Clear any stale backup tasks from vCenter UI.

Products

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

Issue/Introduction

• Customer may see stale backup tasks on vCenter "Recent Tasks" field.  Actual backup task has already completed successfully without any errors.

Environment

• VMware vCenter Server 7.0
• VMware vCenter Server 8.0

Resolution

To remove the stale task please refer the below step:

1. Validate if the task has actually completed
2. Take a valid snapshot of the vCenter server
3. If the vCenter is in Enhanced Linked Mode, take an offline snapshot of all vCenters linked
4. SSH into vCenter Server as the root user
5. Execute the following command:
   # > service-control --stop vsphere-ui && service-control --start vsphere-ui
6. If the command from step 5 does not clear the task, execute the following command:
   # > service-control --stop vmware-vpxd && service-control --start vmware-vpxd

 

If the above step do not clear the task, refer below :

1. Collect the task's 'Id' from PowerCLI.
   1. To Connect vCenter from PowerCLI, run the following command in a PowerCLI enabled PowerShell session:
      1. # > connect-viserver –server〈vCenter IP or vCenter FQDN)
      2. It will prompt for credentials. Enter complete sso credentials ([email protected])
      3. Run this command to list the tasks : get-task -status "Running" | fl
      4. Make a note of the task Id
2. Go to vCenter MOB - https://<vcenter_FQDN>/mob/?moid=TaskManager   
   1. It will prompt for credentials. Enter complete sso credentials ([email protected] )
3. Manually inspect individual tasks listed at recentTask field - the info property should detail the task type, current state and startTime.
   1. Compare the task Id in the above recentTask field with the task Id collected from above Step 1.1.4
4. Once the task is identified, invoke SetTaskState with parameters: state: success . And, for result and fault section: set to empty values.
5. Refresh the vCenter UI.
6. Please Note: A restart of the VPXD service may be needed.

Additional Information

Impact/Risks:

There should be no impact to the vCenter functionality. This is just a stale task that is seen within the vCenter that can be removed by following the above resolution steps.

The best ways to prevent these from recurring requires a multi-faceted 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.