1

Hi

I am having a issue with starting vmware vsphere client.
I cannot logon.

When i connect to vcenter appliance and look at the serverlog, i can see this error:

  2 tm:2025-06-25 02:23:44.725 UTC db: pid:5697 LOG:  pgballoon: supported 0 activated 0
  1 tm:2025-06-25 02:27:43.352 UTC db: pid:5712 LOG:  database system was interrupted; last known up at 2025-06-25 02:23:44 UTC
  2 tm:2025-06-25 02:27:43.422 UTC db: pid:5712 LOG:  database system was not properly shut down; automatic recovery in progress
  3 tm:2025-06-25 02:27:43.431 UTC db: pid:5712 LOG:  redo starts at 384/5DAC9050
  4 tm:2025-06-25 02:27:43.511 UTC db: pid:5712 LOG:  record with zero length at 384/5DAD79D8
  5 tm:2025-06-25 02:27:43.511 UTC db: pid:5712 LOG:  redo done at 384/5DAD7998
  6 tm:2025-06-25 02:27:43.512 UTC db: pid:5712 LOG:  last completed transaction was at log time 2025-06-25 02:24:33.572217+00
  1 tm:2025-06-25 02:27:43.552 UTC db: pid:5711 LOG:  database system is ready to accept connections
  1 tm:2025-06-25 02:27:43.561 UTC db: pid:5715 WARNING:  Memory Balloon is not enabled
  2 tm:2025-06-25 02:27:43.561 UTC db: pid:5715 LOG:  pgballoon: supported 0 activated 0
  1 tm:2025-06-25 02:27:43.566 UTC db: pid:5716 LOG:  autovacuum launcher started
  1 tm:2025-06-25 02:30:28.254 UTC db:VCDB pid:6564 LOG:  unexpected EOF on client connection
  1 tm:2025-06-25 02:30:28.255 UTC db:VCDB pid:6565 LOG:  unexpected EOF on client connection
  1 tm:2025-06-25 02:30:28.256 UTC db:VCDB pid:6566 LOG:  unexpected EOF on client connection
  1 tm:2025-06-25 02:30:28.257 UTC db:VCDB pid:6567 LOG:  unexpected EOF on client connection
  1 tm:2025-06-25 02:30:28.257 UTC db:VCDB pid:6568 LOG:  unexpected EOF on client connection
  1 tm:2025-06-25 02:30:28.257 UTC db:VCDB pid:6569 LOG:  unexpected EOF on client connection
  1 tm:2025-06-25 02:30:28.258 UTC db:VCDB pid:6570 LOG:  unexpected EOF on client connection

What can I do to resolv this ?

4 Spice ups
2

It would be both useful and helpful if you added some details.

What version, what spec, on what hardware.

What was the last thing that was changed before this error, updates, changing spec, disk space?

The log shows the system wasn’t cleanly shutdown, did a host crash or was the VM reset, not rebooted?

Who are you trying to login as, does the GUI load? If so are you using LDAPS for SSO, if so the cert may have expired, but all of the above is guess work, let’s get some details.

2 Spice ups
3

This is an very old version.

VMWare vCenter SErver Appliance 5.5.020500 build 264689

It is a virtual server on vmware

Their has not been changes or updates. It just working. Before the problem came their has not been any crash.

I have checked disk space and have at least 80GB free space where the DB is.

I normally use active directory authentication, but i cannot even logon with the local administrator.

Postgres version is 9.

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1 Spice up
4

Is there any reason this is on such an old version.

While i will assist you in trying to recover it, it would be just as easy to build a new one and move the hosts, assuming no complex setup is within. That said, if the system is that old, the hardware likely is too.

How many hosts and VMs is this for and is there any complex setup involved?

Have you logged in to the management page and confirmed the services are running?

Using the instructions on the screen, how far do you get?

You’ve tried root and administrator@vsphere.local?

SSH to the appliance and check the services.

service-control --status

service-control --start --all

Check the logs for further clues.

  • /var/log/vmware/vpxd/vpxd.log
  • /var/log/vmware/vpostgres/*.log
1 Spice up
5

The reason for it is old, that the systems are running on windows 2003 and the accounting system cannot run a newer versions.

We have 3 hosts with hpe servers.
We have appr. 60 vm’s
I have tried root and administrator@vsphere.local

I can logon to the 3 hosts seperatly (både with vsphere and ssh). I can connect to vcenter server with ssh with the local user : root.

Unfortunatelly when I try command like i get error:

service-control --status
Result: -bash: service-control: command not found

service-control --start --all

I can even logon to the postgres with :slight_smile: /opt/vmware/vpostgres/current/bin/psql -d VCDB -U postgres

I can see some db in the postgres.

I have never installed a management (vcenter), is it difficult to install new one and after install maybe i can import configurations.

6

That doesn’t mean other systems need to remain on legacy hosts or OSes.

Besides, running legacy systems, specifically those out of support for a number of years only puts the company in a position or risk.

Installing a new VCSA can import the configuration from your existing, so long as you have credentials to login, however, it may not be necessary.

I would likely step back at this point and look at the bigger picture, hosts can still be managed manually, the hosts keep a copy of the last config they knew, so they will currently know where each VM is, but you really need to move forward and legacy systems need to be on their own hosts/network and not sat aside the existing, those should be moved, upgraded and migrated.

It’s been a long time since I touched 5.5, so those commands may not have existed back then.

If there is a plan to progress this, I’d start with that.

7

can this be the reason ?

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8

Most likely, but we knew services or at least one isn’t starting properly from your first error.

Your system, for whatever reason didn’t shutdown cleanly.

How you recover from this isn’t known as It’s been a long time since I used this.

No backups you can restore?