If your vCenter Server Appliance VM fails as well as a consequence of EXT4-fs or another file system error, use the steps on this information to repair the issue.
Background
If you boot the vCenter Server Appliance VM from the ESXi host, it stops and shows errors much like my screenshot under.
The VCSA VM might also show different errors like “Failed to start file system check on /dev/disk…” No matter the error message, if it has to do with the file system, the steps under will repair it.
- Sign in to the ESXi server that hosts the vCenter VM, and choose the Virtual Machines nodes. Then, on the small print pane, left-click the vCenter VM.
- Then, click on on VM’s preview window to load its console.
- Shut down the VM by clicking its Actions menu > Power > Power off. Then, verify the facility off by choosing Yes.
Before finishing the following step, be prepared to position your mouse contained in the VM’s console and press the letter e in your keyboard.
- Start the VM by clicking the highlighted button within the screenshot under. When the VM begins (along with your mouse nonetheless in its console), press the letter e in your keyboard.
Pressing the letter e boots the VM into the GNU GRUB Edit Menu. In step 2, you’ll edit the GRUB edit menu to power the VM to restore the corrupted file techniques.
At this level, the VM ought to present the GNU GRUB menu like my screenshot under.
Follow these steps to edit the GNU GRUB menu:
- Place your mouse cursor at first of the road that begins with “Linux.”
- Then, use your keyboard’s ahead arrow key to maneuver the cursor to the tip of the road – after the textual content, fips=1.
- Now, use the keyboard’s backspace key to delete fips=1. Then, as an alternative, sort the textual content under.
fsck.restore=sure
- Finally, along with your mouse on the VM’s console, press the f10 perform key in your keyboard. The vCenter equipment VM will restart.
- After a number of seconds, the display shall be clean, with simply the cursor blinking – don’t panic!
At this stage, the equipment is performing a filesystem test and mechanically fixing any corruptions.
- After some time, the VM will show the login display – DO NOT attempt to log in. Just let it proceed its booting course of.
- After some minutes, the vCenter equipment will load the display just like the one in my screenshot under – confirming that it has totally booted. Close the VM’s console and proceed to step 9 under.
- Sign in to the vCenter server through a browser as regular.
Conclusion
If your vCenter equipment VM fails as well with a file system error, it may be unnerving. However, as I’ve proven on this information, the repair is fairly straightforward – effectively, kind of!
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