Extending the default timeout periods for vCenter Server, ESX/ESXi hosts, and vCenter Update Manager

Products

• VMware vCenter Server
• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

The default timeout value for tasks performed and managed by VirtualCenter / vCenter Server is 30~40 minutes. If you run an Update Manager host task, such as scanning or remediating an ESXi/ESX host, the task may time out or fail if it takes more than 30 minutes to complete.

Any of these factors can cause such a timeout or failure:

• The task takes more than 30 minutes to complete.
• A slow connection between the vCenter Server and the ESXi/ESX host.
• A network environment with low bandwidth, high latency, or in which packets are lost.
• Conditions that prevent the task from completing within the default 30 minute time frame.
• vLCM Scan time out happens due to network issue.

Environment

VMware ESXi 4.0.x Installable
VMware vCenter Update Manager 4.1.x
VMware vCenter Update Manager 5.1.x
VMware vSphere 7.0.x
VMware ESXi 4.0.x Embedded
VMware ESXi 3.5.x Embedded
VMware ESXi 4.1.x Installable
VMware ESX 4.1.x
VMware vCenter Server 6.7.x
VMware vCenter Update Manager 6.5.x
VMware ESXi 4.1.x Embedded
VMware vSphere ESXi 5.0
VMware vSphere ESXi 6.5
VMware vCenter Update Manager 5.5.x
VMware vSphere ESXi 5.1
VMware vCenter Server 5.0.x
VMware vCenter Update Manager 6.0.x
VMware vCenter Server 5.1.x
VMware vCenter Server Appliance 6.5.x
VMware vCenter Server Appliance 5.1.x
VMware vCenter Server Appliance 5.0.x
VMware vCenter Server 4.0.x
VMware vCenter Server Appliance 6.0.x
VMware vCenter Server 4.1.x
VMware vSphere ESXi 5.5
VMware vCenter Update Manager 1.0.x
VMware vCenter Server Appliance 5.5.x
VMware ESX Server 3.5.x
VMware vSphere ESXi 6.7
VMware ESXi 3.5.x Installable
VMware vCenter Update Manager 5.0.x
VMware vSphere ESXi 6.0
VMware vCenter Server 6.0.x
VMware VirtualCenter 2.5.x
VMware vCenter Update Manager 4.0.x
VMware vCenter Server 6.5.x
VMware vCenter Server 5.5.x
VMware ESX 4.0.x

Resolution

To resolve this issue, you can increase the vCenter Server and ESXi/ESX host timeout values. Three hours (10800 seconds) is generally sufficient, but in some environments, you might need to increase the timeout values to a longer period.
 

Increasing the vCenter Server timeout value

To increase the vCenter Server timeout value:

1. Log in to your vCenter Server with administrator privileges.
2. Back up the vpxd.cfg file. The default location is:
   • For Windows-based vCenter Server:
     • Windows 2003: C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\VMware\VMware VirtualCenter\vpxd.cfg
     • Windows 2008: C:\ProgramData\VMware\VMware VirtualCenter\vpxd.cfg
        
   • For the vCenter Server Virtual Appliance: /etc/vmware-vpx/
      
3. Open the vpxd.cfg file in a text editor.
4. Paste these lines before the </config> tag:
   
   Note: If the vpxd.cfg file already has a section for the <task> tag, place the <timeout> edit in the existing <task> section to avoid duplicate section tags. If you have duplicate section tags, the VMware VirtualCenter Server service may not start.
   
   Caution: Do not make other changes to the configuration file.
   
   <task>
<timeout>10800</timeout>
</task>
<vmomi>
<soapStubAdapter>
<blockingTimeoutSeconds>10800</blockingTimeoutSeconds>
</soapStubAdapter>
</vmomi>
    
5. Restart the VMware VirtualCenter Server service. For more information, see:
   
   For the vCenter Server Virtual Appliance: Stopping, starting, or restarting vCenter Server Appliance services

 

Increasing the ESXi/ESX timeout value

To increase the ESXi/ESX timeout value:

1. Log in to your ESXi/ESX host with root privileges using the console or an SSH session. For more information, see:
    
   • Unable to connect to ESXi host using SSH
2. Back up the vpxa.cfg file.
    
   • The default path is /etc/opt/vmware/vpxa/vpxa.cfg
   • For ESXi 5.0 and above, the default path is /etc/vmware/vpxa/vpxa.cfg
3. Open the vpxa.cfg file in a text editor.
4. Paste this line between the <task> and</task> tags:
   
   Caution: Do not make other changes to the configuration file.
   
   <timeout>10800</timeout>
    
5. Paste these lines between the <vmomi> and </vmomi> tags:
   
   <soapStubAdapter>
<blockingTimeoutSeconds>10800</blockingTimeoutSeconds>
</soapStubAdapter>
    

Note: For ESXi 7.0 U3 or later, see vSphere ESXi 7.0 U3 VPXA configuration properties

6. Restart the management services on your ESXi/ESX host. For more information, see Restarting Management Agents in ESXi.

 

Increasing the timeout value in Update Manager 4.0 Update 2

In Update Manager 4.0 Update 2 and later, the default timeout period is 10 hours. You can change the default 10-hours timeout period using the <PatchTaskTimeoutSeconds> tag in the vci-integrity.xml file.

Note: The <PatchTaskTimeoutSeconds> tag is not present in earlier versions of Update Manager.
 

1. Log in to the machine where Update Manager server is installed with administrator privileges.
2. Back up the vci-integrity.xml file.
    
   • The default path in 32-bit Windows is C:\Program Files\VMware\Infrastructure\Update Manager
   • The default path in 64-bit Windows is C:\Program Files(x86)\VMware\Infrastructure\Update Manager
   • In VCSA file is located at /etc/vmware/service-state/updatemgr/vci-integrity.xml.
3. Open the vci-integrity.xml file in a text editor.
4. Set the timeout value in the <PatchTaskTimeoutSeconds> tag:
   
   <PatchTaskTimeoutSeconds>timeout_value_in_seconds</PatchTaskTimeoutSeconds>
   
   Caution: Do not make other changes to the configuration file.
    
5. Restart the Update Manager service:
    
   1. In Windows, click Start > Run.
   2. Type services.msc and press Enter.
   3. Right-click VMware Update Manager Services and click Restart.
   4. Wait for the service to restart.

While running scan operation in vLCM, sometimes scan opreation times out, which could be network delay/issues. vLCM scan can timeout on preconfigured value. Customer should have an option to extend this timeout value as per the need.

Increase the timeout value and retry the Scan operation

By adjusting the field "ScanTaskTimeoutSeconds" field in /usr/lib/vmware-updatemgr/bin/vci-integrity.xml and restarting the Update Manager service.

1. login to vcsa host with administrator privileges
2. Back up the /usr/lib/vmware-updatemgr/bin/vci-integrity.xml file.
3. open the /usr/lib/vmware-updatemgr/bin/vci-integrity.xml file in a text editor.
4. set the timeout value in the tag: <ScanTaskTimeoutSeconds>
     <ScanTaskTimeoutSeconds>timeout_value_in_seconds</ScanTaskTimeoutSeconds>
   
   Caution: Do not make other changes to the configuration file.
5. Restart the Update Manager service:
    service-control --restart vmware-updatemgr