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Table Of Contents
VMware, Inc. 73
Chapter 10 Troubleshooting
Duringinstallation,vCenterServerHeartbeatconfigurestheVMwareChannelNICswithuserprovided
information.IncorrectinformationorincorrectlymodifyingtheVMwareChannelNICconfigurationafter
installationcausestheVMwareChanneltofailcommunicating.
Onrareoccasions,ifthePrimaryandSecondaryservershaveNICsofthesametypeinadifferent
order,both
thenameandIPaddressofaVMwareChannelNIConthePrimaryservercantransfertothePrincipal(Public)
NIContheSecondaryorthenameandIPaddressofthePrincipal(Public)NICcantransfertoaVMware
ChannelNIC.Similarly,thenamesoftheVMwareChannel
NICscanreverseontheSecondaryserver.You
mustreconcilethenamesoftheNICswiththeirphysicalidentitiesandassignthecorrectIPaddresstoeach
NIContheSecondaryserver.
Resolutions
TheinstallationprocessmanuallyassignsthecorrectIPaddressestoeachNIContheSecondaryserver.Ifno
VMwareChannelconnectionoccursbetweentheservers,verifytheconfigurationoftheIPaddressesonthe
SecondaryserverʹschannelNICs.CheckthesettingsforthePrincipal(Public)NIC.Theconfigurationerrorcan
remainunrecognizeduntilyouperformaswitchoverorafailoveroccurs.
TocapturetheidentitiesofalloftheNICsontheSecondaryserverpriortoinstallingvCenterServerHeartbeat,
openaWindowsCommandPromptonthatserverandexecutethefollowingcommand:
ipconfig /all > ipconfig.txt
Theoutputofthiscommandsavesthename,TCP/IPconfiguration,andMACaddressofeachNIConthe
Secondaryservertoafilecalledipconfig.txt,whichispresentonthatserverafterthePnPphaseofthevCenter
ServerHeartbeatinstallcompletes.Comparethepreinstallandpostinstallstateof
eachNICbyrunning
ipconfig /allfromaWindowscommandpromptandcomparetheoutputofthiscommandwiththe
contentofipconfig.txt.
TheMACaddressofeachNICisconnectedtothephysicalidentityofeachcardandneverchanges.Youcan
identifyeachNICbyitsMACaddressanddetermine
itsoriginalnameandnetworkconfiguration,evenifthis
wasupdatedbythePnPprocess.
VMware vCenter Server Heartbeat Packet Filter Is Enabled on the Channel
NIC(s)
ProperconfigurationrequiresthatthepacketfilterbedisabledontheVMwareChannelNIC.Whenthepacket
filterisenabledonthechannelNICs,thefollowingsymptomsareencountered.
Symptom
InterferencewithnetworktrafficacrosstheVMwareChannelresultsinanintermittentchannelconnectionor
nochannelconnectionatall.
Cause
Duringinstallation,theVMwarevCenterServerHeartbeatPacketFilterisinstalledandenabledonallNICs
onboththePrimaryandSecondaryservers.ThePacketFilterontheVMwareChannelNICsoneachserveris
disabledlaterintheinstallationofvCenterServerHeartbeat.IfthevCenterServerHeartbeatPacketFilter
is
leftenabledononeormorechannelNICsafterinstallationcompletes,itcaninterferewithnetworktraffic
acrosstheVMwareChannel.
Resolution
ClickthePropertiestabforeachChannelNIConbothserversandverifythatthecheckboxforvCenterServer
HeartbeatPacketFilteriscleared,sothatthePacketFilterisdisabledonthatNIC.