[HCX] HCX Service Disconnected

Products

• VMware HCX
• VMware Cloud on AWS

Issue/Introduction

To provide the resolution when the above HCX disconnect error is being seen in the HCX UI. 

Symptoms:
The error, "The HCX service is disconnected. Restore your connection to the HCX server to proceed" may be seen when logging into the HCX UI. All migrations between the two HCX sites could be impacted.  

Cause

This error is observed when the HCX Manager/Connector is not able to reach the HCX Activation URL -  https://connect.hcx.vmware.com. HCX will periodically make calls to this URL, to ensure it can successfully connect. When HCX cannot connect to this URL, it will display this banner and will impact HCX functionality.

Resolution

Launch an SSH session to the HCX Manager/Connector and ensure connectivity to the HCX Activation URL - https://connect.hcx.vmware.com. Use the below curl command to test:

• curl -v -k https://connect.hcx.vmware.com

If the above curl command fails to connect, ensure firewall rules are created to allow HCX Manager connectivity to the HCX URL over port 443. 

If the above curl command is successful, please follow the steps below:

• Login to the HCX VAMI on port 9443 (https://hcx_manager_ip:9443)
• Restart both App Engine and Web Engine services

Note: If using an HCX Proxy, ensure all Local Connections are added as a Proxy Exclusion within the HCX VAMI (please see doc below for Local Connection examples), and the HCX URLs (https://connect.hcx.vmware.com && https://hybridity-depot.vmware.com) are added as an exclusion on the  Proxy Server - Configure a Proxy Server. 

If there are further issues being seen after validating everything above, please proceed with contacting Broadcom Support. When creating the SR, please provide the following information:

• Output of the Curl command
• Confirmation if a Proxy Server has been added in HCX
• HCX Log Bundle from the Source side with Appliance and DB dump included
• Business Impact

Additional Information

Impact/Risks:
Migrations from Source to Destination will be impacted until the HCX Service is restored.