VMware ESXi Server will not boot

YOCS

YOCS

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I just took on a new client about a week ago. Still trying to figure out their setup. Tonight I get a call saying the server is down. It's stuck on an informational screen displaying VMWare ESXi 4.1.0 gives some sytem info its a Prolient G6. Then it gives a private IP 192.196.1.11 that you can manage the host...Then finally it gives the option F2 to customize system or F12 to reboot. Is anybody familiar with VMWare. That is pretty much all the info the client gave me. I know its not much but, I'm heading out there in the AM...any suggestions on where to start. I would definitely appreciate any help.


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This may not be your problem, but about a year ago there was a Windows update that broke the Vsphere client, but later Vsphere clients fixed it. Might want to check that you're running the latest rev or uninstall the offending patches.
 
altrenda said:
This may not be your problem, but about a year ago there was a Windows update that broke the Vsphere client, but later Vsphere clients fixed it. Might want to check that you're running the latest rev or uninstall the offending patches.
Click to expand...

this.
Ran into it myself with clients that are using ESXi
 
edtech said:
The ESXi server is a hypervisor. There is no GUI interface. What you have described is the normal screen on the server. You will need to download the vmware vsphere client onto a workstation then connect to the server via the client by the ipaddress.

Download this https://www.vmware.com/files/pdf/products/vsphere/VMware-vSphere-Evaluation-Guide-1.pdf

It will give you an idea of what the client looks like when you connect.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the guide. I think the vSphere client is loaded on the file server. I'll check to make sure I have the latest version. Normally I just RDP into it as there is no monitor hooked up to it. I just had the client hook a monitor up last night so we could see what was going on. So I guess the question is why did the users all of the sudden lose connectivity and access to the shared drives and why am I not able to RDP into it or ping it. It's almost like the server VM crashed or something. If I connect to the server via the vSphere will I then have the option to reboot the server so that I can get these people back in business? Thanks again for the help!
 
YOCS said:
If I connect to the server via the vSphere will I then have the option to reboot the server so that I can get these people back in business? Thanks again for the help!
Click to expand...

Yes..the vSphere client will allow you to manage the guests on the ESXi box...including powering up, or rebooting, or forcing a reboot if one blue screened, etc.

If that file server which the vSphere client is installed on is one of the guests..and it's having issues..you'll have to have a different approach. I run a vSphere client on my laptop..so whenever I go onsite to a client I can manage their vmware servers from my laptop. I can VPN and manage from home even. Or at least have the vSphere client on a computer on the clients network which is not a guest on the ESXi box.
 
Last edited:
If you point to the IP of the server with your broswer from a workstation you will get a link to install Vspere. Once you see it and login to vsphere, hopefully they have the root password. The default is no password, then you will click on inventory and see a list of the guest OS's. Then you will right click on the individual guests and hit Power, Power On. and yocan click the consolse tab and watch it boot.

ESXi free edition doesn't autopower on guests if the physical server goes down, so that is probably what happened, a power outage or something.
 
Thanks Guys, I was able to turn it back on as you suggested. I'm not sure why it crashed. I didn't see any reference in event viewer. Is there a way with the free verion to make it auto boot if the OS in the VM crashes. How would I backup a VM to an external hard drive or other media if the host hardware crashed. I saw an option to create a Snaphot. Does the snaphot copy everything in the VM including OS and data?

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