Network Management

vCenter node does not show up after adding node successfully

This article explains an issue when adding a VMware vCenter node using its IP address. Although the system indicates the node was added successfully, the node does not appear in the SolarWinds Web Console or the SolarWinds database.

First published date

10/16/2020 8:05 AM

Last published date

8/1/2025 12:45 AM

Overview

Customer is trying to add vCenter using the IP address and it showed that the node was added successfully but it does not showed in the Manage nodes page and it does not exist in the SolarWinds database.





In the ApolloWebAPi.log, we can see the following entry:

INFO SolarWinds.Orion.AddNode.WebApi.Controllers.AddNodeController - Node [Server: x.x.x.x, PluginType: vim.vmware.vcenter] was inserted

However, in the AddNodeBusinessLayer.log at the same time frame, we see the entry:

INFO SolarWinds.AddNode.BusinessLayer.Discovery.DiscoveryJobManager - Skipping of node saving to DB because an entity is not a node. This type of entity needs to be handled by a module.

 

Symptoms

  • The vCenter node shows as successfully added in logs but does not appear on the Manage Nodes page in the Orion Web Console.
  • The node is missing from the SolarWinds database.

Product section

Network Performance Monitor

Cause

This issue occurs because the vCenter server is not responding to ICMP (ping) requests from the SolarWinds server. ICMP must be enabled and reachable for VMware vCenter, ESX hosts, Nutanix Clusters, or AHV hosts to be monitored properly.

Resolution

We encourage you to continue filing support tickets if you experience this issue.  Each report helps us gather the necessary data to identify patterns and underlying causes, enabling our engineering and support teams to work toward a long-term resolution. Your input is vital in helping us improve the stability and performance of our solutions.

Step 1: Verify ICMP Connectivity

  • Confirm that the vCenter server responds to ICMP ping requests from the polling engine.
  • If ICMP is blocked, enable it on the vCenter server or network firewall.

Step 2: Update Hosts File (If SolarWinds Server Is Not Joined to Domain or DNS)

If the SolarWinds server is not joined to the domain or lacks DNS resolution for the vCenter hostname, manually add the hostname and IP address to the hosts file on the polling engine:
  1. Navigate to:
    C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\
  2. Open the hosts file with a text editor (e.g., Notepad) as Administrator.
  3. Add an entry at the bottom of the file in the following format:
     
    <vCenter_IP_Address> <vCenter_Hostname>

Example:

 
102.54.94.97 rhino.acme.com
  1. Save and close the file.

Step 3: Re-add the vCenter Node

  • In the SolarWinds Web Console, attempt to add the vCenter node again using the IP address or hostname.

 

If the problem persists, please contact SolarWinds to help manually workaround this issue via a SQL script to add the vCenter until we can provide a permanent fix.