ESX Server timed out when i try to enter License Server in VC

[bwb]

Hi all,

i have a problem with adding two new ESX Servers into our VIrtual Center.

Let me give you a short overview:

We have 5 ESX Servers and one Virtual Center Server.

All Servers are in one Cluster (Cluster 01)

Now we want to use Virtual Desktop Infrastructure and for this reason, we bought another 2 (Blade) Servers.

I installed them from the scratch with ESX 3.5 Update 4.

I made a second Cluster in our VC (CLuster 02) and add them both.

I configured all Network and Storage settings, everything went fine, bute when i want to point to our license server, everytime i get a error message from our VC. Operation timed out and my settings where not accepted. No matter if i enter IP or FQDN. BUT i can ping to our License Server from ESX Server, so i am unsure if this is some kind of DNS Problem or not.

Another note: Our first 5 ESX Servers where licensed as ESX Server Standard.

Our new ESX Servers where licensed as ESX Server VDI. I used normal ESX Install CD, because i didn't find any special VDI Install Files.

I can see all licenses in Administration view in our VC, so i think our License file isn't corrupt.

Things i did so far:

renew license, start stop license server, installed esx server twice from the scratch

I have no more ideas, i hope someone could help me with this issue.

[kjb007 · Accepted solution]

According to your image, you have 0 virtual center agent licenses left to allocate to any new hosts. What may be happening is that the agent is not properly installing onto the new servers. Log into the ESX servers. Make sure you can ping the virtual center server by FQDN, and hostname, not just by IP. From your vc, ping your esx server fqdn and hostname.

Also, check the /etc/hosts file on your esx server and make sure the entries are all lower case.

-KjB

VMware vExpert

[bwb]

Thanks a lot !

Your hint to ping VC from ESX with it's Name was good.

Ping wasn't working, so i edit the hosts file and manually entered IP and FQDN of our VC.

And now i can easily enter the license server without a timeout. So it was indeed a DNS Problem.

But one last thing is windering me:

I checked if our old esx server can ping FQDN but the can't .

But they have no problem to connect the license server.

Is a manual edit of the Hosts file a good solution ? Or is this just a workaround ?

Anyway, thanks for ypur help !

[kjb007]

If you have DNS, then the hosts file should be only a workaround. You don't want to have to manage names from a local text file, as it can be administratively difficult for you when things are added or changed. Make sure DNS is functioning properly.

-KjB

VMware vExpert