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ESXi host disconnects from the VirtualCenter Server with a USB timeout error

Symptoms

VMware VirtualCenter Server reports the following error for an ESXi host:

Issue detected on <server name> in <datacenter name>: USB control/bulk timeout; USB device may not respond
The ESXi host disconnects from the VirtualCenter Server
The virtual machine stops running
Rebooting the ESX host might not be successful and might result in the same error on the console of the server
If the virtual machine reboots, this error occurs again

Resolution

This error message indicates that a timeout has occurred in a read or write operation on the USB bus involving the bulk transfer protocol of USB. This protocol is used for mass storage devices, which includes USB memory sticks, CD-ROM drives, and USB hard disks.

Because Embedded ESXi uses a memory stick as its boot medium, this issue is likely to be caused by a problem with the memory stick.

Establish whether a CD-ROM drive or USB hard disk was in use at the time of the error; if not, a bad memory stick almost certainly caused the error.

Contact the hardware manufacturer for assistance.

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