Changes to columns displayed in the vSphere Client do not persist after restarting the client
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Changes to columns displayed in the vSphere Client do not persist after restarting the client

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Article ID: 311036

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Updated On:

Products

VMware vCenter Server VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

Symptoms:
  • Changing the columns displayed in vSphere Client tabs are not saved after a restart
  • Column width reverts to its default size after the vSphere Client is restarted


Environment

VMware vCenter Server 4.1.x
VMware vCenter Server 5.0.x
VMware ESXi 4.1.x Installable
VMware ESXi 4.1.x Embedded
VMware ESX 4.1.x

Resolution

This issue occurs if registry values that contains the UI information of the vSphere Client are not saved after performing changes in the vSphere Client interface. The registry values may not be updated, or they may be reverted back to their default values after restarting the client.
This may be due to a security setting or Active Directory Group Policy Object (AD GPO) being applied to the user or computer that is affecting the ability to save these registry values.
There are several options for troubleshooting this issue:
  • Determine if a different AD user logging on to the same system experiences the same issue. If not, there is likely an issue with the specific AD user account being used and/or its group membership or GPO settings.

  • Determine if a local user on the same system experiences the same issue. If not, there is likely an issue with the specific AD user account being used and/or its group membership or GPO settings.

  • Determine if the same AD user logging on to a different system experiences the same issue. If not, there is likely an issue with the computer account on the domain and/or a particular GPO that has been applied to the computer account. It is also possible that there is some other sort of Windows related issue that is preventing the registry value from being saved properly.

  • Modify the values in the registry manually, restart the system and verify that the values are saved as before. If they are saved, open the vSphere Client and check that the proper columns are displayed. To manually edit these values in the registry, you can locate the vSphere Client UI information in the Windows registry on each client system at:

    HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\VMware\VMware Infrastructure Client\Preferences\UI

    For more information on editing the values under this registry key, see the Additional Information section of this article.

    Caution: This procedure involves modifying the registry. Ensure that you have permissions (full Administrator privileges) to modify the registry. Incorrect changes to the registry can leave your system unstable or unable to run. Always back up the registry before editing it, and exercise caution in making changes to the registry. VMware takes no responsibility for problems that may arise.

  • If the columns are reset even if the registry values persist, it indicates a disconnect between the vSphere Client installation and the associated registry values. Reinstall the vSphere Client to resolve this issue.

  • If closing and reopening the vSphere Client without making any changes to the columns resets the registry values and the columns or if the issue persists after performing these steps, contact your guest operating system vendor for further troubleshooting steps in relation to Active Directory or registry-related issues.
Note: If your issue persists even after trying these troubleshooting steps, file a support request with VMware Support and note this Knowledge Base article ID (1030614) in the problem description. For more information, see How to Submit a Support Request.


Additional Information

To manually edit the vSphere Client UI information in the Windows registry:

  1. Take a full backup of the registry prior to editing it. Do not skip this step.
  2. On each vCenter Server, click Start > Run, type regedit, and press Enter.
  3. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\VMware\VMware Infrastructure Client\Preferences\UI .
  4. Open the Registry key VVVColumnsProp corresponding to the tab you wish to edit (where VVV is the system name of the tab).
  5. Edit the registry values corresponding to the individual tabs as required. The first number of each number pair (0-248) corresponds to a column name and the second part indicates the width of the column in pixels. If the second value is set to <u>0</u>, the column is hidden from the tab.

For example, consider the two most commonly modified tabs:

  • Hosts(HostHeaderColumnsProp)
  • Virtual Machines(VMHeaderColumnsProp)

HostHeaderColumnsProp tab

These example values indicate the default values for the HostHeaderColumnsProp tab:

0-248,1-100,2-0,3-65,4-100,5-100,6-130,7-100,8-100,9-120,10-200,11-110

The numbers and their corresponding column name values are:

0 - Name
1 - State
3 - Status
4 - %CPU
5 - %Memory
6 - Memory Size
7 - CPU Count
8 - NIC Count
9 - Uptime
10 - Last Exited Standby
11 - Alarm Actions

Note: On vCenter 4.1, the HostHeaderColumnsProp string might have to be created manually. Right-click the UI key and select New String Value. Rename the string as HostHeaderColumnsProp and set the values for the columns you want to view.

VMHeaderColumnsProp tab

These example values indicate the default value for VMHeaderColumnsProp tab:

0-134,1-120,2-120,3-177,4-100,5-206,6-95,7-95,8-95,9-116,10-85,11-130,12-0,13-0,14-0,15-100,16-100,17-120,18-100,19-110,20-165,21-165,22-270, 23-200,24-110

The numbers and their corresponding column name values are:

0 - Name
1 - State
2 - Status
3 - Host
4 - Provisioned Space
5 - Used Space
6 - Host CPU - MHz
7 - Host Mem - MB
8 - Guest Mem - %
9 - Guest OS
10 - VM Version
11 - Memory Size
15 - CPU Count
16 - NIC Count
17 - Uptime
18 - IP Address
19 - VMware Tools Status
20 - DNS Name
21 - EVC Mode
22 - UUID
23 - Notes
24 - Alarm Actions


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