I recently came across a nice annoying error on an ESXi 5.1 server:

"Access to resource settings on the host is restricted to the server that is managing it: x.x.x.x"

I was given this error while connected directly to an ESXi server with vSphere client, attempting to resize a virtual disk on a VM (to add more capacity).

However as this ESXi server and its virtual machines was managed by vCenter server, it would not let me modify its "resource settings" i.e. its disk size.

I figured out a way to remove the host from thinking it was connected to vCenter (as in my case it wasnt - it had not been disconnected from vCenter before someone deleted it)!. This is probably not supported by VMware and I do not support it but it worked for me.

1. Connect to the ESXi server either on the console or via SSH

2. Edit /etc/vmware/vpxa/vpxa.cfg

vi /etc/vmware/vpxa/vpxa.cfg

Remove the whole vpxa section including <vpxa> and </vpxa> "d"

Save it ":wq!!

<config>

<dvs>

   <portSyncBatchLimit>100</portSyncBatchLimit>

</dvs>

<httpNfc>

   <accessMode>proxyAuto</accessMode>

   <enabled>true</enabled>

</httpNfc>

<level id="SoapAdapter.HTTPService">

   <logLevel>info</logLevel>

   <logName>SoapAdapter.HTTPService</logName>

</level>

<level id="SoapAdapter.HTTPService.HttpConnection">

   <logLevel>info</logLevel>

   <logName>SoapAdapter.HTTPService.HttpConnection</logName>

</level>

<log>

   <level>verbose</level>

   <maxFileNum>10</maxFileNum>

   <maxFileSize>1048576</maxFileSize>

   <memoryLevel>verbose</memoryLevel>

   <outputToConsole>false</outputToConsole>

   <outputToFiles>false</outputToFiles>

   <outputToSyslog>true</outputToSyslog>

   <syslog>

     <facility>local4</facility>

     <ident>Vpxa</ident>

     <logHeaderFile>/var/run/vmware/vpxaLogHeader.txt</logHeaderFile>

   </syslog>

</log>

<nfc>

   <loglevel>error</loglevel>

</nfc>

<task>

   <completedMaxEntries>1000</completedMaxEntries>

   <maxThreads>98</maxThreads>

   <minCompletedLifetime>120</minCompletedLifetime>

</task>

<trace>

   <mutex>

     <profiledMutexes>InvtLock</profiledMutexes>

   </mutex>

   <vmomi>

     <calls>false</calls>

   </vmomi>

</trace>

<vmacore>

   <http>

     <defaultClientPoolConnectionsPerServer>300</defaultClientPoolConnectionsPerServer>

   </http>

   <soap>

     <sessionTimeout>1440</sessionTimeout>

   </soap>

   <ssl>

     <doVersionCheck>false</doVersionCheck>

   </ssl>

   <threadPool>

     <IoMax>9</IoMax>

     <TaskMax>4</TaskMax>

     <ThreadStackSizeKb>128</ThreadStackSizeKb>

     <threadNamePrefix>vpxa</threadNamePrefix>

   </threadPool>

</vmacore>

<vmdb>

   <enableSvc>true</enableSvc>

</vmdb>

<vpxa>

   <bundleVersion>1000000</bundleVersion>

   <datastorePrincipal>root</datastorePrincipal>

   <hostIp>123.123.123.123</hostIp>

   <hostKey>52e16e0d-07e4-366e-7bf6-73279af3c8f0</hostKey>

   <hostPort>443</hostPort>

   <licenseExpiryNotificationThreshold>15</licenseExpiryNotificationThreshold>

   <memoryCheckerTimeInSecs>30</memoryCheckerTimeInSecs>

   <serverIp>123.123.123.123</serverIp>

   <serverPort>902</serverPort>

</vpxa>

<workingDir>/var/log/vmware/vpx</workingDir>

3. Restart the services

/sbin/services.sh restart

Running vmware-fdm stop

Stopping vmware-fdm:success

Running xorg stop

Running wsman stop

Stopping openwsmand

Running sfcbd stop

This operation is not supported.

Please use /etc/init.d/sfcbd-watchdog stop

Running snmpd stop

root: snmpd is not running.

Running sfcbd-watchdog stop

Running vpxa stop

watchdog-vpxa: Terminating watchdog process with PID 653929

vpxa stopped.

Running vobd stop

watchdog-vobd: Terminating watchdog process with PID 8643

vobd stopped

Running dcbd stop

watchdog-dcbd: Terminating watchdog process with PID 9329

Running smartd stop

watchdog-smartd: Terminating watchdog process with PID 9293

smartd stopped

Running cdp stop

watchdog-cdp: Terminating watchdog process with PID 9252

Running lacp stop

watchdog-net-lacp: Terminating watchdog process with PID 9184

Running memscrubd stop

memscrubd is not running

Running slpd stop

Stopping slpd

Running hostd stop

watchdog-hostd: Terminating watchdog process with PID 9072

hostd stopped.

Running sensord stop

watchdog-sensord: Terminating watchdog process with PID 9047

sensord stopped

Running storageRM stop

watchdog-storageRM: Terminating watchdog process with PID 9011

storageRM stopped

Running lbtd stop

watchdog-net-lbt: Terminating watchdog process with PID 8976

net-lbt stopped

Running rhttpproxy stop

watchdog-rhttpproxy: Terminating watchdog process with PID 8938

rhttpproxy stopped.

Running usbarbitrator stop

watchdog-usbarbitrator: Terminating watchdog process with PID 8902

usbarbitrator stopped

Running DCUI stop

Disabling DCUI logins

VobUserLib_Init failed with -1

Running ntpd stop

Stopping ntpd

Connect to localhost failed: Connection failure

Running ntpd restart

Connect to localhost failed: Connection failure

Starting ntpd

Running DCUI restart

Enabling DCUI login: runlevel =

VobUserLib_Init failed with -1

Running usbarbitrator restart

usbarbitrator started

Running rhttpproxy restart

rhttpproxy started.

Running lbtd restart

net-lbt started

Running storageRM restart

storageRM started

Running sensord restart

sensord started

Running hostd restart

hostd started.

Running slpd restart

Starting slpd

Running memscrubd restart

The checkPages boot option is FALSE, hence memscrubd could not be started.

Running lacp restart

lacp started

Running cdp restart

cdp started

Running smartd restart

smartd started

Running dcbd restart

dcbd started

Running vobd restart

vobd started

Running vpxa restart

Connect to localhost failed: Connection failure

Running sfcbd-watchdog restart

Running snmpd restart

root: snmpd has not been enabled.

Running sfcbd restart

This operation is not supported.

Please use /etc/init.d/sfcbd-watchdog start

Running wsman restart

Starting openwsmand

Running xorg restart

Running vmware-fdm restart

Starting vmware-fdm:success

~ #

4. Connect back to the ESXi server with vSphere client and it should now let you make the changes

Note: I would very much assume at this point if the host was managed by vCenter you will have to disconnect and reconnect the host to push out the VPXA agent and config, otherwise you wont be able to manage the host via vCenter.

As it happens the ESXi server I had this issue with was no longer managed by vCenter server as someone has rebuilt vCenter, but had not removed this host from vCenter before doing so.

Before I did a fresh install of vCenter,I want to add some more disk to the vCenter VM. This had to be done directly connected to the host, as the vCenter it no longer existed!

While its not very often that would happen, I can see other issues very similar. Say for example the vCenter server ran out of space because of SQL logs, hence the SQL and/or vCenter service might not start. In that case you would want to quickly as more disk space to the VM and get vCenter back up, but you would have to resort to the above.