Viewing virtual machine Storage Profiles using the vSphere Client fails with the error: vCenter Server is unable to connect to Profile-driven storage service at http:///sps/sdk

Products

• VMware vCenter Server

Issue/Introduction

When you attempt to view virtual machine Storage Profiles using the vSphere Client, you see the error:

vCenter Server is unable to connect to Profile-driven storage service at http:///sps/sdk

Cause

This issue is caused by a port conflict, which occurs when the Storage Profile Service and another service are configured to use port 31000. The vSphere Web Client service (vspherewebclientsvc) and vRealize Orchestrator service (formerly known as vCenter Orchestrator) can cause this conflict.

Resolution

If the machine is protected by vCenter Server Heartbeat, vCenter Server Heartbeat attempts to start the Profile-driven storage 3 times, then gives up or follows the configured recovery action.

To work around this issue, add a Post-start task that stops the WebClient service (for example, net stop vspherewebclientsvc).

To add a Post Start Task:

1. Launch the VMware vCenter Server Heartbeat Console and click Application > Tasks.
2. Click Add to create a new task and assign a name to the task.
3. Choose Post Start from the Task Type drop-down.
4. In the command field enter:
   
   net stop vspherewebclientsvc
   
   
5. Select a user account that has permissions for vCenter Server.
6. Click OK to accept the new task.

This allows the Profile-Driven storage time to acquire the conflicting port until the protected service discovery is run, which results in the WebClient service using a different port when it starts.