Troubleshooting an ESX/ESXi host installation failure

Products

VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

If you are experiencing these issues when using Update Manager to upgrade your ESX/ESXi host, see Troubleshooting issues when Update Manager cannot upgrade an ESX/ESXi host (1032626).

This article guides you through the process of troubleshooting the installation of an ESX/ESXi Server host. The article aims to help you eliminate the common causes of these issues.

Symptoms:

ESX/ESXi Server host installation stops with an error before completion.
ESX/ESXi Server host installation fails to complete.
Unable to complete ESX/ESXi Server installation.
You may receive one or more of these errors during an installation or upgrade:
- Your hardware is not compatible with ESX
- Failed to load vmkernel: 0xbad0013
- Failed to import upgrade. Error was: failed upload
- Unable to connect to the remote server
- Encountered error FileIOError: The error data is: Filename - None Message - I/O Error (28) on file : [Errno 28] No space left on device Errno - 10 Description - Unable to create, write or read a file as expected.

Environment

VMware ESX Server 3.5.x
VMware vSphere ESXi 5.1
VMware ESXi 4.1.x Installable
VMware ESX 4.0.x
VMware ESXi 4.0.x Installable
VMware ESX Server 2.5.x
VMware ESXi 3.5.x Installable
VMware vSphere ESXi 5.0
VMware ESX Server 3.0.x
VMware vSphere ESXi 5.5
VMware ESX 4.1.x

Resolution

Validate that each troubleshooting step below is true for your environment. Each step provides instructions or a link to a document, in order to eliminate possible causes and take corrective action as necessary. The steps are ordered in the most appropriate sequence to isolate the issue and identify the proper resolution. Do not skip a step.

Verify that the minimum system requirements for installing an ESX/ESXi Server host have been met. For more information, see Minimum system requirements for installing ESX/ESXi (1003661).
Verify that the hardware being installed on is certified. For more information, see Confirming ESX/ESXi host hardware (System, Storage, and I/O) compatibility (1003916).
Verify that your hardware is working as expected. For more information, see Verifying your hardware is functioning correctly (1003690)
Verify the problem is not being caused by the installation media. For more information, see Checking media integrity for ESX/ESXi host installations or upgrades (1003674).
Verify that your firmware and BIOS are at the latest revision. For more information, see Checking your firmware and BIOS levels to ensure compatibility with ESX/ESXi (1037257).
Verify a problem with your mouse and/or keyboard is not preventing you from completing the installation. For more information, see Troubleshooting issues when a mouse or keyboard stop functioning during installation or upgrade of an ESX/ESXi host system (1003868).
When installing over top of an existing installation, you may need to wipe all data from the disks, and complete a fresh install using the ISO image if your installation continually fails. For more information, see Completing a clean installation using the ISO image if your installation or upgrade fails of ESX/ESXi (1004038) .
Installations can also fail if your ESX/ESXi host is full on disk space. For more information, see Investigating disk space on an ESX or ESXi host (1003564).
If you are experiencing these issues when using Update Manager to upgrade your ESX/ESXi, see Troubleshooting issues where Update Manager cannot upgrade an ESX/ESXi host (1032626).

Note: If your problem persists after performing the steps in this article:

Gather the VMware Support Script Data. For more information, see Collecting Diagnostic Information in a VMware Virtual Infrastructure Environment (1003689) .
File a support request with VMware Support and note this KB Article ID in the problem description. For more information, see How to Submit a Support Request .

Additional Information

For more information on installing or upgrading ESX/ESXi for your version, see the Installation Guides from the VMware Product Documentation.

Investigating disk space on an ESX or ESXi host
Minimum system requirements for installing ESXi/ESX
Checking media integrity for ESX/ESXi host installations or upgrades
Verifying your hardware is functioning correctly
Troubleshooting issues when a mouse or keyboard stop functioning during installation or upgrade of an ESX/ESXi host system
Confirming ESX/ESXi host hardware (System, Storage, and I/O) compatibility
Completing a clean installation using the ISO image if your installation or upgrade fails of ESX/ESXi
Overview of upgrading or migrating from vCenter Server 4.x to vCenter Server 5.0
Troubleshooting when VMware Update Manager cannot upgrade an ESXi/ESX host
Checking your firmware and BIOS levels to ensure compatibility with ESX/ESXi