Multiple ESXi hosts become "Not Responding" when taking a snapshot with memory of vCenter Server Appliance

Products

• VMware vCenter Server

Issue/Introduction

When taking a memory snapshot of the vCenter Server Appliance(vCSA), managed ESXi hosts change status to "Not Responding" in the vSphere Client.

Cause

This issue occurs when the "Include virtual machine's memory" option is selected during a vCSA snapshot.

A memory snapshot requires capturing the entire memory allocated to the virtual machine.
Because the vCSA typically has a large memory footprint, this process can degrade its performance for an long period.
During this time, the vCenter Server process may fail to process heartbeat signals from the managed ESXi hosts.

Consequently, the vCenter Server considers the ESXi hosts unreachable, causing them to transition to the "Not Responding" state.

Resolution

When taking a snapshot of the vCenter Server Appliance, deselect the "Include virtual machine's memory" checkbox.

• For standard configuration reverts or pre-patching backups, a memory snapshot is generally not required.
• This option should only be used in specific troubleshooting scenarios or when explicitly directed by Broadcom Support.

Alternatively, perform file-based backups via the vCenter Server Management Interface (VAMI) instead of taking a virtual machine snapshot.

Additional Information

Virtual machine becomes unresponsive or inactive when taking memory snapshot

Japanese KB: vCenter Server Applianceに対してメモリ付きのスナップショットを取得すると、複数の ESXi ホストの応答がなくなる