VMware content library not visible when mounting ISO file to the VM backed by SMB or NFS

Products

• VMware vCenter Server

Issue/Introduction

Symptoms:
Content Library ISO not visible when trying to mount ISO file in a VM.

Environment

VMware vCenter Server 6.7.x
VMware vCenter Server 7.0.x
VMware vCenter Server 6.0.x
VMware vCenter Server 6.5.x
VMware vCenter Server Appliance 6.0.x
VMware vCenter Server Appliance 6.5.x
VMware vCenter Server Appliance 6.7.x

Cause

This issue occurs when the ISO files are put in a content library that is backed by SMB, NFS, or hosted on a datastore which may not be directly visible from the VM.

Resolution

This is expected behaviour.

 

To work around this issue:

1. Ensure the Content Library is accessible to the VM.

• The Content Library should be created on a datastore and not backed by SMB or NFS
• The datastore is connected to the ESXi host where the VM resides

2. Copy the ISO to a VM-accessible datastore

Notes:

• If you have ISOs that resides on VMware Content Library backed by SMB or NFS, copy it to your local computer and mount it through the client, or create another Content Library backed by a datastore that fulfills the above requirement.
• For more information, see Using Content Libraries section of the VMware vSphere Product Documentation.

Additional Information

• "Content Library Service does not have write permission on this storage backing" error in vCenter Server Appliance 6.0