Restart ESXi Management Agents

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One essential command in mastering ESXI administration is the esxcli command. This guide will cover how to utilize this and other necessary ESXCLI commands and also methods to restart ESXi management agents, a necessary troubleshooting step to resolve issues with disconnected or unresponsive ESXi hosts. Before we see how to restart the management agents, let’s look at the ESXCLI command and what it can do.

Getting Started with ESXi Shell and ESXCLI Commands

The ESXi shell is a powerful command-line interface (CLI) for managing your ESXi hosts. Among the most valuable commands at your disposal is the esxcli command, which allows you to manage various components of your ESXi server. Esxcli commands range from commands to manage network interfaces to core storage commands for handling storage systems

Managing Network and Firewall Settings with ESXCLI

Your ESXi management network interface can be configured and managed through ESXCLI network commands. For example, the esxcli network ip command allows you to manage IP settings on your ESXi host. To manage firewall settings, you can use the command to strengthen the security of your ESXi hosts.

esxcli network firewall

The ESXCLI network namespace is also important for managing virtual networking in ESXi. Here, commands such as the following can be used to manage your ESXi management network interface

esxcli network ip interface

Utilizing ESXCLI for VM and Storage Management

ESXCLI commands like the following are invaluable for managing your virtual machines and ESXi host’s software, respectively. We will look at the commands in more detail later.

esxcli vm process list

esxcli software vib list

For instance, the esxcli vm process list command helps you retrieve VM creation options for creating and managing virtual machines.

Regarding storage, ESXCLI provides commands which include core storage commands to manage your iSCSI setup, like the following:

esxcli iscsi adapter list

esxcli iscsi software

Again, we will look at these further below.

Rebooting ESXi Hosts and Maintenance Mode

Rebooting ESXi hosts is sometimes necessary to implement certain system settings changes or updates. This can be achieved using the esxcli system command. When it comes to placing the host in maintenance mode, you can use

esxcli system maintenancemode set -e true

A Closer Look at vCenter Server

The vCenter Server is a central point for managing ESXi hosts and virtual machines. Whether you’re using the vSphere Client or the VMware Host Client, you must connect to the vCenter Server to manage your ESXi environment effectively.

But what happens when the connection to the vCenter Server is disrupted due to a problem with the VMware management agents on the ESXi host? The solution is often restarting the management agents.

When to Restart ESXi Management Agents?

You may ask, “When do I need to restart the management agents?” A good rule of thumb is to restart the management agents when your ESXi hosts appear as ‘disconnected’ or ‘not responding’ in the vCenter Server. You might also consider this if you encounter issues with tasks hanging or cannot connect via the VMware Host ClientRestarting ESXi management agents can help re-establish the connection between the ESXi host and vCenter Server, resolving these issues.

Steps to Restart ESXi Management Agents – DCUI, SSH, Host Client, and PowerCLI

There are several ways to restart management agents on your ESXi hosts. You can use the direct console user interface (DCUI), the ESXi Shell, or the VMware Host Client.

1. Restarting Management Agents via the Direct Console User Interface (DCUI)

To restart management agents through the DCUI, follow these steps:

1. Log in to the DCUI of your ESXi host.
2. Press F2 to customize the system.
3. Navigate to Troubleshooting Options.
4. Choose ‘Restart Management Agents.
   

   Choosing to customize the system to restart management agents

   

   Login to your ESXi server

   

   Choose to Restart Management Agents

   

   Confirm restarting management agents

   

   Management agents are stopped and started

2. Restarting Management Agents via the ESXi Shell

For those who prefer the command line, you can restart the management agents via the ESXi shell by using an SSH client to connect to the ESXi host. Interestingly, there is no esxcli-specific command to restart the agents. Instead, execute the command:

services.sh restart &tail -f /var/log/jumpstart-stdout.log

You might need to use specific commands to restart specific services in certain scenarios. Examples include the following:

/etc/init.d/hostd restart

/etc/init.d/vpxa restart

3. Restarting Management Agents via the VMware Host Client

Alternatively, you can also restart the management agents via the VMware Host Client:

1. Log in to the Host Client.
2. Navigate to ‘Host’ then ‘Services
3. Restart the services.
   

   Restarting services via the ESXi host client

4. Restarting Management Agents via PowerCLI

Finally, let’s see how to restart ESXi management agents using PowerCLI. VMware PowerCLI is a powerful tool for ESXi administrators looking to leverage the command-line interface for managing vCenter and ESXi hosts. Built on the Windows PowerShell framework, PowerCLI offers a wide range of commands for efficient ESXi management.

Let’s start by learning how to retrieve the list of services running on an ESXi host using PowerCLI. For instance, to acquire a list of services from an ESXi host, the following command can be used:

Get-VMHostService -VMHost <hostname or IP> -Refresh

In this command, you should replace it with your host’s IP. The -Refresh parameter ensures the most current data is displayed. Interestingly, the output is similar to the list of services in the VMware Host Client, providing a familiar look at your host’s services.

PowerCLI can also be used to check the status of VMware agents on an ESXi host. For instance, to check the ‘vpxa’ service (a key ESXi management service), you can use the following commands:

$VMHostService = Get-VMHostService -VMHost <hostname or IP> -Refresh | Where {$_.Key -eq 'vpxa'}

Restart-VMHostService -HostService $VMHostService -Verbose

The first command retrieves the vpxa service and assigns it to the variable $VMHostService. The second command uses this variable to restart the vpxa service. You can replace ‘vpxa’ with any other service you wish to manage, such as ‘TSM-SSH’ for the SSH server service on an ESXi host.

If you leave off the Where {$_.Key -eq, you will gather all the services and it will prompt to restart them all.

Beyond restarting services, PowerCLI allows you to stop and start services manually. Here’s how you can stop and then start a service using PowerCLI:

Stop-VMHostService -HostService $VMHostService Start-VMHostService -HostService $VMHostService

In this case, the service associated with the $VMHostService variable is stopped and then started.

Alternative Command for Restarting vpxa

Alternatively, you can use a single command to restart the vpxa service:

Get-VMHostService -VMHost <hostname or IP> | where {$_.Key -eq "vpxa"} | Restart-VMHostService -Confirm:$false -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue

This command locates the vpxa service on the specified host and restarts it without requiring user confirmation, ensuring a seamless, uninterrupted process.

The ESXCLI Command: Additional commands

Outside of the commands we have already discussed, there are many other excellent esxcli commands to know about. The esxcli command offers a multitude of options for managing your ESXi hosts. With this command, you can retrieve VM creation options, manage virtual switches, and control various VMware components, to name a few.

For instance, esxcli system commands allow you to retrieve system settings, place the host in maintenance mode, and even reboot your ESXi hosts. The following command even lets you check the installation time of your ESXi server:

esxcli system stats installtime get

Meanwhile, esxcli network commands help manage the networking components of your ESXi host. These include commands for managing your network interfaces for managing the firewall, and even commands to manage your VMkernel network interfaces.

esxcli network ip interface

esxcli network firewall commands

Regarding storage management, esxcli also provides various commands to handle your storage systems such as the following and other storage management commands:

esxcli iscsi software

From managing iSCSI setups to accessing core storage commands, ESXCLI gives you total control over your storage infrastructure.

If you’re managing virtual machines, you can list all the virtual machines running on your ESXi host with the following command:

esxcli vm process list

This command is handy when you need to retrieve VM creation options.

The ESXCLI Command: Even More Options

Mastering the ESXi command line interface means going beyond basic commands. Using the hardware namespace, for example, allows you to retrieve information about your ESXi host’s hardware, such as memory details, using the following command:

esxcli hardware memory get

Similarly, the software namespace provides commands to manage your host’s software, including installed VIB packages, using the following:

esxcli software vib list

Below is an example of updating to a specific version using the esxcli software vib list command.

esxcli software profile update -d https://hostupdate.vmware.com/software/VUM/PRODUCTION/main/vmw-depot-index.xml -p ESXi-7.0U3i-20842708-standard

Managing your ESXi firewall with esxcli network firewall commands or adjusting the system’s hostname with the following command:

esxcli system hostname get

FAQs:

1. What are the Essential ESXCLI Commands for New ESXi Administrators? While ESXCLI includes many commands, new administrators may find commands such as ‘esxcli system’, ‘esxcli network’, and ‘esxcli vm process list’ particularly helpful. These commands provide a solid foundation for system, network, and virtual machine management respectively.
2. How Does Restarting Management Agents Benefit my ESXi Environment? It ensures the agents are running the latest versions, reduces memory leaks, and can often resolve minor issues before they escalate. However, it is generally not something you need to schedule or perform at set intervals. Recent versions of vSphere are quite stable and efficient, with few problems related to management agents.
3. What Precautions Should I Take When Enabling Remote SSH Access on ESXi Hosts? Enabling remote SSH access to run ESXCLI commands or access the ESXi shell should be done cautiously. Only trusted users and IP addresses should be granted access, and SSH should be disabled when not in use. Regularly updating passwords and using a non-standard port can also enhance security.
4. How Can I Use VMware PowerCLI to Manage ESXi Host Services? VMware PowerCLI provides a set of commands to manage ESXi host services. With PowerCLI, you can retrieve a list of services, check the status of VMware agents, restart, stop, and start services effectively.
5. How Can I Efficiently Manage Virtual Networking on ESXi Hosts? ESXCLI offers several commands for managing virtual switches and VMkernel network interfaces, providing comprehensive control over virtual networking. For instance, the esxcli network ip interface command allows you to effectively manage your ESXi management network interface.

Wrapping Up

Mastering ESXCLI commands and understanding how to restart management agents can significantly enhance your ESXi environment management. These tools and skills will provide comprehensive control over your ESXi hosts, from managing your virtual machines to controlling your network and storage infrastructure.

While there is a learning curve, it is well worth the effort. The flexibility and control offered by the ESXi command line interface are unparalleled, making it valuable tool for any ESXi administrator.