Update Manager host tasks might fail in slow networks

[Jamal]

This is from the VMware KB


If you run VMware vCenter Update Manager over a low-bandwidth, high-latency, or lossy network, host operations might time out or fail. These operations include host patch and extension scanning, staging, and remediation, as well as host upgrade remediation tasks. The default timeout value for tasks performed and managed by vCenter Server is 15 minutes. Timeout might also occur under normal network conditions if the Update Manager operation takes more than 15 minutes to complete.

When Update Manager performs host operations on a remote ESX/ESXi host, the operations might time out or fail if the connection between vCenter Server and the ESX/ESXi host is slow. The task timeout or failure might occur because of the following reasons:
•The connection to the Update Manager server times out.
•The connection to vCenter Server times out.
This article introduces the methods of setting timeouts for various releases of Update Manager, and estimating timeouts for host tasks.

Note: If you are working in a slow network, and host tasks take more than two hours, you should upgrade Update Manager to Update Manager 4.0 Update 2 or later. For more information about timeout periods in Update Manager, see Figure 1.

For general information about vCenter Server timeout settings, see vCenter operation times out with the error: Operation failed since another task is in progress (KB 1004790).

Solution:

Troubleshoot network timeouts in Update Manager 4.0 Update 1 and earlier versions

The default timeout period for Update Manager 4.0 Update 1 and earlier versions is two hours (7,200 seconds) and cannot be changed.

The default timeout period for vCenter Server tasks is 15 minutes. To increase the vCenter Server timeout, perform the following steps:


1.Log in as an administrator to the machine on which vCenter Server is installed.


2.Open the vpxd.cfg file in a text editor.

The default location is C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\VMware\VMware VirtualCenter\vpxd.cfg.


3.Include the following lines before the </config> tag:

<task>
<timeout>7200</timeout>
</task>
<vmomi>
<soapStubAdapter>
<blockingTimeoutSeconds>7200</blockingTimeoutSeconds>
</soapStubAdapter>
</vmomi>

If the <task> tag already exists in the file, add the timeout (<timeout>7200</timeout>) in the existing tag, rather than create a new <task> tag.



4.Restart the vCenter Server service.

For more information, see Stopping, starting, or restarting VirtualCenter Server services (KB 1003895).


5.Log in to the ESX/ESXi host with root privileges using the console or an SSH session.

For more information about troubleshooting SSH connections to ESX hosts, see Unable to connect to an ESX host using Secure Shell (SSH) (KB 1003807).
For more information about troubleshooting ESXi hosts, see Tech Support Mode for Emergency Support (KB 1003677).


6.On the ESX/ESXi host, open the /etc/opt/vmware/vpxa/vpxa.cfg in a text editor.


7.Include the following lines before the </config> tag:

<task>
<timeout>7200</timeout>
</task>
<vmomi>
<soapStubAdapter>
<blockingTimeoutSeconds>7200</blockingTimeoutSeconds>
</soapStubAdapter>
</vmomi>

If the <task> tag already exists in the file, add the timeout (<timeout>7200</timeout>) in the existing tag, rather than create a new <task> tag.

VMware KB: Update Manager host tasks might fail in slow networks

[lehua768]

The default timeout period for Update Manager 4.0 Update 1 and earlier versions is two hours (7,200 seconds) and cannot be changed.If you run VMware vCenter Update Manager over a low-bandwidth, high-latency, or lossy network, host operations might time out or fail. These operations include host patch and extension scanning, staging, and remediation, as well as host upgrade remediation tasks. The default timeout value for tasks performed and managed by vCenter Server is 15 minutes. Timeout might also occur under normal network conditions if the Update Manager operation takes more than 15 minutes to complete.