vSphere Client stuck in a navigation loop and displays "Page can't be displayed" when the VMware Aria Operations plugin fails to load

Products

• VMware vCenter Server

Issue/Introduction

1. When attempting to access the VMware Aria Operations plugin within the vSphere Client, the page fails to load, displaying a "Page can't be displayed" or connection error.
   
   
2. Impact: Upon encountering this error, the browser session may stuck in a navigation loop. Subsequent attempts to return to the vSphere Client home page or inventory often result in the same error, as the browser retains the unreachable URL in its history. Access to the vCenter Server UI cannot be restored until the specific browser tab is closed or the browser cache is cleared.
   
   
3. Investigation into the plugin configuration reveals the following:
   A) DNS lookup (nslookup) performed on the IP address embedded in the plugin URL failed, confirming the destination is unreachable or invalid.
   B) Manual verification confirmed that no Virtual Machine exists with the specific IP address referenced by the plugin.

Environment

VMware vCenter Server
VMware Aria Operations (formerly vRealize Operations) Plugin

Cause

The vCenter Server ExtensionManager contains a stale or orphaned registration for the VMware Aria Operations plugin. This registration points to an old IP address or a decommissioned appliance that is no longer available on the network. Because the vSphere Client attempts to load the plugin interface directly from this unreachable URL, the connection times out.

Resolution

Note:  This procedure involves modifying the vCenter Server ExtensionManager, which directly impacts the internal database. A File-Based Backup or a snapshot of the vCenter Server Appliance is mandatory before proceeding. If the vCenter Server is part of an Enhanced Linked Mode domain, offline snapshots of all linked vCenter Server nodes must be taken simultaneously before making changes. Attempting to roll back a single node in an ELM environment can break replication and damage the SSO domain. Refer to : Snapshot Best practices for vCenter Server Virtual Machines

To resolve this issue, the stale extension must be manually removed using the vCenter Managed Object Browser (MOB) to resolve this issue.

1. Open a web browser and navigate to the vCenter MOB: https://<vCenter-FQDN>/mob (Note: Ensure access to the MOB of the specific vCenter where the error is occurring.)
2. Log in with vCenter sso administrator credentials.
3. In the Properties table, select the link for content.
4. Scroll down to the Properties table and select ExtensionManager.
5. (Optional) Select extensionList to view the list of installed extensions. Verify that com.vmware.vrops exists.
6. Return to the ExtensionManager page.
7. Scroll to the bottom of the page to the Methods table.
8. Select the link UnregisterExtension.
9. In the extensionKey value box, enter the following string: com.vmware.vrops
10. Select Invoke Method. The window should display Method Invocation Result: void.
11. Log in to the vCenter Server Appliance via SSH as root.
12. Restart the vSphere Client service to clear the cached plugin data:
     service-control --restart vsphere-ui

Once the service restarts, log back into the vSphere Client. The stale plugin shortcut should no longer be present.