Failed to upgrade ESXi 7.0 using vSphere Life Cycle Manager (vLCM) Image when Async VMware Tools is used in the desired image

Products

• VMware
• VMware vCenter Server
• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

Symptoms:

• ESXi upgrade using vSphere Life Cycle Manager (vLCM) Image from ESXi 7.0 GA with Async VMware Tools in the desired image to ESXi 7.0 patch fails with below error in vLCM user interface:

The operation cannot continue due to downgrade of the following Components : VMware-VM-Tools

Environment

• VMware vSphere ESXi 7.0.0
• VMware vCenter Server 7.0.x

Cause

• This is the expected behavior observed with vSphere Life Cycle Manager (vLCM) when using a Component override in the ESXi desired image. By including the VMware Tools async release in your desired image as a component, this will supersede any VMware Tools present in the ESXi Base Image.

Resolution

 Workaround:

• To resolve this issue, remove the Async VMware Tools from the Components portion of your Desired Image. Once removed, the ESXi Base Image's VMware Tools will be utilized. For more information, see Edit an Image