Attempting to access the vCenter Appliance Management Interface results in a 503 - OK Error (Service Unavailable), indicating that the service is currently unavailable.

Products

• VMware vCenter Server

Issue/Introduction

When accessing the vCenter Appliance Management Interface (VAMI) via "https://<vCenter-FQDN>:5480/", a 503 OK error message is received.

Environment

• VMware vCenter Server 6.7
• VMware vCenter Server 7.0
• VMware vCenter Server 8.0

Cause

The inability to access the vCenter Appliance Management Interface (VAMI) with a "503 - Service Unavailable" error is often caused by the VMware Appliance Management Service (applmgmt) being disabled in vCenter Server.

This service, responsible for appliance configuration and lifecycle management through public API endpoints, is crucial for VAMI functionality. When the applmgmt service is stopped, VAMI becomes inaccessible to the end user.

Resolution

To resolve this issue, please follow the steps outlined below.

1. Connect to the vCenter Server appliance using SSH with the root account and the appliance's IP address, providing the corresponding password.

2. Execute the following command to check the status of the applmgmt service:

service-control --status applmgmt

3. If the output indicates that the service is stopped, proceed to step 4.

4. Execute the following command to start the applmgmt service:

service-control --start applmgmt

5. Once the applmgmt service is running, attempt to access the VAMI again. It should now be accessible.

 

Additional Information

If the applmgmt service fails to start or continues to stop, you might need to investigate further. Check the vCenter Server logs for any error messages related to the applmgmt service.

In some cases, restarting the vCenter Server might resolve the issue.

If the issue persists, consult Broadcom support for assistance.