ESXi host fails to reconnect to vCenter with error "The operation is not allowed in the current state"

Products

• VMware vSphere ESXi
• VMware vCenter Server

Issue/Introduction

• When an ESXi host displays a disconnected status in VMware vCenter Server, attempts to reconnect the host may result in the following error message: "Reconnect Failed. The operation is not allowed in the current state."



• Network traffic flows normally between the vCenter Server and the ESXi host.
  
  
• This behavior typically emerges following a recent environmental or network disruption.

 

Environment

• VMware vCenter Server 7.x
• VMware vCenter Server 8.x

Cause

This issue is frequently caused by a hung task within the vCenter Server service daemon (vpxd) tied to a specific host. A stuck background task prevents new connect or reconnect operations from executing successfully.

Resolution

• The hung task must be canceled from within the vSphere Client User Interface (UI).
  
  
• If the task cancellation fails within the UI, the vpxd service must be restarted on the vCenter Server appliance. This can be done by accessing the vCenter Server via SSH and executing the command below:
  
  Note: Restarting the vpxd service will temporarily halt all vCenter-related operations. Tasks such as scheduled backups, vMotion migrations, and vSphere Client UI access will be stopped and remain unavailable until the service fully initializes.
  

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