"Failed to install the VC agent service" Error Message Appears after VirtualCenter Upgrade


After applying a patch or upgrading VirtualCenter Server, I cannot connect to my ESX Server hosts from VirtualCenter. I also see the error message:
Failed to install the VirtualCenter agent service

Solution:

Either:
  • The VirtualCenter agent service was installed, but did not start properly, or
  • The VirtualCenter agent service was not installed, as the error message states.
To resolve this issue:
  1. Disable VMware High Availability (HA). Otherwise, the virtual machines might be forcibly powered down by step 2.
  2. At the service console, issue the command:

    service mgmt-vmware restart
  3. At the service console, runthe command:

    service vmware-vpxa restart

  4. Reconnect the virtual machines to VirtualCenter.
  5. Attempt to re-enable VMware High Availability (VMware HA) within VirtualCenter. If this doesn't work, this means that vpxa did not install properly.
  6. At the service console, run the command:

    rpm -qa | grep vpxa

  7. At the service console, run the "rpm -e" command on the rpm file that displayed in the previous command.

    rpm -e

    This uninstalls the agent from the ESX host. Reconnecting the host to VirtualCenter re-installs the agent.

  8. Reconnect the virtual machines in the usual manner within VirtualCenter.
  9. Re-enable VMware HA.

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