The vCenter Server Appliance registers its services with the Platform Services Controller, but in some situations you might be unable to use the Lookup Service registration. In those situations, you must access an appliance endpoint directly.

A direct connection to the vCenter Server Appliance can become necessary in configurations where the Platform Services Controller is embedded in the appliance. When the appliance vCenter Server is being restored from a backup, or when the embedded Lookup Service is restarting, you might be unable to look up the appliance's service registration.

For more information about embedded or external Platform Services Controller configurations, see vSphere Deployment Configurations.

For more information about backup and restore operations, see Maintenance of the vCenter Server Appliance.