Unable to Start vCenter Server (vmware-vpxd)

Products

• VMware vCenter Server 7.0
• VMware vCenter Server 8.0

Issue/Introduction

• The vCenter Server vmware-vpxd service fails to start.
  
  
• From /var/log/vmware/vmon/vmon.log, the following error is observed:

  host-2599 <vpxd> Service exited unexpectedly. Crash count 0. Taking configured recovery action
  
  VmacorePanic "Failed to do early initialization."

• Upon checking /var/log/vmware/vpxd/vpxd.log, there is no indication that the vmware-vpxd service is writing new log entries
• Additionally, core.vpxd-worker.#### getting generated in the /var/core/ directory
• Running the command /sbin/vpxd returns:

  Aborted (core dumped)

Cause

The issue is caused due to an invalid entry in the configuration in vpxd.cfg file 

For example,

<mail>
    <smtp>
      <password/>
      <port/>
      <username>[email protected]</username>
      <username/>
    </smtp>

Resolution

Important: Take a snapshot of the vCenter server before making any changes.

1. Log into the vCenter server:

   • Start an SSH session and log in with root credentials.

2. Navigate to the vpxd.cfg file:

   • Run the following command:
      

     cd /etc/vmware-vpx

3. Back up the vpxd.cfg file:

   • Use the following command to create a backup of the file:
      

     cp vpxd.cfg /storage/core/vpxd.cfg.bak

      

4. Edit the vpxd.cfg file:

   • Run the following command to open the file in a text editor:
      

     vi vpxd.cfg
   • Search for any extra tags, specifically <username/>, and remove them.

5. Save the changes:

   • Press Esc to exit insert mode and type :wq! to save and exit.

6. Restart the vpxd service:

   • Run the following commands to restart the service:
      

     service-control --start vpxd && service-control --start vpxd

The vCenter server vmware-vpxd service should now start successfully.

Additional Information