Cannot establish a TCP connection to server at '####:443'. Details: 'https://####:443/hbr invocation failed with "org.apache.http.conn.ConnectTimeoutException: Connect to ###:443 [/####] failed: connect timed out"'.

Products

• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

• Tasks generate in the vCenter Server and consistently fail with below error.
  

  Cannot establish a TCP connection to server at '###.###.###.###:443'. Details: 'https://###.###.###.###:443/hbr invocation failed with "org.apache.http.conn.ConnectTimeoutException: Connect to ###.###.###.###:443 [/###.###.###.###] failed: Connect timed out"'.

• Multiple VMkernel adapters are configured with the "Management" service. 

Environment

vSphere Replication

Cause

This issue occurs when an ESXi host has multiple VMkernel adapters configured with the "Management" port service tag enabled.

vSphere Replication Management Server (HMS) attempts to connect to the ESXi host using the first IP address returned for the Management service. If the host has multiple management interfaces, HMS may attempt to use an IP address that is not routable from the VR Appliance, leading to a TCP connection timeout.

Resolution

To resolve this issue, ensure that only one VMkernel adapter per ESXi host is tagged for Management traffic.

Steps

1. Log in to the vSphere Client
2. Navigate to the affected ESXi Host > Configure > Networking > VMkernel adapters
3. Review the Enabled Services column for all adapters.
4. Identify any redundant adapters (typically anything other than vmk0) that have Management enabled.
5. Select the secondary adapter and click Edit.
6. Uncheck the Management box under Port services.
7. Click OK.
8. (Optional) Restart the HMS service on the vSphere Replication Appliance to clear the cache

 

Impact / Risks

Removing the Management tag from an adapter that is not the primary management interface is generally non-disruptive. However, ensure that no other administrative tools are strictly relying on that specific interface for host management.