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Fix vCenter Performance Overview Error: “Navigation to the webpage was cancelled” (1014454)

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If your Performance Overview tab is showing a blank screen or a “navigation cancelled” error, it usually means the vSphere Client can’t reach the underlying stats reporting service. This often happens after a DNS change, an upgrade, or when a third-party app steals a required port.

Follow these troubleshooting steps in order to restore your performance charts.

Step 1: Check the vCenter Web Management Service

The performance tab isn’t part of the core vCenter service; it runs on a separate web management service.

  • Log into the vCenter Server.
  • Open Services.msc.
  • Verify that VMware VirtualCenter Management Webservices is started. If it is, try restarting it.

Step 2: Bypass DNS (The .xml Edit)

If vCenter is having trouble resolving its own FQDN, the Performance tab will fail to load.

  1. Navigate to: C:\Program Files\VMware\Infrastructure\VirtualCenter Server\extensions\com.vmware.vim.stats.report\
  2. Open extension.xml in a text editor (as Administrator).
  3. Locate the line: <url>https://vcenter-hostname:8443/statsreport/vicr.do</url>
  4. Change the hostname to the Static IP address of your vCenter server.
  5. Restart the vCenter Web Management Service.

Step 3: Check for Port Conflicts (Port 8443)

Performance Overview uses port 8443. Sometimes other web services (like IIS or Apache) grab this port first.

  • The Test: Stop the “VMware VirtualCenter Management Webservices.”
  • Open Command Prompt and run: telnet <vCenter-IP> 8443
  • The Result: If the port responds while the VMware service is stopped, another application is interfering. You will need to identify that app or change the vCenter web port.

Step 4: Browser & Proxy Settings

The vSphere client uses the local Internet Explorer engine to render the performance tab.

  1. Open Internet Options on your workstation.
  2. Go to the Connections tab > LAN Settings.
  3. Uncheck Use automatic configuration script and Proxy server.
  4. If the issue is only happening on external workstations, ensure the Windows Firewall on the vCenter server is allowing traffic on port 8443.

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