VirtualCenter Server service fails to start with the error: ODBC Client unable to establish connection due to prelogin failure

Products

• VMware vCenter Server

Issue/Introduction

Symptoms:

• The VirtualCenter Server service fails to start
• In the vpxd logs, you see one of these errors:
  
• • ODBC Client unable to establish connection due to prelogin failure
  • [error 'App'] A database error occurred: ODBC error: (08S01) - [Microsoft][SQL Native Client]Shared Memory Provider: No process is on the other end of the pipe.
    [2010-08-18 13:37:09.390 04664 error 'App'] [Vpxd::ServerApp::Init] Init failed: VpxdVdb::Init(Vdb::GetInstance(), false, false)
    [2010-08-18 13:37:09.390 04664 error 'App'] Failed to intialize VMware VirtualCenter. Shutting down...
    [2010-08-18 13:37:09.390 04664 info 'App'] Forcing shutdown of VMware VirtualCenter now
    
    
• In the SQL Server logs, you see the error:
  
  2010-08-18 14:11:30.91 Logon Error: 17809, Severity: 20, State: 3.
  2010-08-18 14:11:30.91 Logon Could not connect because the maximum number of '5' user connections has already been reached. The system administrator can use sp_configure to increase the maximum value. The connection has been closed. [CLIENT: 192.168.128.10]
  2010-08-18 14:11:30.91 Logon Error: 17809, Severity: 20, State: 3.
  2010-08-18 14:11:30.91 Logon Could not connect because the maximum number of '5' user connections has already been reached. The system administrator can use sp_configure to increase the maximum value. The connection has been closed. [CLIENT: 192.168.128.10]
  2010-08-18 14:14:24.04 spid10s Service Broker manager has shut down.

Environment

VMware vCenter Server 4.1.x
VMware vCenter Server 4.0.x

Resolution

This issue occurs when the maximum number simultaneous user connections to the SQL server is reached.

To resolve this issue, increase the maximum number of users that are allowed to connect simultaneously to the instance of SQL Server.

To increase the maximum number of simultaneous connections to the SQL server:

1. Open SQL Management Studio.
2. In Object Explorer, right-click the SQL server and click Properties.
3. Click the Connections node.
4. Under Connections, in the Max number of concurrent connections box, type or select a value in the range 0 to 32767.
5. Restart the SQL Server service.
6. Restart the VirtualCenter Server service.