VMware

VMware VirtualCenter 2.5 Update 5 Release Notes

 

VMware Infrastructure Management Installer | 10 July 2009 (Localized version)
VirtualCenter 2.5 Server Update 5 | 10 July 2009 | Build 174841
Virtual Infrastructure Client | 10 July 2009 | Build 174841

VMware Infrastructure Management Installer | 10 July 2009 (English only version)
VirtualCenter 2.5 Server Update 5 | 10 July 2009 | Build 174791
Virtual Infrastructure Client | 10 July 2009 | Build 174791

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

Support for High Consolidation in VMware HA Clusters - VirtualCenter 2.5 Update 5 includes significant performance and scalability improvements to VMware HA. Use VirtualCenter 2.5 Update 5 for environments with more than 35 virtual machines per host in an HA cluster.
For information on the ESX Server host settings required for this scalability improvement, see ESX Server host settings required for environments with up to 80 virtual machines per host in an HA Cluster (KB 1012002).

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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

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.

Hardware Compatibility

•   Learn about hardware compatibility:

         The Hardware Compatibility Lists are now available on the Web-based Compatibility Guide at
         http://www.vmware.com/resources/compatibility. This new format is a single point of access for all VMware
         compatibility guides. The previous PDF versions will no longer be updated. The Web-based Compatibility
         Guide provides the option to search the guides, and save the search results in PDF format.

         Subscribe to be notified of Compatibility Guide updates via This is the RSS image that serves as a link to an RSS feed.

•   Learn about VMware Infrastructure compatibility:

         VMware Infrastructure Compatibility Matrixes (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-U5-English.iso or VMware-VIMSetup-2.5.0-U5-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-U5-localized.iso or VMware-VIMSetup-2.5.0-U5-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. The VirtualCenter Unified Installer  (available as part of the VirtualCenter 2.5 Update 5 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 5

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, VirtualCenter 2.5 Update 2, VirtualCenter 2.5 Update 3, or VirtualCenter 2.5 Update 4, to VirtualCenter 2.5 Update 5. Review the detailed upgrade and migration instructions and guidelines that are provided in the Upgrade Guide.

Plug-Ins Updates

This release of the VMware Infrastructure 3 software suite does not include updates to VMware Converter Enterprise, or VMware Update Manager. VMware Converter Enterprise Update 4 and VMware Update Manager Update 4 are compatible with VirtualCenter 2.5 Update 5.

Resolved Issues

This release resolves the following issue:

A Firewall Between ESX Server Hosts and VirtualCenter Server Might Drop an Idle HTTP Connection Between the Hosts and the VirtualCenter Server and Cause Errors
This release resolves an issue where if the HTTP connection between a remote ESX Server host and the VirtualCenter Server is idle for more than 30 minutes, the firewall with default session timeout policy drops the idle HTTP connection. The dropped connection causes the host to be disconnected from the VirtualCenter Server and reconnected later. When the connection is dropped, initiating any operations on the remote ESX Server host causes the VirtualCenter Server to display an error message similar to the following:
An error occurred while communicating with the remote host.
A new advanced setting entry vpxd.httpClientIdleTimeout can be used to configure the timeout value for an idle HTTP connection. The default value for this entry is 15 minutes (900 seconds), ensuring that the VirtualCenter Server closes the idle HTTP connection after the connection has been idle for 15 minutes. If a firewall session timeout value is set to less than 15 minutes, the value for vpxd.httpClientIdleTimeout should be changed to be smaller than the firewall's timeout value.

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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 not be deleted as expected. The vbCleanup.bat command does not delete this Consolidate Helper-XXX snapshot. You must manually delete it using the VI Client. This issue is resolved 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 might 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 might 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 use the VI Client to connect to an ESX Server installation on an HP server system, 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 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 EnumerateInstanceNames() 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.
    Workaround: 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 Web Access 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 on the remote command line interface (RCLI).
  • The name of the computer on which VMware Infrastructure 3 or any of its components are installed must contain only ASCII characters.
  • If the name of the computer or virtual machine where VirtualCenter Server is being installed uses a non-ASCII computer name, the installation of VirtualCenter Server fails.
  • 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, user name, 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 a 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 a 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 5 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 5, if you use non-ASCII characters in the datacenter names of VirtualCenter 2.5 Update 5, and then restart the VMware VirtualCenter Server service, 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 translation issues are known to occur 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 by 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 the software are 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 displays 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 by 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 view the Networks.
  • The Custom Sysprep File Page in the VMware Infrastructure Client Windows Guest Customization Wizard Is Truncated
    On localized versions of VirtualCenter 2.5 Update 4 and later, the Custom Sysprep File page in the VMware Infrastructure Client Windows Guest Customization wizard is truncated and not localized. In addition, users might experience the following issues with the page:
    • For the sysprep.inf Text option, which is selected by default, the Enter the text to create a Sysprep answer file field label overlaps the field space.
    • The Import a Sysprep answer file option is not visible on the page.
      Workaround: On the Custom Sysprep File page, the sysprep.inf Text option is selected by default. To use the nonvisible option Import a Sysprep answer file, reselect the sysprep.inf Text option and press the up arrow key. You can use the up and down arrow keys to switch between the Import a Sysprep answer file and sysprep.inf Text options.
    • If you select the Import a Sysprep answer file option, you can import sysprep files of type .inf only.
      Workaround: To select sysprep files of type .xml:
      1. In the VI Client, select Edit > Customization Specifications.
      2. From the Customization Specification Manager, click the Import icon and select the required .xml file. 
  • The Events Tab Might Display Coded Strings When Update Manager Scans for Updates
    On a localized version of VirtualCenter 2.5 Update 5, if ESX Server hosts or virtual machines are scanned for updates by using VMware Update Manager 1.0 Update 4, some of the descriptions in Events tab might be displayed as coded strings instead of human readable event descriptions. For example, instead of Patch metadata for [data.name] missing. Please download updates metadata first., VirtualCenter displays coded strings such as the following:
    event.com.vmware.vcIntegrity.MetadataNotFound.fullFormat
    event.com.vmware.vcIntegrity.MetadataNotFound.category

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 when they start up:
    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 be completed 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 source virtual 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 less 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)
  • 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 Server 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 deselected 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)

  • Virtual Machines Using a NFS Datastore Might Fail After an HA Failover Event
    When you have memory overcommitment with virtual machines on a NFS datastore, it results in the creation of a vswp file, which is a non-zero size swap file. In this scenario if HA failover events occur and the HA has the setting Leave VM powered on, then you might have a virtual machine failure on the host where the virtual machine was originally running before the HA event.
    If you do not have memory overcommitment with virtual machines on a NFS datastore, if HA failover events occur with the setting Leave VM powered on, further migration of the virtual machine running on the original host might fail.
    Workaround: Apply Patch ESX350-200905401-BG to ESX Server 3.5 hosts, and Patch ESXe350-200905401-I-BG to ESX Server 3i version 3.5 hosts.
  • When a Virtual Machine Running on a NAS Datastore Is Configured to Be Shut Down or Left Powered On in Response to Host Isolation, the Virtual Machine Might Attempt to Run Simultaneously on Two Hosts in a Network Isolation Event
    In the event of a multiple network failure that causes host isolation and the loss of network access to the datastore, if a virtual machine is configured with the setting Shut down VM or Leave VM powered on in case of host isolation, the virtual machine might fail to respond indefinitely. Because HA tries to power off the virtual machine and restart it on another host, two instances of the virtual machine might appear in the VI Client. There is no data corruption, because HA and VMFS correctly control access to the virtual machine's data, but the original virtual machine becomes non responsive. After access to the datastore is restored on the isolated host, the original virtual machine can be manually powered off.
    Workaround: In NFS or iSCSI environments, select Power off VM as the default virtual machine response in a cluster if a host is isolated.

  • In an HA Cluster That Contains Around 80 Virtual Machines Per ESX Server Host  Virtual Machines Might Not Fail Over to Other Hosts
    Starting with the VirtualCenter 2.5 Update 5 release, in an HA cluster, an ESX Server host can support up to 80 virtual machines. With around 80 virtual machines running on every ESX Server host in an HA cluster, if hosts within the failover capacity limit fail, it might be observed that not all virtual machines are powered on other  hosts in the cluster. VirtualCenter Server might display messages similar to the following:
    HA agent on <ESX_Server_Name> in cluster <Cluster_Name> in <DataCenter_Name> has an error
     The log files might display messages similar to the following:
    Could not power on VM : Number of running VCPUs limit exceeded
     This issue occurs when the limit of virtual CPUs per ESX Server is not increased to 192. Since the ESX Server 3.5 Update 1 release, the limit for the number of virtual CPUs per ESX Server is raised from 128 to 192. By default, this limit is still set to 128 for an ESX Server host. To resolve the issue, increase the virtual CPU limit to 192 for each ESX Server in the HA cluster.
    For information on increasing the virtual CPU limit for an ESX Server host, see Limit of Virtual CPUs Raised from 128 to 192 on ESX 3.5 Update 1 and Later Updates. (KB 1006393)
  • 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 such as 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 the 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 VirtualCenter 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 5, 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 Charts Are Displayed Only if the IP Address of the Tomcat Server Is Accessible Through Internet Explorer
    If the IP address of the Tomcat Server is not accessible through Internet Explorer, the Performance Overview tab in the VI Client might display an error message similar to the following:
    ERROR The requested URL could not be retrieved
    Workaround:
    1. Ensure that Windows Firewall is turned off in the VirtualCenter Server system.
    2. Configure the proxy server settings in the Internet Explorer of the VirtualCenter Server to include the IP address of the VirtualCenter Server in the Exceptions list:
      1. In the Internet Explorer of VirtualCenter Server system, select Tools > Internet Options.
      2. In the Connections tab, select LAN settings.
      3. In the Local Area Network (LAN) Settings window, select the Bypass proxy server for local addresses check box and select Advanced.
      4. In the Proxy Settings window, add the IP address of the VirtualCenter Server in the Exceptions field.
  • 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, select 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.
  • 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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