Cannot connect to the remote server when downloading the vCenter Update Manager or Converter plugins

Products

• VMware
• VMware vCenter Server
• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

Symptoms:

• Cannot connect to the remote server
• Downloading and installing the vCenter Update Manager plugin, reports these message:
  
  
  • Unable to connect to the remote server
    
  • Error connecting to the VMware vCenter Update manager
    Cannot communicate with the remote host, either due to network errors or because the host is not responding
    
    
• The vCenter Update Manager logs ( C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\VMware\Update Manager or C:\Users\All Users\VMware\VMware Update Manager\Logs\vmware-vum-server-log4cpp.log) contain entries similar to:
  
  error Failed to establish Vim connection to http://<IP</span> address of VC>:80/. Vmacore::Exception: No connection could be made because the target machine actively refused it.
  
  
• Downloading and installing the vCenter Converter plugin reports the error:
  
  Unable to connect to the remote server

Environment

VMware VirtualCenter 2.5.x
VMware vCenter Server 5.0.x
VMware vCenter Server 4.0.x
VMware vSphere Update Manager 5.5.x
VMware vCenter Converter 4.1.x
VMware vCenter Converter 4.0.x
VMware vCenter Update Manager 4.1.x
VMware vCenter Update Manager 1.0.x
VMware vCenter Server 4.1.x
VMware vCenter Update Manager 5.0.x
VMware vCenter Converter 4.2.x
VMware vCenter Update Manager 4.0.x
VMware vSphere Update Manager 5.1.x

Resolution

Ensure that you have network connectivity between the vSphere Client, ESX/ESXi, vCenter Server, and vCenter Update Manager/Converter systems.

To ensure network connectivity:

1. Verify that no firewalls are preventing communications between the systems. Consult your vendor. For more information, see Required ports for configuring an external firewall to allow ESX/ESXi and vCenter Server traffic (1005189).
2. Verify that there are no name resolution (DNS) issues. In order to troubleshoot this issue see Identifying issues with and setting up name resolution on ESX/ESXi Server (1003735).
   
   Note: This includes DNS resolution across domains.
   
   
3. Verify that the clients are accessible via web browser at:
   
   
   • vCenter Server 2.5.x - http://IP_address/vci/downloads/VMware-UMClient.exe
   • vCenter Server 2.5.x and 4.x - http://IP_address/vmc/VMware%20Converter%20Client.exe
   • vCenter Server 4.x and above - http://IP address:9084/vci/downloads/VMware-UMClient.exe
     
     
4. If you have changed the IP address of vCenter Server with which your Update Manager system works, see Reconfiguring vCenter Update Manager after changing the vCenter Server IP address (1014639).
5. Manually install the clients and verify that the vCenter Update Manager server is accessible and that the vCenter Converter is functional.
   
   
   • In thevSphere Client, click Plugins.
   • Click Manage Plugins. The Plugin Manager dialog opens.
   • Click the Available tab.
   • Select the download to install.
     
     
6. If all the previous steps are verified, vCenter Server may have lost the registration for the vCenter Update Manager and the vCenter Converter servers. Perform a Repair/Install for both vCenter Update Manager and vCenter Converter.

Additional Information

For more information, see Identifying issues with and setting up name resolution on ESX/ESXi Server (1003735).

Identifying issues with and setting up name resolution on ESX/ESXi Server
Required ports for configuring an external firewall to allow ESX/ESXi and vCenter Server traffic
Reconfiguring VMware vCenter Update Manager after changing the vCenter Server IP address
Não é possível se conectar ao servidor remoto ao baixar o vCenter Update Manager ou plug-ins do Converter
La conexión al servidor remoto no es posible mientras se descargan los complementos de vCenter Update Manager o Converter
下载 vCenter Update Manager 或 Converter 插件时无法连接到远程服务器
vCenter Update Manager または Converter プラグインのダウンロード時にリモート サーバに接続できない