VMware Update Manager host scan fails with "Metadata for patch missing" when the Update Manager host has multiple NICs
Symptoms
During a scan of an ESX Server host(s) using Update Manager, you may see the error message Metadata for patch missing.
The Update Manager logs indicate that Update Manager is trying to contact the wrong IP address for the VirtualCenter server.
Your VirtualCenter server is setup with multiple IP address and scanning fails.
Update Manager is behind NAT (Network Address Translation).
Resolution
VMware recommends editing the Update Manager configuration file, located on the Update Manager Server:
Click Start > Run.
Type services.msc and press Enter to stop the VMware Update Manager Service.
Edit the Update Manager configuration file.
Note: The default location is C:\Program Files\VMware\Infrastructure\Update Manager\vci-integrity.xml . Change the drive letter and path as required.
Locate the section named HostConfig.
It appears similar to:
<HostConfig> <PatchDepotUrl></PatchDepotUrl> Note: Update Manager ignores the information about the hostname during installation and leaves this section empty. That causes the Update Manager to use the first NIC in the binding order on the Windows machine that runs VirtualCenter and Update Manager.
If your VirtualCenter hostname is for example "vcServer", enter the address as noted below: <HostConfig> <PatchDepotUrl>http://vcServer:<Port Number>/vci/hostupdates/hostupdate</PatchDepotUrl> Note: This VirtualCenter host name should be pingable from your ESX Server hosts.
Save your changes and exit.
Restart VMware Update Manager from the service management console.
Alternatively, you can change the binding order of the network adapters on the machine running VMware Update Manager:
Open the Network Connections control panel. Click Start > Run
Type ncpa.cpl and press Enter. You can see the available connections in the LAN and High-Speed Internet section of the Network Connections window.
Select Advanced Settings from the Advanced menu.
Click the Adapters and Bindings tab.
Select the connection you want to move higher in the list and use the arrow buttons to move the connection. Note: Place the NIC that is accessible by ESX Server as the first NIC in the list.
Notes:
The Adapters and Bindings tab lists the connections in the order in which the connections are accessed by network services. The order of these connections reflects the order in which TCP/IP or the next available protocol is bound to the network adapters. The bindings for remote access connections apply to all remote access connections.
The Provider Order tab lists the network providers for this computer. You can use the arrow buttons to change the order in which these providers are accessed. You can arrange the order in which the computer accesses information about the network. Providers and other connections are accessed in the order in which the providers and the connections are listed.
