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How do I manage Vcenter Server with no network connection?

I rebooted my vCenter server this morning via the console in Vsphere Web Client. It never came back up.. I run everything through the vSphere web client usually, but considering the vCenter server hosts the web client and is not responding on the network, I do not know how to access it. I went to my ESXi hosts and each one just has a screen telling me to go to http://ESXIHOSTNAME/ to download tools. I looked and it it offers download of vSphere client, which will not let me connect to my vCenter server seeing as how it is not accessible over the network.

How do I access my vcenter server? There has to be some means of managing it without a network connection.

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Rezwan Islam

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CoSmismgr

ASKER

Well, I feel like a big dummy. I just connected to the ESXi host server that hosts the vCenter Server VM using the vSphere Client and restarted the vCenter VM. It was froze at startup after updates (gotta love them updates).

Hope this helps someone in the future.

CoSmismgr

ASKER

haha impeccable timing Rezwan, I just found it out for myself... but you were exactly right so giving you the points.

Rezwan Islam

Good on you mate. Thanks heaps.

jmcg

The vSphere client can connect directly to the ESXi hosts. You don't get all of the features this way, but at a minimum you can restart VMs at this level, which may be all it takes to get your vCenter server back up.

See, for example:

https://pubs.vmware.com/vsphere-51/index.jsp?topic=%2Fcom.vmware.vsphere.install.doc%2FGUID-BBD3580E-4034-4E05-9558-D88D74E5D1D7.html