Unable to connect to ESX host using the vsphere client

[dzthomas]

So I'm unable to login to the ESX host using the vsphere client. I'm able to connect to it using ssh.

After looking at the logs it boils down to the vmware-authd service not being able to start on the host.

I see these messages endlessly in /var/log/messages

Dec 3 12:29:14 hp-bl460c-04 xinetd[2421]: EXIT: vmware-authd status=255 pid=22282 duration=0(sec)

Dec 3 12:29:14 hp-bl460c-04 xinetd[2421]: START: vmware-authd pid=22283 from=127.0.0.1

Dec 3 12:29:14 hp-bl460c-04 xinetd[2421]: EXIT: vmware-authd status=255 pid=22283 duration=0(sec)

Dec 3 12:29:17 hp-bl460c-04 xinetd[2421]: START: vmware-authd pid=22338 from=127.0.0.1

Dec 3 12:29:17 hp-bl460c-04 xinetd[2421]: EXIT: vmware-authd status=255 pid=22338 duration=0(sec)

Dec 3 12:29:17 hp-bl460c-04 xinetd[2421]: START: vmware-authd pid=22339 from=127.0.0.1

Dec 3 12:29:17 hp-bl460c-04 xinetd[2421]: EXIT: vmware-authd status=255 pid=22339 duration=0(sec)

# lsof -i

COMMAND PID USER FD TYPE DEVICE SIZE NODE NAME

slpd 2274 daemon 4u IPv4 6621 TCP localhost:svrloc (LISTEN)

slpd 2274 daemon 5u IPv4 6622 TCP hp-bl460c-04.rtp.netapp.com:svrloc (LISTEN)

slpd 2274 daemon 6u IPv4 6623 UDP *:svrloc

slpd 2274 daemon 7u IPv4 6624 UDP hp-bl460c-04.rtp.netapp.com:svrloc

slpd 2274 daemon 8u IPv4 6625 UDP 255.255.255.255:svrloc

openwsman 2387 root 3u IPv4 6890 TCP localhost:ddi-tcp-2 (LISTEN)

xinetd 2421 root 5u IPv4 8090 TCP *:ideafarm-chat (LISTEN)

xinetd 2421 root 6u IPv4 8091 TCP *:ideafarm-catch (LISTEN)

sfcbd 2921 root 74u IPv4 8028 TCP *:wbem-https (LISTEN)

sfcbd 2923 root 74u IPv4 8047 TCP localhost:wbem-http (LISTEN)

sshd 21598 root 3u IPv4 75180 TCP *:ssh (LISTEN)

sshd 22097 root 3u IPv4 75696 TCP hp-bl460c-04.rtp.netapp.com:ssh->tdeepak-lxp.hq.netapp.com:3830 (ESTABLISHED)

Note there is nothing running on port 80.

I've tried the obvious(restarting the individual services(mgmt-vmware,xinetd,webaccess etc) and rebooting the host.

I have tried both esx 4.0 and 4.0 u1.

I did a strace on /usr/sbin/vmware-authd

getpeername(0, 0xfff01050, ) = -1 ENOTSOCK (Socket operation on non-socket)

time(NULL) = 1259861527

open("/etc/localtime", O_RDONLY) = 4

fstat64(4, {st_mode=S_IFREG|0644, st_size=3519, ...}) = 0

fstat64(4, {st_mode=S_IFREG|0644, st_size=3519, ...}) = 0

mmap2(NULL, 4096, PROT_READ|PROT_WRITE, MAP_PRIVATE|MAP_ANONYMOUS, -1, 0) = 0xfffffffff7f50000

read(4, "TZif2\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\4\0\0\0\4\0\0\0\0"..., 4096) = 3519

close(4) = 0

munmap(0xf7f50000, 4096) = 0

stat64("/etc/localtime", {st_mode=S_IFREG|0644, st_size=3519, ...}) = 0

stat64("/etc/localtime", {st_mode=S_IFREG|0644, st_size=3519, ...}) = 0

stat64("/etc/localtime", {st_mode=S_IFREG|0644, st_size=3519, ...}) = 0

socket(PF_FILE, SOCK_DGRAM, 0) = 4

fcntl64(4, F_SETFD, FD_CLOEXEC) = 0

connect(4, {sa_family=AF_FILE, path="/dev/log"}, 110) = 0

send(4, "<83>Dec 3 12:32:07 /usr/sbin/vm"..., 109, MSG_NOSIGNAL) = 109

write(0, "599 vmware-authd PANIC: getpeern"..., 77599 vmware-authd PANIC: getpeername failed: Socket operation on non-socket