Reconnecting or adding an ESXi host to vCenter fails with the error: "Agent can't send heartbeats because socket address structure initialization is failing"
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Reconnecting or adding an ESXi host to vCenter fails with the error: "Agent can't send heartbeats because socket address structure initialization is failing"
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Article ID: 327840
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Updated On: 02-13-2025
Products
VMware vSphere ESXiVMware vCenter Server
Issue/Introduction
Symptoms:
Reconnecting or adding an ESXi host to vCenter Server displays the error: Agent can't send heartbeats because socket address structure initialization is failing
The vpxa.cfg file at /etc/vmware/vpx/vpxa.cfg on the affected host contains the fully qualified domain name (FQDN) of the vCenter Server. This can also occur if there is a trailing whitespace on a valid IP. Example:
The vpxa.log file at /var/log/vpxa/log on the affected host displays an error similar to: YYYY-MM-DD_TIME [FFC991A0 error 'Heartbeat' opID=SWI-885deXX1] Unable to get the socket address structure for the server address :FQDNofvCenterServer
Environment
VMware vCenter Server 6.5.x VMware vCenter Server 6.7.x VMware vCenter Server 7.x VMware vCenter Server 8.x
Cause
The issue occurs when the vpxa.cfg file is created on the ESXi host using the fully qualified domain name of the vCenter Server from the managed_ip value within the vCenter Server database. This value is expected to be an IP address.
Resolution
To resolve this issue:
Verify that the ESXi hosts are able to resolve the fully qualified domain name of the vCenter Server to which they are connected.