Using the TKG "tanzu create" commands on a TKGS Cluster v1.17 or v1.18 from vSphere with Tanzu reports clusters as incompatible.

Products

• VMware vCenter Server

Issue/Introduction

Symptoms:
When trying to use the TKG tanzu commands on vSphere with Tanzu versions 1.17 or 1.18 to create a new guest cluster, you receive an error similar to. 

ubuntu@cli-vm:~$ tanzu cluster create my-cluster --tkr=v1.17.8---vmware.1-tkg.1.5417466
WARNING: TanzuKubernetesRelease "v1.17.8---vmware.1-tkg.1.5417466" is not compatible on the management cluster
You are trying to create a cluster with kubernetes version '1.17.8+vmware.1-tkg.1.5417466' on vSphere with Tanzu, Please make sure virtual machine image for the same is available in the cluster content library.
Do you want to continue? [y/N]: y
Validating configuration...
Workload cluster 'my-cluster' created

Environment

VMware vCenter Server 7.0.x

Cause

This is because the tkr CRD on vSphere with Tanzu versions does not contain "Compatible" under Status->Conditions.

v1.17/v1.18

root@422a3150b6a0f6c82a27c3a165113aa2 [ ~ ]# kubectl get tkr v1.16.12---vmware.1-tkg.1.da7afe7 -o yaml
apiVersion: run.tanzu.vmware.com/v1alpha1
kind: TanzuKubernetesRelease
metadata:
  creationTimestamp: "2020-09-24T00:15:33Z"
  finalizers:
  - tanzukubernetesrelease.run.tanzu.vmware.com
  generation: 1
...
  resourceVersion: "3494"
  selfLink: /apis/run.tanzu.vmware.com/v1alpha1/tanzukubernetesreleases/v1.16.12---vmware.1-tkg.1.da7afe7
  uid: f4690405-145a-4203-9d27-006964d98a65
spec:
  nodeImageRef:
    apiVersion: vmoperator.vmware.com/v1alpha1
    kind: VirtualMachineImage
    name: ob-16545581-photon-3-k8s-v1.16.12---vmware.1-tkg.1.da7afe7
    uid: d786306e-8ec1-4a01-9486-e53eed316383
  version: 1.16.12+vmware.1-tkg.1.da7afe7
root@422a3150b6a0f6c82a27c3a165113aa2 [ ~ ]#

v1.19+

root@421dbdeac5f6942cc4daaaa258337ab9 [ ~ ]# kubectl get tkr v1.16.12---vmware.1-tkg.1.da7afe7 -o yaml
apiVersion: run.tanzu.vmware.com/v1alpha1
kind: TanzuKubernetesRelease
metadata:
  creationTimestamp: "2021-03-19T15:43:44Z"
  finalizers:
  - tanzukubernetesrelease.run.tanzu.vmware.com
  generation: 1
  labels:
....
  resourceVersion: "46792"
  selfLink: /apis/run.tanzu.vmware.com/v1alpha1/tanzukubernetesreleases/v1.16.12---vmware.1-tkg.1.da7afe7
  uid: 4b5371c9-22b7-45e6-9e27-d62f8aa6d6a3
spec:
  images:
  - name: etcd
    repository: registry.tkg.vmware.run
    tag: v3.3.15_vmware.10
  - name: coredns
    repository: registry.tkg.vmware.run
    tag: v1.6.2_vmware.8
  kubernetesVersion: 1.16.12+vmware.1
  nodeImageRef:
    name: ob-16545581-photon-3-k8s-v1.16.12---vmware.1-tkg.1.da7afe7
    uid: f1bd411c-bfab-4297-9d44-608e6df84115
  repository: registry.tkg.vmware.run
  version: 1.16.12+vmware.1-tkg.1.da7afe7
status:
  conditions:
  - lastTransitionTime: "2021-03-19T15:43:44Z"
    status: "True"
    type: Ready
  - lastTransitionTime: "2021-03-19T15:43:44Z"
    status: "True"
    type: Compatible
  - lastTransitionTime: "2021-03-19T15:43:46Z"
    message: '[1.17.17+vmware.1-tkg.1.d44d45a 1.16.14+vmware.1-tkg.1.ada4837]'
    severity: Info
    status: "True"
    type: UpdatesAvailable
root@421dbdeac5f6942cc4daaaa258337ab9 [ ~ ]#

Resolution

Ignore warning when on these versions or update the supervisor cluster to v1.19+