vCenter management over WAN links

Traffic that heads through vCenter in a WAN vSphere architecture:

- vUM patches
- Template Clones (that live in one location that you are deploying in another)
- virtual console
- linking virtual CDs

Some tips with syncing options listed here: Drink Me

While PHD's free patch downloader can help with lack of local vUM.

Other than connecting locally to the ESX(i) server that is hosting the VM, I don't see another way around virtual console access.

I'll update if I come across anything else.

get-esxtop != resxtop

Bleh. get-esxtop is no alternative for resxtop. You windows users are better off getting vmplayer with vma inside.

ESXi

To follow up on Call "UserDirectory.RetrieveUserGroups" for object "ha-user-directory" on ESXi "" failed.

YEP! Changing the LDAP SSL certificate requirements from "required" to uh.. not.. made the error go away on our domain.

Computer configuration - Policies - Windows Settings - Security Settings - Local Policies/Security Options - Domain Controller: LDAP server signing requirements (None/Require signing/Undefined[which is the same as None])

A quick google search brought up this likewise discussion, where a member of likewise states that they don't support ldaps.


The ticket for me was the "LDAP error code: 8 (Strong(er) authentication required)" line in /host/messages. No verbose logging was required to get to the root of the problem.
Good enough for me and my crew.

ESXi Active Directory Lookup failure

Call "UserDirectory.RetrieveUserGroups" for object "ha-user-directory" on ESXi "" failed.

Wha?

ESXi 4.1.0 v320137, evaluation license

Looks like a known bug: http://communities.vmware.com/message/1688839.

Note my message there at the bottom that says that the actual authentication and user/group add/del works fine... you just have to manually type the users/groups.

Here's my traceback in /host/messages:

Jan 29 00:43:07 Hostd: [2011-01-29 00:43:07.905 FFDC2B90 verbose 'UserDirectory' opID=C6A12DE4-00000176] Searching for LDAP server for AD
Jan 29 00:43:07 Hostd: [2011-01-29 00:43:07.909 FFDC2B90 verbose 'UserDirectory' opID=C6A12DE4-00000176] Using LDAP base dn: DC=ad,DC=mycompany,DC=com
Jan 29 00:43:07 Hostd: [2011-01-29 00:43:07.910 FFDC2B90 verbose 'SysCommandPosix' opID=C6A12DE4-00000176] ForkExec '/bin/kinit', pid 30416, rc 0
Jan 29 00:43:07 Hostd: [2011-01-29 00:43:07.959 FFDC2B90 error 'UserDirectory' opID=C6A12DE4-00000176] LDAP error code: 8 (Strong(er) authentication required)
Jan 29 00:43:07 Hostd: [2011-01-29 00:43:07.959 FFDC2B90 error 'App' opID=C6A12DE4-00000176] Error accessing directory: Can't bind to LDAP server for domain: AD
Jan 29 00:43:07 Hostd: [2011-01-29 00:43:07.959 FFDC2B90 info 'App' opID=C6A12DE4-00000176] AdapterServer caught exception: 68130fd8
Jan 29 00:43:07 Hostd: [2011-01-29 00:43:07.960 FFDC2B90 info 'Vmomi' opID=C6A12DE4-00000176] Activation [N5Vmomi10ActivationE:0x68094b10] : Invoke done [retrieveUserGroups] on [vim.UserDirectory:ha-user-directory]
Jan 29 00:43:07 Hostd: [2011-01-29 00:43:07.960 FFDC2B90 verbose 'Vmomi' opID=C6A12DE4-00000176] Arg domain:
Jan 29 00:43:07 Hostd: "AD"
Jan 29 00:43:07 Hostd: [2011-01-29 00:43:07.960 FFDC2B90 verbose 'Vmomi' opID=C6A12DE4-00000176] Arg searchStr:
Jan 29 00:43:07 Hostd: ""
Jan 29 00:43:07 Hostd: [2011-01-29 00:43:07.960 FFDC2B90 verbose 'Vmomi' opID=C6A12DE4-00000176] Arg belongsToGroup:
Jan 29 00:43:07 Hostd: (null)
Jan 29 00:43:07 Hostd: [2011-01-29 00:43:07.960 FFDC2B90 verbose 'Vmomi' opID=C6A12DE4-00000176] Arg belongsToUser:
Jan 29 00:43:07 Hostd: (null)
Jan 29 00:43:07 Hostd: [2011-01-29 00:43:07.960 FFDC2B90 verbose 'Vmomi' opID=C6A12DE4-00000176] Arg exactMatch:
Jan 29 00:43:07 Hostd: false
Jan 29 00:43:07 Hostd: [2011-01-29 00:43:07.960 FFDC2B90 verbose 'Vmomi' opID=C6A12DE4-00000176] Arg findUsers:
Jan 29 00:43:07 Hostd: true
Jan 29 00:43:07 Hostd: [2011-01-29 00:43:07.960 FFDC2B90 verbose 'Vmomi' opID=C6A12DE4-00000176] Arg findGroups:
Jan 29 00:43:07 Hostd: true
Jan 29 00:43:07 Hostd: [2011-01-29 00:43:07.960 FFDC2B90 info 'Vmomi' opID=C6A12DE4-00000176] Throw vmodl.fault.SystemError
Jan 29 00:43:07 Hostd: [2011-01-29 00:43:07.960 FFDC2B90 info 'Vmomi' opID=C6A12DE4-00000176] Result:
Jan 29 00:43:07 Hostd: (vmodl.fault.SystemError) {
Jan 29 00:43:07 Hostd: dynamicType = ,
Jan 29 00:43:07 Hostd: faultCause = (vmodl.MethodFault) null,
Jan 29 00:43:07 Hostd: reason = "Error accessing directory",
Jan 29 00:43:07 Hostd: msg = "",
Jan 29 00:43:07 Hostd: }

Also seems from the logs that there's something running in the background using the credentials that added the host to AD for some other lookup. Not sure how I feel about that one.

I'll see if I can devote any more time to this next week. As it is, it just looks to be an obnoxious bug...

ESXi log file location

Damned if I had a brain freeze today and couldn't remember the url path where ESXi has it's log files:

https://hostname/host

There.

New VMware Licensing (updated)

ESX licensing doesn't look to be changing. The quick word back from our rep is:

"We will be changing how some of the management products are licensed (moving from socket-based to vm-based)."

New Cluster Voting