Unable to see the virtual machine entry in vCenter Server Inventory
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Article ID: 340194
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Updated On:
Products
VMware vCenter ServerVMware vSphere ESXi
Issue/Introduction
Symptoms:
You are unable to see the virtual machine entry in vCenter Server Inventory
Virtual machines are visible when connected directly to the host
vpx_vm table in the vCenter Server database does not have virtual machine details
The /etc/vmware/hostd/vmInventory.xml file has entry about that virtual machine
The vpxd.log file show entries similar to:
<YYYY-DD-MM>T<time> [04772 warning 'Default' opID=HB-host-90@133-127fa47f] [VdbTableDef::IsStringInColumnLimit] String length (7437) for ANNOTATION is longer than the DB schema size </time><YYYY-DD-MM>T<time> [04772 warning 'vpxdvpxdInvtVm' opID=HB-host-90@133-127fa47f] [VpxdInvtVm] Ignoring VM adding since it has invalid string size for DB schema: SVR005</time>
Environment
VMware vCenter Server 5.5.x VMware vSphere ESXi 5.5
Cause
This issue occurs when the number of characters in the Annotations section of the virtual machine is too large.
Note: Mostly, annotations are created by backup jobs which are appended on every backup operation.
Resolution
To resolve this issue, clear the virtual machine annotations from the host.
To clear the virtual machine annotations:
Login to the ESXi host directly using the vSphere Client.
Select the virtual machine that is not appearing in the vCenter Server Inventory.