VMRC Console Error "Unable to connect to the MKS: A specified parameter was not correct: ticketType."

Products

• VMware vSphere ESXi 8.0
• VMware vSphere ESXi 7.0
• VMware vCenter Server 8.0

Issue/Introduction

To identify the cause and fix the VMRC issue so that the users can use VMRC for opening VM remote consoles.

Symptoms:

Unable to launch VMware Remote Console (VMRC) from the vCenter
Error: "unable to connect to the mks a specified parameter was not correct: tickettype"

Post upgrade from vSphere 7(ESXi / vCenter) to version 8.0 or later the VMRC console throws error.

In the VMRC logs, located at %TEMP%\vmware-%USERNAME%\ for Windows OS and /tmp/vmware-$use/ for Linux OS, you see entries similar to

2023-08-31T14:33:14.966+02:00| vmrc| I125: Log for VMware Remote Console pid=47624 version=10.0.4 build=build-11818843 option=Release
2023-08-31T14:33:14.987+02:00| vmrc| I125: VMware Remote Console
2023-08-31T14:33:28.894+02:00| vmrc| I125: cui::VMTicketingVIM::AcquireTicket
2023-08-31T14:33:28.894+02:00| vmrc| I125: cui::VMTicketingVIM::AcquireTicket - AUTO_QUEUING - can acquire ticket now, acquiring
2023-08-31T14:33:28.894+02:00| vmrc| I125: cui::VMTicketingVIM::DoAcquireTicket
2023-08-31T14:33:28.894+02:00| vmrc| I125: cui::VMTicketingVIM::DoAcquireTicket - issuing ticket acquisition request
2023-08-31T14:33:28.901+02:00| vmrc| I125: cui::VMBindingUnityMgr::OnGuestCanRunUnityChanged: The guest is a supported version of Windows, checking Tools status. Version status: 4, running status: 0
2023-08-31T14:33:28.901+02:00| vmrc| I125: cui::VMBindingUnityMgr::OnGuestCanRunUnityChanged: Tools status is OUTDATED
2023-08-31T14:33:28.920+02:00| vmrc| W115: cui::MKS::OnAcquireAbort (7A72020): A specified parameter was not correct: ticketType
2023-08-31T14:33:28.920+02:00| vmrc| I125: cui::MKS::OnSetAttachError (7A72020): -1
2023-08-31T14:33:28.921+02:00| vmrc| I125: DlgUI: Unable to connect to the MKS: A specified parameter was not correct: ticketType.
2023-08-31T14:33:28.961+02:00| vmrc| I125: VMMgr: Finished opening VM at /vm/#_4BA8720_vm-242818/ from vcenter.sddc-x-x-x-x.vmwarevmc.com:vm-242818

Environment

VMware vSphere ESXi 7.0.x
VMware vSphere ESXi 8.0.x

Cause

The error is due to an outdated VMRC version installed.

Resolution

To resolve the VMRC error, upgrade the VMRC plugin to latest version - Download VMware Remote Console (VMRC)

 

If the issue is not resolved after upgrading the latest VMRC:

 

vCenter Server ended support for the older mks ticket type in version 8.0.0 and adopted the newer webmks format in its place.

 

For vCenter Server 8.0.x

1. Configure VMware Remote Console 12.x to not use the legacy connection mode. To do so, open the VMware preferences file on the host machine and add the following parameters:

pref.preferWebMKS = "TRUE"

pref.preferWebRemoteDevice = "TRUE"

 

For vCenter Server 7.0.x , use legacy mode :

 

pref.preferWebMKS = "FALSE"

pref.preferWebRemoteDevice = "FALSE"

 

Preferences file location:

The preferences file can be found in the following location:

• Windows: %APPDATA%\VMware\preferences.ini
• macOS (standard install): ~/Library/Preferences/VMware Remote Console/preferences
• macOS (App Store install):~/Library/Containers/com.vmware.vmrc/Data/Library/Preferences/VMware Remote Console/preferences
• Linux: ~/.vmware/preferences

Additional Information

Impact/Risks:

Affects the users productivity when trying to access VMRC consoles of multiples VMs.