Clear stale backup tasks from the vCenter UI

Products

• VMware vCenter Server
• VMware vCenter Server 7.0
• VMware vCenter Server 8.0

Issue/Introduction

• Administrators see stale backup tasks in the vCenter "Recent Tasks" field. The actual backup task completes successfully without any errors.

Environment

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

Resolution

Perform the following steps to remove the stale task:

1. Validate that the task has actually completed
2. Take a valid snapshot of the vCenter Server. If the vCenter Server is in Enhanced Linked Mode, take an offline snapshot of all linked vCenter Server instances. For more information, refer to 'Creating a vCenter snapshot in Enhanced Linked Mode.'
3. SSH into the vCenter Server as the root user
4. Execute the following command:
   # service-control --stop vmware-vpxd && service-control --start vmware-vpxd

If required, restart the vCenter virtual machine from the VAMI or an ESXi host to clear any stale tasks.

If the above step does not clear the tasks, then perform the below steps:

1. Collect the task's 'ID' from PowerCLI.
   Run the following command in a PowerCLI-enabled PowerShell session to connect to the vCenter Server:
   connect-viserver –server (vCenter IP or vCenter FQDN)
   The system prompts for credentials. Enter complete SSO credentials ([email protected])
   Run this command to list the tasks: get-task -status "Running" | fl
   Make a note of the task ID.
2. Go to the vCenter MOB https://<vcenter_FQDN>/mob/?moid=TaskManager
3. Enter the complete SSO credentials ([email protected]) when prompted.
4. Manually inspect the individual tasks listed in the recentTask field: the info property should detail the task type, current state and startTime.
5. Compare the task ID in the above recentTask field with the task ID collected from the step 1.
6. Once the task is identified, invoke the SetTaskState method by setting the state parameter value to success, while leaving the result and fault parameters values empty.
7. Refresh the vCenter UI.

Note: A restart of the VPXD service is sometimes necessary.

Additional Information

Impact/Risks:
There is no impact to the vCenter functionality.
The best way to prevent these from recurring requires a multifaceted approach:

1. Check Backup Software Health: Ensure the backup software is running a version compatible with the vCenter version.
2. Ensure network stability between the backup management appliance and vCenter Server. Intermittent network latency between the two can cause session timeouts.
3. Service Stability: Occasionally, these tasks persist if the vpxd (vCenter Server) or vsphere-ui services have hit resource limits. Monitoring the vCenter appliance health via the VAMI (port 5480) can help you be sure the vCenter is not overutilized and delaying the processing of these tasks.