VMware VirtualCenter Server service cannot start if another application is using Port 80 (HTTP) or 443 (HTTPS)

Products

• VMware

Issue/Introduction

• The VMware VirtualCenter Server service fails to start
• Another application is using port 80 (http) or 443 (https)
• Cannot log in to vCenter Server
• Logging in to vCenter Server fails with the error:
  
  The server 'x.x.x.x' could not interpret the client's request. (The remote server returned an error (503) Server Unavailable.)
   
• The error stack shows:
  
  'Call "ServiceInstance.RetrieveContact" for object "ServiceInstance" on server "hostname.domain.com" failed.'

Resolution

This issue occurs if another application is using TCP ports 80 or 443.

 

To resolve this issue, disable the conflicting service:

1. Determine which application is using port 80 and/or 443.
   
   Note: In Windows Server 2008 where User Account Control (UAC) is enabled, you will need to right click the cmd icon and Run as Administrator:
   
   C:\> netstat -bano | findstr :80
   C:\> netstat -bano | findstr :443
    
2. If any results are returned, reconfigure the application to use another port, or uninstall the application.
   
   Command results may appear similar to:
   
   TCP 0.0.0.0:443 0.0.0.0:0 LISTENING 4016
   
   Where 4016 is the Process ID (PID) of the service or application listening on the conflicting port.
    
3. To determine which service or application corresponds to the PID determined, run the command:
   
   C:\>tasklist /svc | findstr 4016
   svchost.exeNote: VMware recommends that vCenter Server be installed on a dedicated server to avoid conflicts or instability of the VirtualCenter Server service.