Host IP in vpxa.cfg retains old value after changing service console IP

Products

• VMware vCenter Server
• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

Symptoms:

• After changing the service console IP, the host IP entry in the vpxa.cfg file, located at /etc/opt/vmware/vpxa/ for ESX and /etc/vmware/vpxa/ for ESXi, retains the old value
• Operations such as cloning and cold migration fail

Environment

VMware ESX 4.0.x
VMware ESXi 4.1.x Embedded
VMware ESXi 4.0.x Embedded
VMware vSphere ESXi 5.1
VMware vCenter Server 4.1.x
VMware vCenter Server 4.0.x
VMware ESX 4.1.x
VMware vSphere ESXi 5.0
VMware vCenter Server 5.0.x
VMware ESXi 4.0.x Installable
VMware ESXi 3.5.x Embedded
VMware ESXi 3.5.x Installable
VMware VirtualCenter 2.5.x
VMware ESX Server 3.5.x
VMware vCenter Server 5.1.x
VMware ESXi 4.1.x Installable

Resolution

This issue may occur after a change to the IP address of the ESX host. You may not notice until you attempt operations such as cloning or cold migration.

The VirtualCenter Server's database retains the old IP address and over-writes the IP change in the vpxa.cfg file on the ESX host.

You must remove the host from VirtualCenter, then add it back. Removing the host from VirtualCenter removes problematic database entries; adding it back creates fresh entries.

To remove the host from VirtualCenter:

1. Click Inventory in the navigation bar, expand the inventory as needed, and click the appropriate managed host.
2. Right-click the managed host and choose Disconnect.
3. Right-click the managed host icon in the inventory panel and choose Remove.
4. Click Yes to confirm that you want to remove the managed host and all its associated virtual machines.

To add the host back to VirtualCenter:

1. Click Inventory in the navigation bar, expand the inventory as needed, and click the appropriate datacenter or cluster.
2. Choose File > New > Add Host.
3. Enter the information used for connecting to the host. In the first page of the Add Host wizard, type the name or IP address of the managed host in the Host name field.
4. Enter the Username and Password for a user account that has administrative privileges on the selected managed host.
5. Click Next.