Issues with Guest OS customization when cloning /deploying VM from Content Library using VM Templates

Products

• VMware vCenter Server

Issue/Introduction

Symptoms:

Deploy a VM using VM Template / Clone a VM from Content Library

Prerequisite before deploying VM Template:

VM Customization Specifications Guest OS:

• Customised HostName:

Login to VC -> Policies and profiles -> VM Customization Specifications -> Select Name   and Target OS -> Computer Name - Enter a name in the Clone/Deploy wizard -> Enter Domain name -> Select Time Zone -> Select default Customization Script - > Select Standard Network -> complete

• Customised IPAddress :

Login to VC -> Policies and profiles -> VM Customization Specifications -> Select Name   and Target OS -> Select any of the option for computer name -> Select Time Zone -> Select default Customization Script -> Network – Manually select custom settings -> NIC1 -> Select Edit -> Select Prompt the user for an IPv4 address when the specification is used -> Select default DNS settings -> complete

Steps for deploying VM Template from content library:

Go to the content library wizard and clone a VM /deploy a VM from content library. Operation will fail with below error in cls.log

• For Customised HostName:

com.vmware.vapi.std.errors.InvalidArgument: InvalidArgument (com.vmware.vapi.std.errors.invalid_argument) =>
{
    messages = [LocalizableMessage (com.vmware.vapi.std.localizable_message) =>
{
    id = com.vmware.vdcs.util.invalid_argument,
    defaultMessage = An invalid argument "spec.identity.hostname" was specified.,
    args = [spec.identity.hostname],
    params = <null>,
    localized = <null>
}],

• For Customised IPAddress :

com.vmware.vapi.std.errors.InvalidArgument: InvalidArgument (com.vmware.vapi.std.errors.invalid_argument) =>
{
    messages = [LocalizableMessage (com.vmware.vapi.std.localizable_message) =>
{
    id = com.vmware.vdcs.util.invalid_argument,
    defaultMessage = An invalid argument "nicsettings:adapter:ip" was specified.,
    args = [nicsettings:adapter:ip],
    params = <null>,
    localized = <null>
}],

Note:
For vCenter 7.x version, below screen appears in the UI for hostname / IP address customisation but even after providing computer name/ Network adapter settings, VM deployment/ clone VM operation fails.





Whereas for vCenter 8, user setting page is disabled from UI side but CLS backend still throws the above mentioned error.

Environment

VMware vCenter Server 8.0.x
VMware vCenter Server 6.5.x
VMware vCenter Server 6.7.x
VMware vCenter Server 7.0.x

Cause

Content Library backend API does not support customised hostname/ IP address yet. Hence while providing those parameters in the API call, CLS returns INVALID_ Argument Exception.

Resolution

Currently there is no resolution.

To resolve the issue, CLS Backend API need feature enhancement to provide support to manually put hostname and IP address while deploying VM templates/cloning VM with Guest OS customization from content Library wizard.

Workaround:
To workaround the issue, deploy VM templates from outside the Content library.