)
VirtualCenter 2.5 Server Update 4 | 23 February 2009 | Build 147704
Virtual Infrastructure Client | 23 February 2009 | Build 147694

VMware Infrastructure Management Installer | 23 February 2009 (English only version)
VirtualCenter 2.5 Server Update 4 | 23 February 2009 | Build 147633
Virtual Infrastructure Client | 23 February 2009 | Build 147633

For information about the builds that are available for download, refer Selecting the Appropriate VMware Infrastructure Management Installer.

Last Document Update: 29 July 2010

 

These release notes include the following topics:

Note: In many public documents, VMware ESX Server 3.5 is now known as VMware ESX 3.5 and VMware ESX Server 3i version 3.5 as VMware ESXi 3.5. These release notes continue to use the previous convention to match the product interfaces and documentation. A future release will update the product names.

What's New

  • Guest Operating System Customization Improvements - VirtualCenter now supports customization of Windows Server 2008 guest operating systems.
  • Performance Overview Charts - VirtualCenter 2.5 Update 4 introduces the Performance Overview plug-in, which provides a single view of key performance metrics for CPU, memory, disk, and network without having to navigate through multiple charts. The aggregated charts show high-level summaries of resource distribution.
    To install the Performance Overview plug-in, see Installing the Performance Overview Plug-In in VirtualCenter 2.5 Update4 (KB 1008296)

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Prior Releases of VMware Infrastructure 3

Features and known issues from prior releases of VMware Infrastructure 3, which include ESX Server 3.x and VirtualCenter 2.x releases, are described in the release notes for each release. To view release notes for prior releases of VMware Infrastructure 3 components, click one of the following links:

ESX Server Releases

VirtualCenter Releases

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Before You Begin

Note: If you are installing this release from any source other than physical DVD media, see the knowledge base article Filenames over 64 characters in ESX Server ISO image may get truncated during content extraction (KB 1005283) for important information on a known installation issue.

ESX Server, VirtualCenter, and Virtual Infrastructure Client Compatibility

The ESX Server, VirtualCenter, and Virtual Infrastructure Client Compatibility Matrixes provides details on the compatibility of current and previous versions of VMware Infrastructure 3 components, including ESX Server, VirtualCenter, and the VI Client.

See the ESX Server Compatibility Guides before installing this software. You must verify that your server, I/O, storage, guest operating system, management agent, and backup software are compatible. These guides also address minimum requirements and scaling limits associated with this release. To view a guide, click one of the following links:

  • Systems Compatibility Guide for ESX Server 3.5 and ESX Server 3i (PDF)
  •  I/O Compatibility Guide for ESX Server 3.5 and ESX Server 3i (PDF)
  • Storage/SAN Compatibility Guide for ESX Server 3.5 and ESX Server 3i (PDF)
  • Backup Software Compatibility Guide for ESX Server 3.5 and ESX Server 3i (PDF)

Installation and Upgrade

Read the Installation Guide for step-by-step guidance on installing and configuring ESX Server and VirtualCenter.

Although the installation processes are straightforward, several subsequent configuration steps are essential. In particular, read the following:

Installing Using the VMware Infrastructure Management Installer and Physical Media

For this release, the VMware Infrastructure Management Installer requires a DVD drive when you use physical media to install VMware Infrastructure software.

Selecting the Appropriate VMware Infrastructure Management Installer

Two builds of VMware Infrastructure Management Installer are available for download. Select one of the following options:

  • VMware-VIMSetup-2.5.0-U4-English.iso or VMware-VIMSetup-2.5.0-U4-English.zip – These files include an English-only version of the VI Client, which runs in English regardless of the language of the Windows system. Use this installer to install a VI Client that will run in English on Chinese, German or Japanese versions of the Windows operating system.
  • VMware-VIMSetup-2.5.0-U4-localized.iso or VMware-VIMSetup-2.5.0-U4-localized.zip – These files include a localized installer that installs all files needed to run in English, Chinese, German, or Japanese. The VI Client used at runtime will correspond to the locale of the current Windows operating system if the locale is Chinese, German or Japanese. On Windows operating systems set to locales other than Chinese, German, or Japanese, the English version of the VI Client will be used.

Changes to Virtual Infrastructure Client Installer

The VI Client standalone installer (available from ESX Server Web Access) allows installation of the VMware Infrastructure Update service, which is used for updating and patching ESX Server 3i hosts. The standalone VI Client Installer  is now modified to allow optional installation of the VMware Infrastructure Update service so as to reduce unnecessary proliferation of this tool. Note that the VirtualCenter Unified Installer  (available as part of the VirtualCenter 2.5 Update 4 download) now includes an option to install VMware Infrastructure Update service when you choose the VI Client installation option.

Upgrading or Migrating to VirtualCenter 2.5 Update 4

This release supports upgrading from VirtualCenter 1.4.1, VirtualCenter 2.0.2 (including Update 1, Update 2, Update 3, Update 4, and Update 5), VirtualCenter 2.5, VirtualCenter 2.5 Update 1, or VirtualCenter 2.5 Update 2, or VirtualCenter 2.5 Update 3, to VirtualCenter 2.5 Update 4. Review the detailed upgrade and migration instructions and guidelines that are provided in the Upgrade Guide.

Note: Previous versions of VMware Update Manager are not compatible with VirtualCenter 2.5 Update 4, and must be upgraded to VMware Update Manager 1.0 Update 4 during the installation process.

Plug-Ins Updates

This release of the VMware Infrastructure 3 software suite also includes the following:

 

Resolved Issues

This release resolves issues in the following subject areas:

Migration with VMotion

  • VirtualCenter Server Can Add to Virtual Machines the Virtual Disks that are Migrated or Cloned from ESX Server 2.x Host
    This release resolves an issue where, when virtual disks that are cloned or migrated from ESX Server 2.x hosts are added to virtual machines of ESX Server 3.x, the VirtualCenter Server might fail to add the virtual disks and display a series of error messages similar to the following:
    Internal problem: The system information reported by the host for 'VirtualDisk' is inconsistent. This device cannot currently be edited.
    Object reference not set to an instance of an object.
    A value exceeded the acceptable range.
  • Customization Specifications Created in Previous Releases Can Be Used in VirtualCenter 2.5 Update 4 to Clone or Deploy Virtual Machine with Customized Guest Operating Systems
    This release resolves an issue where, if you clone or deploy a virtual machine using a customization specification that was created prior to upgrading the VirtualCenter, the VirtualCenter Server might display the error message The VirtualCenter server is unable to decrypt the passwords stored in the customization specification in the following scenarios:
    1. VirtualCenter Server is uninstalled first, and then re-installed and/or upgraded afterwards.
    2. Custom SSL certificate are deployed, but the instruction in http://www.vmware.com/pdf/vi_vcserver_certificates.pdf are not followed in a verbatim manner.
  • VirtualCenter Server Now Remains Responsive During Virtual Machines Migration Even When Virtual Machine Affinity Rules Are Set in a DRS-Enabled Cluster and Some of the ESX Server Hosts in the Cluster Do Not Have a VMotion Interface Setup
    This release resolves an issue where if virtual machine affinity rules are set in a DRS-enabled cluster and some of the ESX Server hosts in the cluster do not have a VMotion interface setup, the VirtualCenter Server might stop responding when VirtualCenter starts to migrate virtual machines based on DRS recommendation.
  • Virtual Machines Created with Memory Limits that Exceed the Maximum Memory Limit Set by the VI Client Can Migrate Without Any Warning Messages
    This release resolves an issue where, if a virtual machine is created with a memory limit that exceeds the maximum memory limit set by the VI Client for the virtual machine's guest operating system, the virtual machine migration to the destination ESX Server host might fail with a warning message similar to the following in the Migrate Virtual Machine Wizard:
    Migration from <ESX_Server_Source> to <EXS_Server_Destination>:fault.MemorySizeNotRecommended.Summary.
    Starting with this release, virtual machines created with memory limits that exceed the maximum memory limit set by the VI Client migrate to the destination ESX Server host without any warning messages.

Security

  • Updates the Apache Tomcat Server
    This release of VirtualCenter Server updates the Tomcat server package from 5.5.26 to 5.5.27, to address multiple security issues that existed in the earlier releases of the Tomcat server. The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures project (cve.mitre.org) has assigned the names CVE-2008-1232, CVE-2008-1947, and CVE-2008-2370 to these issues. For more information on security vulnerabilities, refer to the Apache Tomcat 5.x Vulnerabilities page.
  • VirtualCenter Server Uses High Secure SSL Ciphers
    Starting with the VirtualCenter Server 2.5 Update 4 release, OpenSSL in the VirtualCenter Server uses 128 bit high secure ciphers.
    Browsers that exclusively use cipher suites with 40-bit and 56-bit encryption cannot connect to VirtualCenter Server 2.5 Update 4.
    Microsoft has made the Internet Explorer High Encryption Pack available for versions of Internet Explorer 5.01 and lower. Internet Explorer 5.5 and higher already use 128-bit encryption.
    To revert to cipher suites used in previous versions of VirtualCenter Server:
    1. Add the following lines in the C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\VMware\VMware VirtualCenter\vpxd.cfg configuration file of the VirtualCenter:
      <config>
      <vmacore>
      <ssl>
      <cipherList>DEFAULT</cipherList>
      </ssl>
      </vmacore>
      </config>
    2. Restart the VMware VirtualCenter Server service.

Server Configuration

  • DNS Server Information Is Displayed Even if More than Two DNS Servers Are Configured for an ESX Server Host
    This release resolves an issue where if more than two DNS servers are configured for an ESX Server host, the DNS and Routing panel in the Configuration tab for an ESX Server host might not display any DNS server address.
    Starting with this release, if more than two DNS servers are configured for an ESX Server, the first two DNS server entries in the /etc/resolv.conf file are displayed in the DNS and Routing panel of the Configuration tab.

Storage

  • Storage Information Displayed for ESX Server that Access Shared LUNs Is Now Accurate
    When two or more ESX Server hosts access shared LUNs by using different device path numbers for host bus adapters (HBA), the Storage pane in the Configuration tab of VirtualCenter Server displays accurate properties of the LUNs used by an ESX Server host.
  • LUNs Can Be Sorted When Adding RDM Disks to a Virtual Machine
    Starting with the VirtualCenter 2.5 Update 4 release, when adding RDM disks to virtual machines, the LUNs in the Select and Configure a Raw LUN page can be sorted by clicking the Adapter:Target:Lun or Capacity column header.
  • Upgrade to VMFS 3 Link in VI Client Remains Enabled for Every Datastore After ESX Server Host Is Upgraded to ESX Server 3.5
    This release resolves an issue where if ESX Server 2.5.4 host is upgraded to ESX Server 3.5, the Upgrade to VMFS 3 link for datastores might be disabled after one datastore is upgraded to VMFS 3.
    Starting with the VirtualCenter 2.5 Update 4 release, if ESX Server 2.5.4 host is upgraded to ESX Server 3.5, the Upgrade to VMFS 3 link is enabled for all datastores that are not yet upgraded to VMFS 3.
  • Virtual Machines Can Be Created on ESX Server 3.0.3 Installations that Are Configured with NFS Datastore
    This release resolves an issue where, if an ESX Server 3.0.3 installation is configured to use NFS datastore, the VirtualCenter Server might fail to create virtual machine on the ESX Server host with a message similar to the following:
    File is larger than maximum size supported by datastore<Datastore_Name>
  • Storage VMotion Creates Temporary delta.vmdk Files Only for the Virtual Disks That Are Migrated
    In previous releases, if a virtual machine has more than one virtual disk and you want to move only some of the virtual disks to another datastore by using Storage VMotion, temporary delta.vmdk files are created for all virtual disks attached to the virtual machine.
    Starting with VirtualCenter 2.5 Update 4, during Storage VMotion, temporary delta.vmdk files are created only for the virtual disks that are migrated to another datastore.
  • Updated: Incorrect Device Paths for LUNs Displayed in Storage Summary (KB 1003064)

Upgrade and Installation

  • VirtualCenter Can Be Upgraded to VirtualCenter 2.5 Update 4 by Using VMware-vcserver.exe from the vpx Folder
    When VirtualCenter is upgraded to VirtualCenter 2.5 Update 3 by using VMware-vcserver.exe from the vpx folder, the VMware VirtualCenter Server service might fail to start. This issue occurs due to an incomplete update of the database in VirtualCenter, resulting in incorrect database versioning.
    This issue is resolved.

Virtual Machine Management

  • ESX Server Host Is Shown to Be in Maintenance Mode Even After it Is Disconnected
    When an ESX Server host that is in maintenance mode is disconnected from the VirtualCenter Server, the VI Client displays the ESX Server host's status as (maintenance mode) (disconnected).
    When a ESX Server host that is in maintenance mode is connected to another VirtualCenter Server, the VI Client displays the ESX Server host's status as (maintenance mode)(not responding).
  • CloneVM API Call Permits Addition of New NICs and Customization of the Added NICs in the Same Call
    This release resolves an issue where when using the CloneVM operation in VI SDK, if a virtual machine is cloned with a configuration specification that defines new NICs to be added and a customization specification that defines network adapter mapping for all the NICs, the CloneVM operation might fail with the following error:
    NicSettingMismatch error

VirtualCenter, VI Client, and Web Access

  • Users Need Not Have the Change Resource Privilege To Remove Virtual Disks from Virtual Machines
    When VI Client is connected to the VirtualCenter Server, Remove Disk, Modify Device Settings, and Settings under Virtual Machine -> Configuration are now the minimum privileges required for a user to be able to remove virtual disks from virtual machines.
    Note: When VI Client is connected to an ESX Server host, Change Resource privilege is also required by users to remove virtual disks from virtual machines.
  • Updated: VI Client Displays Memory Statistics for Resource Pools only When the Statistics Level Is 2 or Higher
    In previous releases of VirtualCenter Server, the VI Client either did not display any values, or displayed incorrect values for the memory usage % attribute in the Performance tab for a resource pool.
    Starting with VirtualCenter 2.5 Update 4 release, the memory usage % attribute is removed from the Performance tab for a resource pool.
    To view memory statistics such as memory balloon, memory granted, or memory active for a resource pool, its statistics level must be set to 2 or higher in the VirtualCenter Server. Although you can see a label for memory swap used, no performance statistics are displayed for this.
    For more information on the metrics that can be viewed using the VI Client, see VirtualCenter Monitoring and Performance Statistics.
  • User Names in ESX Server Host Can Have Up to 16 Characters
    This release resolves an issue where the VI Client connected to an ESX Server host might fail to create users with user names starting with an upper case letter or containing more than nine characters. Starting with this release, users can be created with a maximum of 16 characters in the user name, and the names can start with an uppercase character.
  • Top-Level Domain Names Can Contain Hyphens
     This release resolves an issue where if a valid top-level domain name containing a hyphen is entered in the Domain field in the DNS and Routing Configuration window, the VI Client might fail to accept the entry with an error message similar to the following:
    The Domain name is not in the correct format.
  • Fault Displayed When There Are Insufficient Resources for Failover Is Corrected
    This release resolves an issue where in a cluster that is enabled for DRS and HA, if there are no resources in the resource pool to guarantee failover for ESX Server host failures and a virtual machine is powered on, the VirtualCenter Server incorrectly displays the following fault:
    InsufficientMemoryResources
    InsufficientCpuResources
    Starting with VirtualCenter 2.5 Update 4, the VirtualCenter Server displays the following fault:
    InsufficientFailoverResources
  • Exported Events File Contains Data for the Specified Time Range
    This release resolves an issue where when using the Export Event wizard to export the events log file, for certain time ranges the exported file might contain incorrect or no data.
  • Export List File Contains Only Numerical Values for the Host CPU-MHz and Host Mem-MB Columns
    This release resolves an issue where when an export list is exported from the Virtual Machines tab of an ESX Server host and saved as an HTML file, the VI Client incorrectly considers values in the Host CPU-MHz and Host Mem-MB columns as percentage values and displays a percentage bar for these columns in the exported HTML file.
    Starting with this release, only numerical values are displayed in the Host CPU-MHz and Host Mem-MB columns in the exported file.
  • Roll Up Logic for Collecting Performance Statistic Data Is Changed
    This release resolves an issue where, when a performance chart is exported, the time reported for the performance values of CPU and Memory might be earlier than the actual time at which the performance data is collected, if the VirtualCenter Server service stops running momentarily during the interval period for statistic collection.
    Starting with this release, the roll up logic to collect performance statistics data is changed such that the VirtualCenter Server rolls up the performance statistics data only after the performance value samples are collected for the full sample interval period, ensuring that the time reported for the performance values of CPU and Memory is correct.

VMware High Availability (HA)

  • In Addition to Virtual Machine Heartbeats the Virtual Machine Monitoring Service Monitors a Virtual Machine's Disk and Network Activity
    In an HA-enabled cluster, if the virtual machine monitoring feature is enabled with high monitoring sensitivity, the virtual machine monitoring service monitors only the heartbeats of virtual machine. When VMware Tools is being upgraded on a virtual machine, although the virtual machine is still functioning properly, it stops sending heartbeats. This causes the virtual machine monitoring service to restart the virtual machine unnecessarily. The vmware.log file displays the following message:
    TOOLS INSTALL cancelling tools installation
    Starting with the VirtualCenter 2.5 Update 4 release, the virtual machine monitoring service also monitors a virtual machine's disk and network activity. Even if no heartbeats are received within the failure interval, the virtual machine remains powered on unless no disk or network activity is detected for a predetermined I/O stats interval.

  • ESX Server 3i Installations Run Out of Inodes and Stop Responding to the VirtualCenter Server
    In previous releases, when an ESX Server 3i host in an HA-enabled cluster is isolated from the VirtualCenter network and reconnected back to the VirtualCenter network, after a while no free inodes might be available for the ESX Server 3i and the ESX Server 3i host might stop responding to the VirtualCenter Server and the VI Client.
    This issue is resolved.
  • ESX Server 3i Installations that Are Isolated from the VirtualCenter Network Might Stop Responding to the VirtualCenter Server
    In previous releases, after an ESX Server 3i host in an HA-enabled cluster is isolated from the VirtualCenter network and reconnected back to the VirtualCenter network, the ESX Server 3i host might stop responding to the VirtualCenter Server and the VI Client. Several log files might be created in the location \var\log\vmware\aam\rule containing error messages similar to the following:
    Dump Reason: Backbone panicked: IP_CREATE_THREAD
    This issue is resolved.
  • VirtualCenter No Longer Displays Extraneous Error Messages when More than 80 Virtual Machines are Created on an ESX Server Host in an HA-Enabled Cluster
    This release resolves an issue where in an HA-enabled cluster, when more than 80 virtual machines are created on an ESX Server host, the VirtualCenter Server might display an error similar to the following intermittently:
    HA agent on <hostname> in cluster <clustername> in <datacenter> has an error.
  • Rebooting an ESX/ESXi Host That Is in Maintenance Mode Does Not Generate HA-Related Errors
    This release resolves an issue where in an HA-enabled cluster, if an ESX/ESXi host that's in maintenance mode is rebooted, VirtualCenter Server might display an error similar to the following when the ESX/ESXi host reconnects to the VirtualCenter Server:
    HA agent on <hostname> in cluster <clustername> in <datacenter> has an error.
  • CPU Utilization Is Not Affected When an ESX Server Service Console in an HA-Enabled Cluster Is Scanned for Ports
    This release resolves an issue where port scanning the service console of ESX Server that is a part of an HA-enabled cluster, might cause the ftbackbone process to utilize almost 100% of the CPU.

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Known Issues

Backup

  • Consolidate Helper Snapshots Might Not Be Removed Automatically
    In the ESX Server 3.5 Update 2 release, Consolidate Helper snapshots are created iteratively to minimize the amount of time a virtual machine is inactive during snapshot creation. As a result, the Consolidate Helper snapshots are now called Consolidate Helper-XXX and not just Consolidate Helper. When you use VMware Consolidated Backup 1.1 with ESX Server 3.5 Update 2, if vcbMounter encounters a failure during a snapshot delete operation, this temporary snapshot might be left behind. The vbCleanup.bat command does not delete this Consolidate Helper-XXX snapshot. You must manually delete it using the VI Client. This issue does not exist in VMware Consolidated Backup 1.5.
  • Applications Running on the Virtual Machine Might Throw Errors During Quiesced Snapshot Creation
    Taking quiesced snapshots of a virtual machine requires interaction with the applications running on it. If an application is experiencing high levels of load, it might cause issues during quiesced snapshot creation. These issues could be either application errors, such as failure to write data to disk, or errors in taking the snapshot.
    You can clone a powered-on virtual machine. This, however, involves a quiesced snapshot creation, and you might get errors, if a high-load application is running on the virtual machine.
    Note: You can run custom scripts in the virtual machine as part of the quiesced snapshot creation operation. These scripts could be used to shut down the application and bring it back up after the snapshot creation. To know more about running such custom scripts, refer to the "VMware Consolidated Backup" chapter of the "Virtual Machine Backup Guide" in the VMware Infrastructure Documentation Set.

CIM and API

  • VI Client Displays Incorrect Name for Power Supply Redundancy Sensor on HP Servers
    When you connect to an ESX Server installation on an HP server system using the VI Client, the VI Client incorrectly displays the power supply redundancy sensor on the server as a physical power supply source. For example, for an HP server with redundancy sensor that has two physical power supplies, the VI Client displays the redundancy sensor as Power Supplies for Power Supply 3.
  • Executing a CallMethod query on a CIM_RecordLog instance might fail
    In ESX Server 3.5 Update 2 and higher, executing a CallMethod query (cm) on a CIM_RecordLog instance might not succeed at all times. You can, however, clear system event log through a remote management console or interface.
  • Some CIM Classes Do Not Work Properly on IBM Multinode Systems
    For the following classes, the EnumerateInstance operation returns one instance less than the Enumerate InstanceNames operation:
    • CIM_AssociatedSensor
    • CIM_MemberOfCollection

    For the following classes, the GetInstance operation fails for some instances. However, the EnumerateInstances operation succeeds.

    • CIM_HostedService
    • CIM_Sensor
    • CIM_SystemDevice
    • CIM_Slot
    • CIM_ElementConformsToProfile

    For the following classes, the EnumerateInstances and EnumerateInstanceNames operations fail to return any results:

    • CIM_OwningCollectionElement
    • CIM_RedundancySet
  • Changes to the Sensor Threshold are Not Reflected Immediately
    If you change the sensor threshold through CIM, enumeration of the sensor might not return the new property values immediately. The changes take effect about a minute later.
  • Operation RequestStateChange(RestoreDefaultThresholds) Results in Error
    In the ESX Server 3.5 release, the operation RequestStateChange(RestoreDefaultThresholds) results in the following error message for some sensors:
    CIM_ERR_FAILED: index out of bounds
    In spite of the error message, the CIMOM does restore the thresholds.
  • InvokeMethod(RequestStateChange) for either Sensor and SEL fails when you use the WS-Man protocol.
  • InvokeMethod(RequestPowerStateChange) fails when you use the WS-Man protocol.
  • Firewall on ESX Server 3.5 Interferes with CIM Indication Support
    Outgoing HTTP connections are blocked by the firewall on ESX Server 3.5. This prevents indications from reaching the indication consumer.
    Resolution: In the service console, open an outgoing port for connections to the indication consumer by using the following command:
    esxcfg-firewall -o <port-number>,tcp,out,http
    To close a port for HTTP in the firewall:
    esxcfg-firewall -c <port-number>,tcp,out,http
  • On HP 380 G5 machines running ESX Server 3.5 Update 2 or higher, the IPMI board's IP address is not returned in response to CIM_IPProtocolEndpoint queries.
  • In the ESX Server 3.5 release, invoking the Reset() operation on numeric power supply sensors results in the following error message:
    CIM_ERR_FAILED: index out of bounds
    As a workaround, you can use the RequestStateChange(Reset) operation.
  • openwsman Indications do not work on ESX Server 3.5 Update 2 or higher when you use the WS-Man protocol.
  • On IBM IBM x3850 M2 and x3950 M2 servers, some OMC_DiscreteSensor instances are found to have incorrect device IDs (with -1 as the last segment of the device ID).
  • The ModifyInstance() call to change sensor threshold fails when you use the WS-Man protocol.
  • Chassis intrusion indication is not available for IBM Athena servers.
  • On some Dell MLK hardware, the NumberOfBlocks property for the OMC_Memory instance has a value of 0.

Guest Operating Systems

Internationalization

All fields in the VI Client and the VI WebAccess support non-ASCII character input, except for the following limitations:

Non-ASCII Character Entry Limitations

  • Specifying a non-ASCII value as an input string is not supported by the remote command line interface (RCLI).
  • The name of the computer on which VMware Infrastructure 3 or any of its components are installed must not contain non-ASCII characters.
  • The name of the computer or virtual machine where VirtualCenter Server is being installed must not have a non-ASCII computer name, or the installation of VirtualCenter Server will fail.
  • Use the default installation path names specified in the installer for all the components. Do not change the install path, because the installer does not support installation path names containing non-ASCII characters and extended-ASCII characters.
  • Datastore names, virtual network names, and image file names (CD, DVD, and floppy drive) are restricted to ASCII characters only.
  • Message of the Day must use only ASCII characters.
  • Logging in to the VirtualCenter Server is supported for user names with ASCII characters only (login account name on Windows).
  • Image customization might fail if non-ASCII characters are used.
  • Custom attribute names and values must use only ASCII characters.
  • To conform to the general Internet practice and protocols, the following cannot contain non-ASCII characters: host names, workgroup names, domain names, URLs, email addresses, SMTP server names, and SNMP community string.
  • Guest operating system customizations using ASCII encoding are supported, but customizations using UTF-8 encoded native characters of Japanese, Chinese, or German have limited support. For customizations with non-ASCII owner, organization, username, or password, VirtualCenter and the sysprep tool must be hosted in the same locale as that of the guest OS. This includes the scenario to use UTF-8 encoded answer file.

Non-ASCII Character Display Limitations

  • When managing a VirtualCenter Server with the VI Client running on different languages of Windows, you might see some characters displayed incorrectly because of the difference in language-specific support on Windows.
  • If an error message includes log locations or user names containing non-ASCII characters, it will not appear correctly in the localized environment.
  • When you use the Import Wizard of VMware Converter, the date and time format is sometimes inconsistent with the current locale.
  • Unicode characters are displayed as '???' under the Status column and the Task Details of the Task View tab in the Japanese locale.
  • The Commands section on the Summary tab is not displayed properly.
  • Non-ASCII Character Cannot Be Used in the Datacenter Names of a Localized VirtualCenter 2.5 Update 4 if VirtualCenter Is Upgraded from VirtualCenter 2.0.2
    After you upgrade from VirtualCenter 2.0.2 to a localized version of VirtualCenter 2.5 Update 4, if you use non-ASCII characters in the datacenter names of VirtualCenter 2.5 Update 4, after the VMware VirtualCenter Server service is restarted every character in the datacenter names is replaced with the ? character.
    Workaround: VirtualCenter 2.0.2 supports only ASCII characters in the datacenter names. Even after the upgrade use ASCII characters in the datacenter names.

Guided Consolidation Limitations

The Guided Consolidation tab is available only in the en_US locale.

Translation Issues

The following are known issues with translation in this release:

  • The Upgrade wizard is not translated.
  • Some messages originating from the ESX Server host are not translated.
  • Some interface layouts are not yet completely localized.

Other Internationalization Issues

The following additional issues have been identified:

  • On a localized operating system, using the English-only version of the VI Client for connecting to an ESX Server host directly might cause localized strings to be displayed in some areas of the user interface.
  • Performance Chart Data Exported from a Non-English VI Client System Might Be Inaccurate
    If performance chart data is exported to an Excel spreadsheet file using a non-English VI Client, the exported data might be 100 times the actual value for a performance attribute.
    Workaround: Export performance chart data by using an English VI Client system.
  • Values used in the Run a Script action for an alarm might not be displayed properly after restarting the VirtualCenter Server if the VMware Infrastructure Client host OS language and VirtualCenter Server/Database host OS languages are different.
  • In the Simplified Chinese version of VI Web Access, the Cancel button does not have the correct text and the text on the button is displayed incorrectly.
  • The VI Client Might Override the Language Preference Setting
    The VI Client Might override the language preference setting and display some messages in a language other than its primary language. It might display messages that are dynamically generated by the server (the VirtualCenter Server and ESX Server) in the primary language set on the server. This issue does not occur if all the software is running in the language that corresponds to the locale of the operating system.
  • Wrong Text Appears on the Reinstall Wizard of the German VI Client
    The Reinstall wizard displays wrong text in the German VI Client.
    The Reinstall wizard shows the following text
    Der Installations-Assistent ermöglicht Ihnen, Virtual Infrastructure Client 2.5 zu reparieren oder zu entfernen., instead of
    Der Installations-Assistent ermöglicht Ihnen, VMware Infrastructure Client 2.5 zu entfernen.
  • Links Containing Machine-Generated Virtual Machine Names Do Not Work
    When you use WebAccess to browse the datastore by clicking a link containing machine-generated virtual machine name (typically starting with a plus sign and ending with slash, for example +5paw55qE5qih5p2,/), the Web browser displays a blank page or returns a page not found error. You can, however, access such virtual machines by using the VI Client.
  • Text truncates on the Network Access Page of the Add Network Wizard While Using Japanese VI Client
    Details of Networks (IP address) displayed on the Network Access page are truncated while accessing VirtualCenter using the Japanese VI Client.
    The Network Access window appears in the Add Network wizard when you select Add Networking from the Networking option under the Configuration tab.
    Workaround: You can view the Network information (IP address) in the Network Adapters page. Select Configuration>Networking>Properties>Network Adapters to display the Networks.

Migration with VMotion

Miscellaneous

Networking

Server Configuration

Storage

Upgrade and Installation

Other Upgrade and Installation Issues

VirtualCenter Upgrade and Installation

Virtual Machine Management

  • Customized Clones of Windows Server 2008 or Windows Vista Virtual Machines Prompt For Network Location Selection Upon Power On (KB 1008378)
  • Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista Virtual Machine Clones Reboot Repeatedly if Invalid Product ID Is Provided in the Customization Specification
    When a virtual machine with a licensed version of Windows Server 2008 or Windows Vista is cloned with customization by using the Customization wizard and an invalid Product ID is entered in the Windows License page of the Customization wizard, cloned virtual machines reboot repeatedly with error messages similar to the following during their startup:
    Windows could not parse or process the unattend answer file for pass [specialize]. The settings specified in the answer file cannot be applied. The error was detected while processing settings for component [Microsoft-Windows-Shell-Setup].
    The computer restarted unexpectedly or encountered an unexpected error. Windows installation cannot proceed. To install Windows, click “OK” to restart the computer, and then restart the installation.
  • Customization Specification of Windows Server 2008 or Windows Vista Guest Operating System Can Only be Changed Thrice Successively
    Consider a virtual machine running Windows Server 2008 or Windows Vista. You can clone this virtual machine with customization, and edit the customization specification of the clone to create another virtual machine. However, only three such successive cloning operations can be performed.
    For example, if virtual machine A is cloned to virtual machine B, virtual machine B is cloned to virtual machine C, virtual machine C is cloned to virtual machine D, and the customization specification of the guest operating system is edited for every clone operation, then an operation to clone virtual machine D with customization might fail.
  • Cloning Virtual Machines with Customization Might Result in a Dialog Box for Sysprep File Information
    When you clone a virtual machine with customization, the cloning process might not complete and a Sysprep dialog box might prompt you for additional files.
    Workaround: Note the list of missing files that Windows mini-setup cannot find. Copy the required files (for example, c_20127.nls) from the source machine to the Sysprep install files folder, c:\sysprep\i386, and then perform the cloning with customization. The files that Sysprep prompts for are usually in the following location on the virtual source machine: C:\Windows\system32
    Note that the Sysprep directory is removed after the virtual machine is started and customization is completed.
  • Cloned Virtual Machines do not Contain DNS Suffix (KB 1004299)
  • Cloned Virtual Machines See the .vmdk File of the Source Virtual Machine (KB 1004176)
  • Deploying Virtual Machine From a Template Fails With No Permission Error (KB 1004295)
  • User with 'Create' Privileges Cannot Create Virtual Machines(KB 1004417)
  • I/O Might Stall on Virtual Machines During Firmware Upgrade
    When virtual machines are running on a shared LUN that has heavy I/O workload, and if the firmware is upgraded using the storage management utility or if the storage controller is restarted, I/O might stall on any of the virtual machines.
    Messages similar to the following might appear in the vmkernel.log file:
    1:01:05:07.275 cpu2:1039)WARNING: FS3: 4785: Reservation error: Not supported
    SCSI: 4506: Cannot find a path to device vmhba1:0:125 in a good state. Trying path vmhba1:0:125.
    1:01:05:10.262 cpu3:1039)ALERT: SCSI: 4506: Cannot find a path to device vmhba1:0:125 in a good state. Trying path vmhba1:0:125.
    1:01:05:40.748 cpu1:1083)<6>mptbase: ioc0: LogInfo(0x30030108): Originator={IOP}, Code={Invalid Page}, SubCode(0x0108)
    1:01:05:40.930 cpu0:1024)Log: 472: Setting loglevel (via VSI) for module 'SCSI' to 5
  • Virtual Machines Might Not Power on After a Failover When the Host Is Isolated
    Virtual machines might not start after a failover when a host is isolated and the isolation response is set to Guest Shutdown, which is the default configuration for a cluster. This might occur on clusters with fewer than five nodes, and on virtual machines that take more time to complete the guest shutdown.
    Workaround: Set the Isolation Response to either Leave powered on or Power off for clusters which have fewer than five nodes.
    To set the Isolation Response for a virtual machine, select the cluster, click the Edit Settings link, and select Virtual Machine Options under VMware HA. From the Isolation Response pop-up menu, select either Leave powered on or Power off options for the specific virtual machine.
  • VMware Tools Custom Script Not Executed for Suspend or Shut Down Events (KB 1004390)
  • VirtualCenter Server Fails to Initialize Immediately If the Latest Version of VMware Capacity Planner Service Is Not Used
    If the VMware Capacity Planner Service for the VirtualCenter Server 2.5 Update 4 release is not installed, the VirtualCenter Server takes a long time to initialize, and during this time, the VI Client cannot connect to the VirtualCenter Server.
    In addition, the consolidation feature is not available in the VI Client.
    To use the consolidation feature, uninstall any earlier version of the VMware Capacity Planner Service, install the VMware Capacity Planner Service for the Virtual Center 2.5 Update 4 release, and restart the VirtualCenter Server.
  • Commands Specified in the Run Once Page Might Fail to Run
    If a command that ends with a quotation mark is specified in the Run Once page of the Virtual Infrastructure Client Guest Customization Wizard, the command might fail to run when a user logs on to the customized guest operation system.
    Workaround: Avoid putting quotation marks at the end of the command specified in the Run Once page.
  • Cloning Windows 2000 and Windows 2003 Virtual Machines Might Fail if License Key Is Not Provided While Customizing the Guest Operating Systems
    When cloning a windows 2000 or Windows 2003 virtual machine, if the Customize using the Customization Wizard option is selected in the Select Guest Customization option page and if the Include Server License Information checkbox is unchecked in the Windows License page of the VMware Infrastructure Client Windows Guest Customization Wizard, the clone operation might fail with a message similar to the following:
    Customization Failed.

VirtualCenter, VI Client, and Web Access Issues

VMware High Availability (HA)

  • Edited Advanced Options In an HA-Enabled Cluster Do Not Take Effect (KB 1008479)
  • VMware HA Health Monitoring Does Not Show Rebooting in the Console After a Host Failover
    After a host failure, the virtual machine console displays an empty window when health monitoring is enabled for an HA cluster. The console does not display the virtual machines rebooting.
    Workaround: You must open a new console window to see the virtual machines restarting after the failover.
  • VI Client Might Show the Host as Not Responding During HA-DRS Cluster Operations
    During HA-DRS cluster operations like adding or removing a host from a DRS cluster or applying DRS recommendations, the VI Client might show the host as Not responding, even when the host IP can be reached.
    Workaround: Disconnect the host from the HA-DRS cluster and reconnect it. This refreshes the system and VI Client reflects the configuration changes that you have made. If the VI Client again shows the host as Not Responding, disconnect the host from the HA-DRS cluster, remove the host, and add the host back to the same cluster.
  • Reconfiguration of HA Agent on an ESX Server Host Might Fail After VirtualCenter Server Is Upgraded
    When a VirtualCenter Server that contains an HA-enabled cluster is upgraded, and ESX Server hosts are reconnected to the VirtualCenter, reconfiguring the HA agent of one of the ESX Server hosts might fail with an HA agent error message similar to the following:
    HA agent on <Host_Name> in cluster <Cluster_Name> in <Datacenter_Name> has an error:
    cmd addnode failed for primary node: /opt/vmware/aam/bin/ft_startup failed
    Workaround: After upgrading the VirtualCenter Server, disable and re-enable HA on the cluster.
  • HA network compliance check
    During the configuration of HA in VirtualCenter 2.5 Update 2, the Task & Events tabs might display the following error message and recommendation:
    HA agent on <esxhostname> in cluster <clustername> in <datacenter> has an error Incompatible HA Network:
    Consider using the Advanced Cluster Settings das.allowNetwork to control network usage.
    Starting with Virtual Center 2.5 Update 2, HA has an enhanced network compliance check to increase cluster reliability. This enhanced network compliance check helps to ensure correct cluster-wide heartbeat network paths. See KB 1006606 for details.
  • Updated: VM Monitoring feature in VMware HA is not supported for ESX or ESXi releases prior to ESX 3.5 Update 3
    With VMware HA enabled for a cluster managed by VirtualCenter Server 2.5 Update 4, the VM Monitoring feature does not function correctly on ESX or ESXi hosts older than ESX 3.5 Update 3 and might cause false virtual machine failovers.
    Workaround: Disable the VM Monitoring feature for those VMs or upgrade the ESX/ESXi host to ESX 3.5 Update 3 or later.

Performance Overview Charts

  • Performance Overview Charts Might Not Be Displayed If the VirtualCenter Server Uses Oracle Database (KB 1008328)
  • Performance Overview Charts Might Not Be Displayed if the VirtualCenter Server Uses SQL Express Bundled Database (KB 1008329)
  • Performance Overview Charts Might Fail to Display if VirtualCenter Is Upgraded Without Stopping the VMware Infrastructure Web Access Service (KB 1008330)
  • VirtualCenter Might Not Display Performance Overview Charts If JavaScript Execution Is Not Enabled in Internet Explorer
    Ensure that the Active scripting security setting is enabled in Internet Explorer. Otherwise the Performance Overview tab might display a message similar to the following:
    Scripts are usually safe. Do you want to allow scripts to run?
    To enable active scripting:
    1. In the Internet Explorer browser, choose Tools > Internet Options
    2. In the Security tab, select Internet zone, and click Custom level
    3. For the Active scripting setting under Scripting, select Enable.
  • Updated: Performance Overview Plug-In Might Not Be Displayed in the Installed Tab of the Plugin Manager Window
    After the Performance Overview plug-in is installed, it is displayed in the Available Tab but might not be displayed in the Installed tab.
    Workaround:Restart the VI Client. If the plug-in is still not displayed in the Installed tab, verify that the VirtualCenter Server and the VI Client are members of the same domain.
    You can check the domains of these machines by right-clicking My Computer, selecting Properties, and viewing the information in the Computer Name tab.
  • Clicking Download and Install for the Performance Overview Plug-In Results in an Error
    Even if the Performance Overview plug-in is installed, the Available tab in the Plugin Manager window provides a Download and Install button for the plug-in. If you click Download and Install, VirtualCenter displays an error message similar to the following:
    Invalid URI: The URI is empty.
    For the Performance Overview plug-in, do not click Download and Install.
  • Performance Overview Tab Might Not Appear if the Performance Overview Plug-in Is Re-Installed
    If the Performance Overview plug-in is uninstalled and re-installed, the Performance Overview tab might not appear in the VirtualCenter Server unless you enable the plug-in in the Plugin Manager window. To enable the plug-in:
    1. In the VirtualCenter Server, click Plugins > Manage Plugins.
    2. In the Installed tab of the Plugin Manager window, select Enabled for com.vmware.vim.stats.report.

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