Troubleshooting vCenter Server Proxy Configuration

Products

• VMware vCenter Server

Issue/Introduction

Users may experience issues when configuring vCenter Server to use an external proxy server, particularly when attempting to use HTTPS connections to the proxy. This article clarifies how vCenter Server interacts with external proxy servers and provides troubleshooting steps for common configuration problems.

Environment

 

• VMware vCenter Server 7.0 and later
• Environments using external proxy servers for internet access

 

Cause

Confusion often arises from misunderstanding the relationship between vCenter Server's internal proxy component and external proxy servers. The HTTP_PROXY and HTTPS_PROXY settings in vCenter refer to the type of traffic being proxied, not the protocol used to connect to the external proxy server.

Resolution

1. Understand vCenter proxy concepts:
   1. vCenter has an internal proxy component that handles outgoing connections.
   2. This internal proxy can use both HTTP and HTTPS to connect to external proxy servers.
   3. The protocol used (HTTP or HTTPS) depends on the external proxy server's configuration.
   4. Different vCenter components use different tools for network operations:
      • VAMI (vCenter Server Appliance Management Interface) uses wget
      • VUM (vSphere Update Manager, now part of Lifecycle Manager) uses curl
2. Configure vCenter proxy settings:
   1. Log into the vCenter Server Appliance Management Interface (VAMI) at https://your_vcenter_address:5480
   2. Navigate to Networking > Proxy Settings
   3. Set HTTP_PROXY and HTTPS_PROXY according to your external proxy server's configuration:
      • For HTTP proxy: HTTP_PROXY="http://your-proxy:port/"
      • For HTTPS proxy: HTTPS_PROXY="https://your-proxy:port/"
   4. Ensure there's no leading slash and there is a trailing slash in the URL
      
      
3. Verify proxy configuration file:
   1. SSH into the vCenter Server Appliance as root
   2. Check the proxy configuration: cat /etc/sysconfig/proxy
   3. Ensure settings match those in VAMI
   4. These settings will be used by both wget and curl
      
      
4. Test connectivity:
   1. Use curl to test HTTP connections:
      • HTTP_PROXY="http://your-proxy:port/" curl -I http://example.com
   2. Use curl to test HTTPS connections:
      • HTTPS_PROXY="https://your-proxy:port/" curl -I https://example.com
   3. Use wget to test connections:
      • wget --spider http://example.com https_proxy="http://your-proxy:port/" wget --spider https://example.com
        
        
5. 5. If using HTTPS for the external proxy:
   1. Verify the proxy server accepts HTTPS connections on the specified port
   2. Import the proxy's certificate into vCenter's trusted roots if necessary
      
      
6. Check wget configuration:
   1. Review /etc/wgetrc or ~/.wgetrc to ensure it's not overriding proxy settings
   2. This is particularly important for VAMI functionality
      
      
7. Restart vCenter services or reboot the appliance to apply changes
   
   
8. If issues persist, check vCenter logs for specific error messages and consult VMware support

Additional Information

- Configure the DNS, IP Address, and Proxy Settings
- Troubleshoot problems with vSphere Lifecycle Manager proxy configuration