VM /ETC

Posts Tagged ‘issues’

Since P2V conversions with VMware Converter have been on my mind (and my schedule!) the last few months I figured I’d go ahead and discuss the best practices for troubleshooting failed P2V migrations of Windows physical machines to VMware virtual infrastructure. This post copies VMware KB article Best Practices using VMware Converter but with my own experience and opinions thrown in here and there.

I want all readers to understand that all of the recommendations listed are not always necessary, but instead should be systematically tried as needed when experiencing troubles. Most P2V migrations with VMware Converter “just work” without any issues. Use these steps to troubleshoot that small percentage of conversions that fail without an obvious explanation. Read the rest of this entry »

I ran into another ESX configuration issue this week that seems to continue to hang around even though it was identified quite a long time ago. After a fresh install of two different ESX 3.5 Update 2 servers (installed from the 110268 build .iso), I was configuring NTP time sync from the VI Client (installed from the VirtualCenter 2.5 Update 3 119825 build .iso) and was unable to change the NTP server. The error message window told me “failed to change host configuration”. Most frustrating to me is the fact that I have been able to change the NTP configuration from the VI client in past versions of ESX 3.5.

I was able to manually change the NTP configuration by digging out the related recommendations from the VMTN Communities thread VMware Communities: ESX 3.5 – Time Configuration = “Failed …. I have summarized my resolution steps in the rest of this post. Note that I did not have to modify all of the files and settings (steptickers, esx firewall) as previously required (and scripted) when manually changing NTP sync in ESX version 3.0.X.

Early in the VMTN thread was the advice: Read the rest of this entry »

My attempt to perform a fresh VirtualCenter (VC) 2.5 Update 3 installation on Windows 2003 R2 failed with the following error:

“Warning 25098. Setup has detected that the VirtualCenter Service is not running on this system. Please wait for the service to start and then try installing VMware Update Manager and/or VMware converter again.”

Troubleshooting the ODBC connection using the SQL Native Client to the remote SQL 2005 Server and removing and reinstalling without Update Manager or VMware Converter did not help.  Turns out the problem was Read the rest of this entry »

I ran into an issue at a client several weeks ago where the web interface for VirtualCenter 2.0.2 wasn’t working. They had just upgraded from version 2.0 where it was previously working fine. It’s not a common issue, but if you decide to upgrade to VirtualCenter version 2.02 before going to VirtualCenter 2.5 you might run into it. I had never experienced the problem so it was a surprise to me. Luckily it is well documented and easy to resolve.

After upgrading to VirtualCenter 2.0.2, Update 1, Update 2 or Update 3, the VMware VirtualCenter 2 Welcome page does not render completely is the title of KB 100285 which describes the problem. I was able to folow the instructions in the KB and restore the web interface with no problems. The rest if this post is taken straight from the VMware KB. Read the rest of this entry »

Some VM /ETC readers may remember a weekly series of posts I was doing earlier this year – “things that make you go hmmm“. Well, the August 12 ESX/ESXi 3.5 Update 2 BUG definitely deserves a resurrection of that series and a post all to itself. Although this topic is still a little too sensitive to be humorous today, I’ve included a mix of comic and serious links. Hopefully we can all look back and at least chuckle about these events sometime in the future. So, here is a sampling of of the various reactions and opinions on the VMware time bomb bug from around the internet. Laugh if you can. After all, it’s Friday … Read the rest of this entry »

I just received the third VMware email customer update about the August 12 time bomb bug. Unfortunately, this email informs customers that the effort to find a resolution where VM reboots could be avoided has not produced a reliable process. The email does indicate that the express patches are working properly and are compatible with VMware Update Manager. Also, The previously set deadline of 6 PM PST today (AUG 13) for the download availability of the corrected ESX/ESXi update 2 install media is still on schedule.

Here’s the body of the entire email as I received it: Read the rest of this entry »

As I mentioned in my post My thoughts on the reactions to the ESX 3.5 Update 2 BUG VMware has been straightforward and honest about their responsibility for the time bomb mistakenly left in their code. VMware’s new CEO, Paul Maritz, has provided another example of this with his blog post VMware: The Console: Letter from VMware CEO Paul Maritz. Read the whole post, but here’s some of the letter I find informative and worth repeating:

“The issue was caused by a piece of code that was mistakenly left enabled for the final release of Update 2. This piece of code was left over from the pre-release versions of Update 2 and was designed to ensure that customers are running on the supported generally available version of Update 2.

In remedying the situation, we’ve already released an express patch for those customers that have installed/upgraded to ESX or ESXi 3.5 Update 2. Within the next 24 hours, we also expect to issue a full replacement for Update 2, which should be used by customers who want to perform fresh installs of ESX or ESXi.

I am sure you’re wondering how this could happen. We failed in two areas: Read the rest of this entry »