ESXi host can provide high performance and efficiency and high Availabilty (HA) and reliability. But some reasons may lead to ESXi host not resaponding, is can be annoying, what we need to do is to solve the problem urgently.
VMware Host Not Responding but VM’s Still Running On It
I have a host running ESXi 6 (managed by vCenter) that is no longer responding. Got an alert during holiday days off that one of the hosts wasn't responding. Connected to VPN and logged into vCenter to see the host showing offline and all of the VM's that were on it listed as disconnected (VM's are still online though). Right clicked the host and told it to reconnect which failed (that fix would be too easy). Decided to open console to the host and try and restart the management services. Connected to Dell blade enclosure and opened console on this specific host. Everything looked normal, so I hit F2 entered the username and password, hit enter and the host stopped responding to keyboard inputs. I can't get through the login screen so I can't do anything with the host now.
- Question from Reddit
In VMware vSphere environments, it is common to encounter issues where an ESXi host not responding while the virtual machines (VMs) running on it continue to function normally. This article explores the reasons why an ESXi host stops responding while a virtual machine continues to run, and provides guidance on how to diagnose and resolve the issue.
The following part is a step-by-step troubleshooting for ESXi host not responding.
Sometimes the ESXi host does not respond due to high resource usage such as excessive CPU, memory, or disk usage. You can:
▶Access via the Direct Console Interface (DCUI):
If you have physical access to the host computer, check the host computer status on the DCUI (Direct Console User Interface). Look for any system alerts about high resource utilization or hardware issues.
▶Using the ESXi Shell or SSH: If you have SSH access to the host, use the following commands to check resource consumption:
esxtop (view CPU, memory, and disk performance in real time)
top (to see a snapshot of system resource usage)
▶Check logs for resource overloads: Check the logs for any resource-relate errors:
/var/log/vmkernel.log (kernel-related logs).
/var/log/hosted.log (host management log).
/var/log/vpxa.log (vCnter agent log).
ESXi hosts rely on several management services, such as hosted and vpxa, to function properly. If these services fail, the host may not respond to management attempts but continue to run virtual machines. You can:
◆Restart the management services: If you can access the host through the console or SSH, restart the management services using the following command:
Or, specifically for the hosted and vpxa services:
◆Check the network configuration: Ensure the ESXi host has the correct configuration and can communicate with the management network. You can check the network configuration by running:
Failure to access shared storage (SAN or NAS) can cause the ESXi host to appear unresponsive while the ESXi host not responding but the virtual machine may still be using local storage or caching data. You can:
✦Check the storage status: Use the following command to check the storage connection:
✦Verify datastore accessibility: Use the ESXi web client or SSH to verify that the datastore is accessible and that there are no connectivity issues with the shared storage.
✦Check storage logs: Look for storage-related errors in the logs:
Hardware failures such as memory, network card, or other component failures can cause an ESXi host not responding. You can:
★Check Hardware Status: Verify the health of the hardware using the ESXi console or a physical management tool such as iLO, DRAC, or iDRAC.
★Check Hardware Alarms: Verify the health of the hardware in:
★Check Compatibility: Ensure that all hardware components are compatible with the version of ESXi you are running. For this, check the VMware Hardware Compatibility List (HCL) for that version.
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Step 1. Log in to the AOMEI Cyber Backup Console, navigate to Source Device > VMware > + Add VMware Device to Add vCenter or Standalone ESXi, then enter Device Information and User Information and click Confirm.
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When an ESXi host is not responding but VMs are still running, it can be due to a variety of reasons. However, systematic diagnosis of the underlying issue and examination of host logs, managed services, and hardware components are often effective in resolving the problem.