Hi all.
I am a TV engineer trying to solve a network issue with our equipment. I am not a network engineer.
I am trying to follow the VMWareKB: 'Troubleshooting network connection issues using Address Resolution Protocol (ARP)' I simply trying to verify the ARP table exists on our ESX server and has some entries.
The KB says to run 'arp -a' to list the ARP table.
To do this I need to open a service console. I have now read 3 or 4 articles on using the Service Console but I still am unable to open it to run the command! I cannot understand what I am doing wrong, either I am incredibly stupid or I am missing something completely.
One article stated, press 'Alt F1' Exactly where do I do this? From a virtual machine connected to the ESX? One article said 'at the VIM summary screen' I've tried logging onto the virtual machine and pointing a web browser at the server, I get an ESX welcome screen with 'Login To Web Access' link, when I click this I get 'Internet Explorer Can't Open The Webpage'
I've had a look at the VIM, I can see the network details for Vswitch on the configuration page including the service console IP address. Can't see how to open a service console. Pointing the VIM at the service console address fails to do anything.
I just need to know how to open the Service console and check the ARP tables as per the KB.
Please dumb down your answers for me!
The root problem is regarding some mains distribution units we are using to power equipment in racks. They have a network connection which we are monitoring using Virtual Machines to report to a third party monitoring and control software. The Virtual Machines are running alarm driver software used to report to the third party. The VM's are on a Blade Server.
We have an issue where one MDU unit was replaced but configured with incorrect Default Gateway address. Within hours of doing this, the monitoring and control software lost connection to the MDU's and one by one, all the MDU units started sending ARP requests - "Who has 10.172.248.254'
Eventually, all MDU's are constantly sending ARP requests and all MDU's have lost connectivity to the VM. If we open the VM machine doing the monitoring and ping an MDU, the ping fails, if we put a laptop in place of an MDU and ping the VM machine, the ping works fine.
If we power off/on the MDU's they come good, but we are a 24/7 operation and power cycling all MDU's is considered to risky.
We had this problem before and the only solution was to rebuild the VM's and assign all MDU's to a new network addresses.
All switches the MDU's are plugged into (Foundry Falstron GS) have been checked by our network support guys and we're told are all good. The Blade server is hosting about 20 VM's and they are working fine monitoring SNMP traffic from other systems.
If anyone has any ideas I'm all ears.