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Article ID: 306011
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Updated On:
Environment
VMware ESX 4.1.x
VMware ESX 4.0.x
Resolution
This issue occurs when ESX does not have access to a DNS server. This may be the case if the ESX host is in a DMZ network or if the DNS servers used by ESX are running on virtual machines that are not powered on.
To resolve this issue:
- Open /etc/resolv.conf in a text editor. For more information, see Editing files on an ESX host using vi or nano (1020302).
- Comment out nameserver entries by placing a # in front of the entry. This prevents the ESX host from attempting to contact the DNS servers and allows it to boot.
- Save and close the file.
- Verify that the DNS Server IP in the /etc/resolv.conf file is valid by pinging the server. For more information, see Testing network connectivity with the Ping command (1003486).
- When the entry has been verified, correct the nameserver entry using a text editor.
- Restart the hostd service. For more information, see Restarting the Management agents on an ESX or ESXi Server (1003490).
Note: If you are running ESX 3.0.x or earlier, see Virtual Machines Unexpectedly Reboot after Issuing the "mgmt-vmware restart" Command (7301769).
To prevent this issue in the future, you can manually set up name resolution on the ESX host itself without the presence of a DNS server. For more information, see Identifying issues with and setting up name resolution on ESX Server (1003735).