VMware highly recommends you to update ESXi hosts to ESXi 5.5 Update 3b while managing them from vCenter Server 5.5 Update 3b. VMware does not recommend re-enabling SSLv3 due to POODLE vulnerability. If at all you need to enable SSLv3, you need to enable the SSLv3 protocol for all components. For more information, refer KB 2139396 .

The release notes cover the following topics:

Features and known issues of vCenter Server are described in the release notes for each release. Release notes for earlier releases of vCenter Server 5.5 are:

VMware vSphere 5.5 is available in the following languages:

The VMware Product Interoperability Matrix provides details about the compatibility of current and earlier versions of VMware vSphere components, including ESXi, VMware vCenter Server, the vSphere Web Client, and optional VMware products. Check the VMware Product Interoperability Matrix also for information about supported management and backup agents before you install ESXi or vCenter Server.

The vSphere Client and the vSphere Web Client are packaged on the vCenter Server ISO. You can install one or both clients by using the VMware vCenter™ Installer wizard.

For ESXi versions 4.0, 4.1, 5.0, 5.1 and 5.5, VMware highly recommends you to update ESXi hosts to ESXi 5.5 Update 3b while managing them from vCenter Server 5.5 Update 3b.

vCenter Server 5.5 can exist in Linked Mode only with other instances of vCenter Server 5.5.

The Guest OS Customization Support Matrix provides details about the guest operating systems supported for customization.

Read the vSphere Installation and Setup documentation for guidance about installing and configuring vCenter Server.

Although the installations are straightforward, several subsequent configuration steps are essential. Read the following documentation:

For instructions about upgrading vCenter Server, see the vSphere Upgrade documentation.

In your vSphere environment, you need to update vCenter Server to vCenter Server 5.5 Update 3b before updating ESXi to ESXi 5.5 Update 3b. vCenter Server will not be able to manage ESXi 5.5 Update 3b hosts, if you update ESXi before updating vCenter Server to version 5.5 Update 3b.

For more information about the sequence in which vSphere environments need to be updated, refer KB 2057795.

The copyright statements and licenses applicable to the open source software components distributed in vSphere 5.5 are available at http://www.vmware.com/download/vsphere/open_source.html, on the Open Source tab. You can also download the source files for any GPL, LGPL, or other similar licenses that require the source code or modifications to source code to be made available for the most recent available release of vSphere.

vSphere Data Protection . vSphere Data Protection 5.1 is not compatible with vSphere 5.5 because of a change in the way vSphere Web Client operates. vSphere Data Protection 5.1 users who upgrade to vSphere 5.5 must also update vSphere Data Protection to continue using vSphere Data Protection.

VMware Tools . Beginning with vSphere 5.5, all information about how to install and configure VMware Tools in vSphere is merged with the other vSphere documentation. For information about using VMware Tools in vSphere, see the vSphere documentation. Installing and Configuring VMware Tools is not relevant to vSphere 5.5 and later.

VMware vCenter Server Appliance . In vSphere 5.5, the VMware vCenter Server Appliance meets high-governance compliance standards through the enforcement of the DISA Security Technical Information Guidelines (STIG). Before you deploy VMware vCenter Server Appliance, see the VMware Hardened Virtual Appliance Operations Guide for information about the new security deployment standards and to ensure successful operations.

The resolved issues are grouped as follows:

Networking Issues

Security Issues

vCenter Server, vSphere Client, and vSphere Web Client Issues

The authentication server returned an unexpected error: ns0:RequestFailed: Failed to establish server connection. The error may be caused by a malfunctioning identity source.

SSPI might not work, and an error message similar to the following is displayed:

An error message similar to the following is displayed:

vMotion and Storage vMotion Issues

CIM and API Issues

The known issues are grouped as follows:

Installation and Upgrade

New After a minor upgrade, the default location of the log file in vSphere Web Client server varies

The default location of the log file in vSphere Web Client server varies. This issue is seen only during an upgrade. Workaround: Stop the VMware vSphere Web Client service from Services.msc .

Make the following changes in the serviceability.xml file. The file is located at C:\Program Files\VMware\Infrastructure\vSphereWebClient\server\configuration\ .

In the LOG_FILE section:

Change <file>serviceability/logs/vsphere_client_virgo.log</file>

to

<file>C:/ProgramData/vmware/vSphere Web Client/serviceability/logs/vsphere_client_virgo.log</file>



Change <FileNamePattern>serviceability/logs/vsphere_client_virgo_%i.log</ FileNamePattern>

to

<FileNamePattern>C:/ProgramData/vmware/vSphere Web Client/serviceability/logs/vsphere_client_virgo_%i.log</ FileNamePattern>

Change to Change to

In the EVENT_LOG_FILE section:

Change <file>serviceability/eventlogs/eventlog.log</file>

to

<file>C:/ProgramData/vmware/vSphere Web Client/serviceability/eventlogs/eventlog.log</file>



Change <FileNamePattern>serviceability/eventlogs/eventlog_%i.log</FileNamePattern>

to

<FileNamePattern>C:/ProgramData/vmware/vSphere Web Client/serviceability/eventlogs/eventlog_%i.log</FileNamePattern>

Start the VMware vSphere Web Client service from Services.msc .

Updating VMware vCenter Server 5.5 to 5.5 U2 or later reduces the JVM maximum memory heap size

Attempts to update the VMware vCenter Server 5.5 to 5.5 U2 or later reduces the JVM maximum memory heap size due to a patch applied to the wrapper.conf file that overwrites the file for the VMware Inventory Service, VMware Profile-Driven Storage Service, and VMware VirtualCenter Web Management with default values. For additional details, see Knowledge Base article 2114669. Workaround: To resolve this issue, change the JVM maximum heap size based on the vCenter Server inventory size.

syslog installer fails with an error after providing vCenter Server credentials

After providing vCenter Server credentials syslog installer fails with an error similar to the following: "vcenter server version is not supported" This issue does not occur in standalone installation of syslog collector Workaround: use syslog in standalone mode

Attempts to install vCenter Server with embedded database might fail

While installing vCenter Server, if you create a valid unrequired Data Source Name (DSN) on a database other than the local bundled database, select it, click Next , and then if you click back to come back to the DSN selection screen and choose the bundled database instead of the custom database, the installation fails with the following error message.



Error 25060.Setup failed to execute sqlcmd.exe Workaround: To resolve this issue, relaunch the installer for a successful installation.

Attempts to install vCenter Single Sign On 5.5 Update 2d or upgrade from vCenter Sign On 5.1 Update x fail if the password set for administrator@vsphere.local contains backslash (\) at the end

When you attempt to upgrade from vCenter Single Sign On 5.1 update X to 5.5 Update 2d or install vCenter Single Sign On 5.5 Update 2d, you must provide a new password for the user name administrator@vsphere.local . If the new password contains the backslash (\) character at the end, the installer rolls back and the installation or upgrade fails. Workaround: To resolve this issue, restart the installer and set a valid password without the backslash (\) character at the end for administrator@vsphere.local .

List of services registered with vCenter Single Sign-On display incorrect version of vCenter Server 5.5 and vSphere Web Client 5.5 as version 5.1

After you upgrade from earlier versions of vCenter Server 5.5 to vCenter Server 5.5 Update 2d, if you view the list of services registered with VMware vCenter Single Sign-On using the ssocli tool, the version of vCenter Server 5.5 and the vSphere Web Client 5.5 are incorrectly displayed as version 5.1. Workaround: None.

Attempts to upgrade from earlier versions of vCenter Single Sign-On 5.5 to 5.5 Update 2d might fail if the Windows Error Reporting Service is disabled

When you attempt to upgrade from earlier versions of vCenter Single Sign-On 5.5 to vCenter Single Sign-On 5.5 Update 2d, if the Windows Error Reporting Service is disabled, the VMware Directory Service ( vmdird.exe ) does not restart as required. When the vmdird.exe is unable to start, attempts to upgrade to vCenter Single Sign-On 5.5 fail with the following error.



Error 1920. Service 'VMware Directory Service' (VMWareDirectoryService) failed to start. Verify that you have sufficient privileges to start system services.



You can also see the werfault.exe file running in the Task Manager when you encounter this problem.



Note: To avoid this issue, keep the Windows Error Reporting enabled during the upgrade process. Workaround: To resolve this issue, stop the werfault.exe process from the Task Manager and the upgrade process will continue successfully.

Attempts to upgrade to vSphere Web Client 5.5 fails with an error if any of the vSphere Web Client SSL certificates are expired

When you attempt to upgrade vSphere Web Client from version 5.0 or 5.1 to 5.5, if any of the vSphere Web Client SSL certificates are expired, the installer fails with the following error message:



Error 29113. SSO registration failed Workaround: To resolve this issue, check the validity of the SSL certificates of the vSphere Web Client and replace any expired SSL certificates with valid certificates before attempting the upgrade process again.

Storage profiles not visible in the vSphere Web client after you install and uninstall vCenter Server

If you uninstall vCenter Server from the Windows control panel item Add/Remove Programs or Programs and Features, Profile-Driven Storage is also uninstalled. When you reinstall vCenter Server, Profile-Driven Storage service is also installed, but you cannot see previously created Storage Profiles in the vSphere Web Client. New Storage Profiles can still be created. Workaround: To uninstall vCenter Server without uninstalling Profile-Driven Storage, use an MSI command. Then, when you reinstall vCenter Server, either through the installer wizard or from the command line, you can still see previously created Storage Profiles in the vSphere Web Client. To uninstall vCenter Server, use the following sample command as a model:

msiexec.exe /x vCenter Server Product code

For example:

msiexec.exe /x {E1F05550-4238-4378-87F0-105147A251D9}

The exact product code for vCenter can be obtained from the registry entry: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\VMware vCenter Server .

Login might fail for Local OS users if vCenter Single Sign-On 5.5 includes more than one node

The Local OS identity source is available after install or upgrade, as follows: The vCenter Single Sign-On installer adds the Local OS identity source to the vCenter Single Sign-On configuration. If you create more than one node, the Local OS from the primary node displays as an identity source on all other nodes.

If you upgrade a vCenter Single Sign-On High Availability environment, Local OS from the primary node displays as an identity source on all other nodes. However, even though the Local OS from the first node displays as an identity source in secondary nodes, Local OS users from the first node cannot log in on those secondary nodes. Workaround: None.

Installation using Simple Install fails on Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows 2012 hosts

If you use Simple Install to install vCenter Server and components on a Windows Server 2008 R2 or Windows 2012 host, and the host is configured to use DHCP IP addressing, the installation fails with warning and error messages. Workaround: Take one of the following actions. On a Windows Server 2008 R2 or 2012 host: configure Windows Server to use a static IP and hostname.

On a Windows Server 2008 R2 host only: map the DHCP IP and hostname to the system's HOST file in the operating system.

During vCenter Single Sign-On 5.5 installation, you cannot specify a host name that is different than the FQDN of the machine on which you are installing vCenter Single Sign-On

The vCenter Single Sign-On installer does not have the option to specify a host name during installation. The installer always uses the FQDN of the machine on which you are installing vCenter Single Sign-On. You cannot use a CNAME instead of the FQDN during installation. Workaround: None.

Error message 25205 appears during installation of vCenter Server on Turkish version of Windows Server

On any Turkish version of Windows Server 2008 or 2012, when you install vCenter Server with the vCenter Server database on the same host machine, Error message 25205 appears. Workaround: Install and run the vCenter Server database from a remote English version of Windows Server.

Simple Install checks space requirements only on system drive

Simple Install checks whether enough space is available before it starts the installation. However, it performs the check only if you install on a system drive. If you attempt to install on a non-system drive, the installer does not check whether enough space is available. Workaround: Check the disk space available on the target drive before installation. The minimum required free space for Simple Install is 10GB. More space is recommended. See the Installation and Setup documentation.

If the vCenter Single Sign-On installation fails and rolls back, the vCenter Server Java Components (JRE) and vCenter tc Server component remain installed

When the Single Sign-On installation is canceled or fails, the installation rolls back to the pre-installation state, and a message states that the system was not modified. However, the vCenter Server Java Components (JRE) and vCenter tc Server component are still installed. Workaround: Remove the components manually in the Windows Programs and Feature control panel.

vSphere Authentication Proxy installation fails if the installation path contains non-ASCII characters

If the installation path contains non-ASCII characters, the vSphere Authentication Proxy installation fails with the error message Error 29106. Unknown Error. Workaround: Make sure the installation path contains only ASCII characters.

Installation of vCenter Server and related components fails if the user name of the logged-in user contains non-ASCII characters

If the user name of the user who is currently logged in contains non-ASCII characters, installation of vCenter Server, vCenter Inventory Server, vCenter Single Sign-On, or the vSphere Web Client fails with the error message: The user name contains non-ASCII characters. Please log in with a user name that contains only ASCII characters. Workaround: Log in with a user name that does not contain non-ASCII characters and retry the installation.

The autoPartition boot option might partition SSDs unintentionally

In Visor (an ESXi dd image written to a device), the autoPartition boot option is set to TRUE by default. This setting causes all blank local disks, including SSDs that you might have intended to use with vFlash and Virtual SAN, to be partitioned. Workaround: Add skipPartitioningSsds=TRUE to the boot options line.

During vCenter Server Simple Install, a dialog box displays a warning that a script is causing the browser to run slowly

The vCenter Server Simple Install option takes a significant amount of time to install or upgrade all required vCenter Server components. This might cause the Internet Explorer browser process that runs the vCenter Server installer autorun screen to display the following warning message:

A script on this page is causing your browser to run slowly. If it continues to run, your computer might become unresponsive. Do you want to abort the script? The warning dialog is displayed when the installation takes longer than the time set by the Windows registry entry: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Styles\MaxScriptStatements This issue has been observed most frequently on the Windows Server 2012 operating system. Workaround: Click No in the warning message, or set the value for the MaxScriptStatements registry entry to 0xffffffff .

Upgrade to vCenter Server 5.5 does not detect expired SSL certificates

When you use Simple Install to upgrade to vCenter Server 5.5, the installer does not detect any expired SSL certificates. If you upgrade from 5.1.x to 5.5 using the individual installers in a Custom Install, only the vSphere Web Client detects expired SSL certificates and stops the installation. vCenter Single Sign-On displays a generic warning message to verify the validity of SSL certificates. The vCenter Inventory Service and vCenter Server individual installers do not detect expired SSL certificates. Workaround: Before you start the upgrade to vCenter Server 5.5, using either Simple Install or the individual installers in a Custom Install, check the validity of the SSL certificates of vCenter Single Sign-On, the vSphere Web Client, vCenter Inventory Service, and vCenter Server. Replace any expired SSL certificates with valid certificates before starting the upgrade process.

Storage profiles without storage capabilities might be missing after you upgrade vCenter Server to version 5.5

After you upgrade to vCenter Server 5.5, storage profiles that you created with an earlier version of vCenter Server are not visible in the vSphere Web Client. This problem affects only storage profiles that do not have any storage capabilities attached. Workaround: Before you perform an upgrade, attach storage capabilities to the storage profiles that need to be available in vCenter Server 5.5. After the upgrade, the existing storage capabilities are converted into tags in the Legacy User Label category, and the storage profiles are converted into storage policies referencing these tags.

After you upgrade vCenter Single Sign-On 5.1.x in a high availability deployment with a load balancer to version 5.5, you must reconfigure the load balancer

During the upgrade from vCenter Single Sign-On 5.1 to 5.5, the file server.xml is migrated, but you must update the file manually after the upgrade. Workaround: See the topic Reconfigure the Load Balancer After Upgrading a vCenter Single Sign-On High Availability Deployment to Version 5.5 in the vSphere Upgrade documentation.

vCenter Server 5.1 not visible after you upgrade vSphere Web Client and vCenter Single Sign-On to version 5.5

Suppose you upgrade vSphere Single Sign-On and the vSphere Web Client from version 5.1 to version 5.5, but you do not upgrade the vCenter Server system. If you log in to the vSphere Web Client after the upgrade, vCenter Server system version 5.1 is not visible. This is a problem only for the Windows upgrade, and not when you upgrade vCenter Server Appliance. Workaround: Restart the vCenter Server system and the vSphere Inventory service ( services.msc ). To see the vCenter Server 5.1 inventory, log in as admin@System-Domain . See VMware Knowledge Base article 1003895.

The VMware VirtualCenter Server service might not start after you upgrade vCenter Server from version 5.0 Update 2 to version 5.5 Workaround: Start the VMware VirtualCenter Server service manually: From the Windows Start menu, open the Administrative Tools control panel item. Select Services. Right-click VMware VirtualCenter Server and select Start.

vSphere Client and vSphere PowerCLI might fail to connect to vCenter Server 5.5, with a handshake failure

When installed on a Windows XP or Windows Server 2003 host machine, the vSphere Client and vSphere PowerCLI might fail to connect to vCenter Server 5.5, with a handshake failure. vSphere 5.5 uses the Open SSL library, which, for security, is configured by default to accept only connections that use strong cipher suites. On Windows XP or Windows Server 2003, the vSphere Client and vSphere PowerCLI do not use strong cipher suites to connect with vCenter Server. The error No matching cipher suite is shown on the server side, and the handshake fails on the vSphere Client or vSphere PowerCLI side. Workaround: Take one of the following actions. For Windows Server 2003 or 64-bit Windows XP, apply the appropriate Microsoft hotfix for your platform: x64 platform: http://hotfixv4.microsoft.com/Windows%20Server%202003/sp3/Fix192447/3790/free/351403_ENU_x64_zip.exe

ia64 platform: http://hotfixv4.microsoft.com/Windows%20Server%202003/sp3/Fix192447/3790/free/351397_ENU_ia64_zip.exe

i386 platform: http://hotfixv4.microsoft.com/Windows%20Server%202003/sp3/Fix192447/3790/free/351385_ENU_i386_zip.exe For Windows XP 32 bit, Windows XP 64 bit, or Windows Server 2003, take one of the following actions.

Before you install the vSphere Client or vSphere PowerCLI on the host machine, upgrade the Windows operating system to Windows Vista or later.

On the vCenter Server host machine, reduce the implied security by allowing the server to communicate using weak cipher suites. To do this, include the following section in the vCenter Server vpxd.cfg file:

<config>

...

<vmacore>

...

<ssl>

...

<cipherList>ALL</cipherList>

...

</ssl>

...

</vmacore>

...

</config>



Networking is lost after you upgrade the vCenter Server Appliance, if the existing vCenter Server Appliance has a static IP configuration and the existing vCenter Server Appliance and the upgraded vCenter Server Appliance are in different subnets

Networking is lost after you upgrade a vCenter Server Appliance configured with both of the following conditions: The existing vCenter Server Appliance has a static IP configuration.

The existing vCenter Server Appliance and the upgraded vCenter Server Appliance are in different subnets. Workaround: To restore networking: Log in to the vCenter Server Appliance through the virtual machine console. Run /opt/vmware/share/vami/vami_config_net to reconfigure networking.



Attempts to upgrade the vSphere Web Client to version 5.5 results in warning message: Error: 29108

During the upgrade of the vSphere Web Client to version 5.5, the following warning message is displayed: Error: 29108. The unregistration of the service or Solution user failed. . This error occurs because the installer is unable to remove the application user programmatically. Workaround:

Record the exact vSphere Web Client solution user named in the warning message. Click OK to dismiss the warning message and complete the upgrade to version 5.5 of the vSphere Web Client. Log in to the vSphere Web Client as the Single Sign-On administrator In Administration, under Single Sign-On, click Users and Groups, and click the Application Users tab. To remove the solution the application user named in the warning message, select the row for that user and click Delete.