Creating a host profile fails with the error: The request failed because the remote server 'x.x.x.x' took too long to respond

Products

• VMware vCenter Server
• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

Symptoms:

When you have two or more vCenter Servers that are joined in Linked Mode, you experience these symptoms:

• Creating a host profile using the secondary vCenter Server fails.
• You see the error:
  
  The request failed because the remote server 'xxx.xxx.xxxx.xxx' took too long to respond. (The command has timed out as the remote server is taking too long to respond.)
  Call "HostProfileManager.CreateProfile" for object "HostProfileManager" on vCenter Server "x.x.x.x" failed.
  
  
  
• You are able to create host profiles on the primary vCenter Server

Environment

VMware vSphere ESXi 5.0
VMware vCenter Server 5.0.x

Cause

This issue occurs if Lockdown mode is enabled on the ESXi host that you are using to create the host profile.

Resolution

To workaround this issue:

1. Ensure that the Windows Firewall is turned off on vCenter Servers.
   
   To turn off Windows Firewall:
   
2. 1. Click Start > Control Panel > System and Security > Windows Firewall.
   2. Click Turn Windows Firewall on or off.
   3. Select Turn off Windows Firewall (not recommended) for all the three available settings (Domain, Home or work, and Public network location settings).
   4. Click OK.
      
      
3. Change the network adapter setting to use 1Gbps (if it is not set already) on the machine where the database is installed.
   
   To change the network adapter setting to use 1Gbps:
   
4. 1. Open the Device Manager on the machine where SQL Server is installed.
   2. Click Start > Run, type devmgmt.msc, and click OK. The Device Manager window opens.
   3. Right-click Network adapters and click Properties.
   4. Click the Advanced tab and select Link Speed & Duplex.
   5. Change the speed to use 1Gbps, if it is not already set.
      
      
5. Disable Lockdown mode on the host. For more information, see Enabling or disabling Lockdown mode on an ESXi host (1008077).
6. Restart the Management Agents on the host. For more information, see Restarting the Management agents on an ESX or ESXi Server (1003490).
7. Try creating the host profile.

Additional Information

Restarting the Management agents in ESXi
Enabling or disabling Lockdown mode on an ESXi host