ESXi host disconnects intermittently from vCenter Server

ESXi host disconnects intermittently from vCenter Server (1005757)

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Document Id

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1005757

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Symptoms

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ESX/ESXi hosts disconnect frequently from vCenter Server.

Note: For additional symptoms and log entries, see the Additional Information section.

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Purpose

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To work around this issue, increase the timeout limit in config.vpxd.heartbeat.notrespondingtimeout field.

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Cause

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This issue occurs when the UDP heartbeat message sent by ESX/ESXi host is not received by vCenter Server. if vCenter Server does not receive the UDP heartbeat message, it treats the host as not responding. ESX/ESXi host send heartbeats in every 10 seconds and vCenter Server has a window of 60 seconds to receive the heartbeats. This behavior can be an indication of a congested network between the ESX/ESXi host and vCenter Server.

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Resolution

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This is a known issue affecting vCenter Server.

Currently, there is no resolution.

To work around this issue, increase the timeout limit in vCenter Server.

Note: Increasing the timeout is a short-term solution until the network issues can be resolved.

To increase the timeout limit:

vSphere Client:

1. Open the vSphere Client.
2. Connect to vCenter Server.
3. Select Administration > vCenter Server Settings to display the vCenter Server Settings dialog box.
4. If the vCenter Server system is part of a connected group, select the server you want to configure from the Current vCenter Server dropdown.
5. In the settings list, select Advanced Settings.
6. In the Key field, type:
   
   config.vpxd.heartbeat.notRespondingTimeout
7. In the Value field, type:
   
   120
8. Click Add.
9. Click OK.
10. Restart the vCenter Server service.

vSphere Web Client:

1. Open the vSphere Web Client and connect to the vCenter Server.
2. In the vSphere Web Client, navigate to the vCenter Server instance.
3. Select the Manage tab.
4. Select Advanced Settings.
5. Click Edit.
6. In the Key field, type:
   
   config.vpxd.heartbeat.notRespondingTimeout
7. In the Value field, type:
   
   120
8. Click Add.
9. Click OK.
10. Run this command to restart the vCenter Server service:
    
    vCenter Server Appliance 5.5: service vmware-vpxd restart
    vCenter Server Appliance 6.x: service-control --stop vmware-vpxd; service-control --start vmware-vpxd

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Related Information

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You see these additional symptoms:

• vCenter Server shows ESX/ESXi host(s) as not responding
• vCenter Server is not randomly receiving ESX/ESXi heartbeats
• When verbose logging is enabled, in the C:\ProgramData\VMware\VMware VirtualCenter\Logs\vpxd.log(/var/log/vmware/vpxd/ in vCenter Server Appliance) file, you see entries similar to:
  
  [<YYYY-MM-DD>T<time> verbose 'App'] [VpxdIntHost] Missed 2 heartbeats for host esx03.it.test.local
  
  </time>Note: The preceding log excerpts are only examples. Date, time, and environmental variables may vary depending on your environment.