vSAN Support Insight Shows "Failed to connect VMware's Analytics Cloud" Due to IPv6 Resolution

Products

• VMware vCenter Server

Issue/Introduction

• vSAN Support Insight health status fluctuates between 99% and 100%
• When the health status drops to 99%, it triggers an alarm with the error message "Failed to connect VMware's Analytics Cloud" despite internet connectivity being available.
• The health status may temporarily return to 100% after a vCenter Server restart but will eventually revert to 99%.
  
  

Environment

- vSphere 7.0 Update 3 or later
- vCenter Server Appliance (VCSA)
- vSAN enabled cluster
- CEIP enabled
- Internet connectivity present

Cause

The vCenter Server attempts to use IPv6 connectivity for analytics data transmission even when IPv6 is disabled or not properly configured in the environment. This results in failed connection attempts to vcsa.vmware.com.

Resolution

• Update to vCenter Server 8.0 Update 3d (8.0.3.00400) or later, which includes fixes for this issue.
  
  
• Work-around for those unable to upgrade:

1. Check IPv6 configuration in VCSA:
   1. Log into VCSA admin interface (https://<vcsa-fqdn>:5480)
   2. Navigate to Networking > Network Settings
   3. Verify IPv6 networking is not set here
      
      
2. Add IPv4 preference to the analytics configuration:
   1. SSH into the vCenter Server appliance
   2. Open the analytics configuration file:

      vi /etc/vmware/vmware-vmon/svcCfgfiles/analytics.json

   3. Locate the "StartCommandArgs" section
   4. Add the following line within the array (include the comma after the previous line):

      "-Djava.net.preferIPv4Stack=true"

   5. Save and exit the file
   6. Restart the analytics service:

      vmon-cli -r analytics

3. Configure DNS to prefer IPv4:
   1. Add the following line to `/etc/dnsmasq.conf`:

      filter-AAAA

   2. Restart the DNS service:

      kill -SIGUSR1 `pgrep dnsmasq`
      systemctl daemon-reload
      systemctl restart dnsmasq

4. Verify IPv6 entries in hosts file:
   1. Check the `/etc/hosts` file for IPv6 entries
   2. Comment out any IPv6-related entries if present
   3. Restart the vCenter Server appliance
      
      
5. Verify configuration:

   cat /etc/dnsmasq.conf
   nslookup vcsa.vmware.com

6. Monitor vSAN Support Insight health status for 24-48 hours to confirm resolution.

Additional Information

• Resolution may not show immediate improvement
• Warning messages should cease within a few days as the system stabilizes
• The issue may temporarily resolve after a vCenter Server restart but can recur if the underlying configuration is not addressed
• Ensure CEIP is properly enabled and the vCenter Server has internet connectivity
• If issues persist, collect new vCenter support bundles for analysis and open a case with VMware