The Hardware Status tab displays the error: Hardware monitoring service on this host is not responding or not available

Products

• VMware vCenter Server

Issue/Introduction

Symptoms:

You are experiencing these issues with the Hardware Status tab in vCenter Server:

• An ESX host's System Summary reports the error:
  
  Hardware monitoring service on this host is not responding or not available

Environment

VMware vCenter Server 5.1.x
VMware vCenter Server 5.5.x
VMware vCenter Server 4.0.x
VMware vCenter Server 5.0.x
VMware vCenter Server 4.1.x

Resolution

This issue may occur when the ESX host is located in a DMZ and is being managed by a vCenter Server that is outside the DMZ. It may occur if port 5989 is blocked, even if ESX and vCenter Server are in the same network.

To resolve this issue, ensure that TCP port 5989 (incoming and outgoing) is open to allow CIM transaction traffic to pass between the ESX host and vCenter Server and vice-versa.

For more information about firewall configuration and ports, see:

• Firewalls for Configurations with vCenter Server and TCP and UDP Ports for Management Access in the ESX Configuration Guide.
• TCP and UDP Ports required to access VMware vCenter Server, VMware ESXi and ESX hosts, and other network components (1012382).
  

Alternatively, you can see if restarting the Common Information Model (CIM) service, which is the process used for providing hardware health information, resolves the issue.

1. Open an SSH session to the host. For more information, see Opening a command or shell prompt (1003892)
2. Run this command:
   
   /etc/init.d/sfcbd-watchdog restart
   
   
3. Go back to the Hardware Status tab on vCenter Server and click the Update link. It may take up to 5 minutes to refresh.
   
   Note: Do not navigate away from the Hardware Status tab until it refreshes.

Additional Information

For more information, see How to disable the CIM agent on the ESX/ESXi host (1025757).

Opening a command or shell prompt
TCP and UDP Ports required to access VMware vCenter Server, VMware ESXi and ESX hosts, and other network components
How to disable the CIM agent on the ESX/ESXi host
La pestaña de estado de hardware muestra el error: El servicio de monitoreo de hardware en este host no responde o no está disponible
[ハードウェア ステータス] タブにエラー メッセージ「Hardware monitoring service on this host is not responding or not available」が表示される
“硬件状态”选项卡显示错误：此主机上的硬件监控服务无响应或不可用