Guest customization fails on Linux with systemd System and Service Manager

Products

• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

Symptoms:

• IP address on virtual machine is missing after performing guest customization when network adapter is disconnected.
• In the /var/log/vmware-imc/toolsDeployPkg.log file, you see the entry:

Customization command failed: Failed to create bus connection: No such file or directory

Environment

VMware vSphere ESXi 6.0
VMware vSphere ESXi 6.5
VMware vSphere ESXi 5.5
VMware vSphere ESXi 6.7

Cause

This issue occurs due to systemd services execution sequence on the booting virtual machine.

Resolution

This is a known issue.

Currently, there is no resolution.

Workaround:
To workaround this issue:

If cloud-init is not installed

Note: This step is not required for vSphere 6.7 U3 and later.

1. Open the /lib/systemd/system/open-vm-tools.service file.
2. Add the line “After=dbus.service” under [Unit].

If cloud-init is installed

1. Open the /lib/systemd/system/open-vm-tools.service file.
2. Add the line “After=dbus.service” under [Unit].

Note: For Ubuntu, additional step is required if perl script is used as the customization engine:

• To Disable, run the below command:

disable cloud-init: sudo touch /etc/cloud/cloud-init.disabled

Or

• To remove cloud-init, run the below command:

remove cloud-init: sudo apt-get purge cloud-init