Creating a Host Profile fails with error: "Unexpected language"

Products

• VMware vCenter Server
• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

• Creating a Host Profile fails.
• You see the error:
  
  Call "HostProfileManager.CreateProfile" for object "HostProfileManager" on vCenter Server "#######" failed.
  Error: Unexpected language
  
  
• The syslog.log file (located at /var/log/on the host) contains an entry similar to:
  
  Host Profiles[240593]: ERROR: Exception while retrieving profile. Exception: Unexpected language
  
  
• The hostprofiletrace.log (located at /var/log/ on the host) contains an entry similar to:
  
  <value xsi:type="xsd:string">Exception while retrieving profile</value></arg><arg><key>error</key><value xsi:type="xsd:string">Unexpected language: </value></arg><message>Error: 'Unexpected language: '.</message></faultMessage><reason></reason></fault>
  
  
• Running the esxcli system settings keyboard layout get command on the host returns no output.

Environment

• VMware vCenter Server 5.1.x
• VMware vSphere ESXi 5.1

Cause

This issue occurs if the default keyboard layout language is not set on the ESXi host.

Resolution

To resolve this issue, set the keyboard layout language on the host.

1. Log in to the ESXi host as the root user.
2. Check the current default language settings by running the command:
   
   esxcli system settings keyboard layout get
   
   Note: If there is no output, view the available keyboard layout languages by running the command:
   
   esxcli system settings keyboard layout list
   
3. Set a keyboard layout language using the command:
   
   esxcli system settings keyboard layout set -l "#####"
   
   Where ##### is the keyboard layout language.
   
   For example: To set the default layout to US Default, use the command:
   
   esxcli system settings keyboard layout set -l "US Default"
   
   Note: The change will persist after an ESXi host reboot.