Vmware error: Cannot Start a VM - A general system error occurred: Connection refused

Vmware error: Cannot Start a VM - A general system error occurred: Connection refused

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The error referenced in the title was one I ran into today while trying to start some VMs.  I finally found a KB somewhat related to this issue and the workaround did the trick for me.

Basically, the vCenter Workflow Manager service had stopped on my vCenter server.  In my case, I'm running the 6.0.0 vApp so I had to open an SSH session and enter the following:

shell.set --enabled true
shell
service-control --status vmware-vpx-workflow
   (this command confirmed the service was stopped)
service-control --start vmware-vpx-workflow

Once running, I was able to start VMs again from vCenter.
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To resolve this issue, start the VMware vCenter workflow manager service.

Windows vCenter Server

1. On the server that runs vCenter Server, open Start > Run, type services.msc and press Enter.
2. Right-click VMware vCenter workflow manager service and click start.
3. Attempt to power on the virtual machine again.

vCenter Server Appliance (VCSA)

1. Connect to the VCSA shell as root. For more information, see:
   
   
   • The Access the Appliance Shell section of the vCenter Server Appliance Configuration guide.
   • Stopping, starting, or restarting vCenter Server Appliance services (2054085).
2. Run this command to restart the VMware vCenter workflow service (vmware-vpx-workflow):
   
   # service vmware-vpx-workflow restart
3. Attempt to power on the virtual machine again.