Cannot enable Update Manager plug-in for vCenter Server

Products

• VMware vCenter Server

Issue/Introduction

Symptoms:

• Cannot enable Update Manager plug-in
• Enabling Update Manager plug-in from inside vCenter Server generates the error:
  
  The VMware Update Manager cannot accept requests now because VirtualCenter server cannot be reached, or the database cannot be reached, or it is in the process of stopping
  
  
• No DSN created for Update Manager

Environment

VMware vCenter Server 4.1.x
VMware vCenter Server 5.0.x
VMware vCenter Server 5.1.x
VMware VirtualCenter 2.5.x
VMware vCenter Server 4.0.x

Resolution

Enabling Update Manager plug-in

1. Open the VirtualCenter Server location specified in the Update Manager configuration file. This is by default located: C:\Program Files (x86)\VMware\Infrastructure\Update Manager\vci-integrity.xml .
2. Ensure that this <vpxdLocation> entry is correct:
   
   <vpxdLocation>https://VC_SERVER</vpxdLocation>

If any changes were made, restart the VMware Update Manager and VirtualCenter Server services and enable the VMware Update Manager Plug-in.

Creating VMware Update Manager DSN manually

1. Click Start > Control Panel > Administrative Tools.
2. Double-click Data Sources(ODBC).
3. Click the System DSN tab, and click Add.
4. Click the database driver that corresponds with the database type to which you are connecting, and click Finish.
5. Type the data source name. Ensure that you choose a name you can remember. You need to use this name later.
6. Click Select.
7. Click the correct database, and click OK on all screens.
8. Restart the VMware Update Manager and VirtualCenter services and enable the VMware Update Manager Plug-in.