VMware vCenter Server 6.x Appliance services: how to find svc status or start/stop

In VMware vCenter Server 6.0 and later, VMware recommends to use the vSphere Web Client or Service Control command-line tool to check, stop, start, or restart vCenter Server Appliance services.
Status of vCenter appliance services can be checked either from vCSA appliance shell or by using web client.

Note: To access vCSA appliance shell, same like ESXi, access to the appliance console and press Alt+F1, we can also access appliances shell over ssh using putty but for that we should have enabled ssh first and that can be done either from vCSA direct console or from web client console.

Listing the vCenter Server Appliance services

To list the vCenter Server Appliance services within the vSphere Web Client:

1. Log in to the vSphere Web Client with a vCenter Single Sign-on administrator account.
2. Navigate to Administration > Deployment >  System Configuration.
3. Click Nodes, select the vCenter Server Appliance node and click the Related Objects tab.

To list the vCenter Server Appliance services using the command-line:

1. Log in as root through an SSH or console session on the vCenter Server Appliance.
2. Run this command to enable the shell:
   
   shell.set --enabled true
3. Run this command to launch the shell:
   
   shell
4. Run this to change directories to /bin:
   
   cd /bin
5. Run this command to list the vCenter Server Appliance services:
   
   service-control --list

6.  To view the current status of the vCenter Server Appliance services, type the command:

service-control --status

To check the status of any specific service, for ex. vmware-vpxd

service-control --status vmware-vpxd

To Start / Stop or Restart a vCenter Server Appliance services

To start/stop/restart the vCenter Server Appliance service using the vSphere Web Client:

1. Log in to the vSphere Web Client with a vCenter Single Sign-on administrator account.
2. Navigate to Administration > Deployment >  System Configuration.
3. Click Nodes, select the vCenter Server Appliance node and click the Related Objects tab.
4. Right-click on the service you would like to start/stop/restart and select desired option.

To start the vCenter Server Appliance service if it is was stopped using the command-line:

1. Log in as root through an SSH or console session on the vCenter Server Appliance.
2. Run this command to enable the shell:
   
   shell.set --enabled true
3. Run this command to launch the shell:
   
   shell
4. Run this command to change directories to /bin:
   
   cd /bin
5. Run this command to list the vCenter Server Appliance services:
   
   service-control --list

Now, Run this command to start a specific service:

service-control --start servicename

or

Run this command to stop a specific service:

service-control --stop servicename

You may also start all services by typing the command:

service-control --start --all

or

Stop all services by typing the command:

service-control --start --all

To perform a dry run of the command, add the option --dry-run to the command, doing so will display what actions the command will run without executing the actions. For example, type the command:

service-control --stop --all --dry-run     or   service-control --start --all --dry-run

Note: To restart a vCSA appliance server you first need to stop and then start the services as there is no restart switch via shell cmd.

Reference: VMware kb# 2109887, VMware vSphere 6.5 Documention 

Note: For VCSA 5.x appliance services, please refer to kb# 2054085

That's it... :)

How to Reset vCenter SSO admininstrator password in vSphere 6.x

You might have faced this, specially in you homelab env ;) , where after a long time when you tried to login on to vCenter SSO and couldn't recall the SSO administrator account "administrator@vsphere.local" password.

Here the good things is, the process of resting SSO administrator account password is pretty state forward, and we can easily reset the "administrator@vsphere.local" password.

To reset the administrator@vsphere.local password:

On a Windows Platform Services Controller or vCenter Server with Embedded Platform Services Controller:

1. Log in to vCenter Server with a domain administrator account. If the Platform Services Controller is installed separate from vCenter Server, log in to the Platform Services Controller server.
2. Open an elevated command prompt.
3. Run C:\> "%VMWARE_CIS_HOME%\vmdird\vdcadmintool.exe".
   
   This console loads:
   
   ===============================
   Please select:
   0. exit
   1. Test LDAP connectivity
   2. Force start replication cycle
   3. Reset account password
   4. Set log level and mask
   5. Set vmdir state
   ===============================


4. Press 3 to enter the Reset account password option.
5. When prompted for the Account UPN, enter: administrator@vSphere_Domain_Name.localBy default, this is: administrator@vSphere.localA new password is generated.

Notes:

• If you customized your vSphere Domain name, provide the customized domain name.
• If the prededing steps fail with a domain administrator account, use a local administrator account.

    6. Use the generated password to log in to the administrator@vSphere.local account.
    7. After the password is regenerated, log in to vSphere Web Client and change the password.

On the Platform Services Controller or vCenter Server with Embedded Platform Services Controller Appliance

1. Log in to vCenter Server Appliance using SSH as the root user.
2. Run this command to enable access the Bash shell:
   
   shell.set --enabled true
3. Type shell and press Enter.

      4.  Now run /usr/lib/vmware-vmdir/bin/vdcadmintool

        

        5. Press 3 to enter the Reset account password option.

        6. When prompted for the Account UPN, enter: administrator@vSphere_Domain_Name.local

            By default, this is: administrator@vSphere.local

Once you press enter, a new password is generated.

Note: If your vSphere Domain name is customized, provide the customized domain name.

      7. Use the generated password to log in to the administrator@vSphere.local account.
      8. Once you log in to the vSphere Web Client, change the password.

Reference: VMware kb# 2034608

That's it... :)