Unable to install async drivers or offline bundles using the command line in ESXi

Products

• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

Symptoms:

• Cannot install async driver on the ESXi  host using the command line (CLI).
• Running the esxcli software vib install -d command fails.
• You see errors similar to:

  [MetadataDownloadError]
   Could not download from depot at zip:/vmfs/volumes/<Sample-UUID>/ISO/Broadcom-bnxt-Net-RoCE_232.0.254.0-1OEM.800.1.0.20613240_24436849-package.zip?index.xml, skipping (('zip:/vmfs/volumes/<Sample-UUID>/ISO/Broadcom-bnxt-Net-RoCE_232.0.254.0-1OEM.800.1.0.20613240_24436849-package.zip?index.xml', '', 'Error extracting index.xml from /vmfs/volumes/<Sample-UUID>/ISO/Broadcom-bnxt-Net-RoCE_232.0.254.0-1OEM.800.1.0.20613240_24436849-package.zip: "There is no item named \'index.xml\' in the archive"'))
          url = zip:/vmfs/volumes/<Sample-UUID>/ISO/Broadcom-bnxt-Net-RoCE_232.0.254.0-1OEM.800.1.0.20613240_24436849-package.zip?index.xml
   Please refer to the log file for more details.
  

 

Note: This sample error is specific to offline software bundle. The error may vary depending on the product you are installing.

Environment

• VMware vSphere ESXi 5.x
• VMware vSphere ESXi 6.x
• VMware vSphere ESXi 7.0.x
• VMware vSphere ESXi 8.0.x

Cause

This issue occurs if:

• The full path of the specific driver and/or bundle is not specified.
• The ESXCLI command syntax is incorrect.
• The offline zip is not extracted from the download zip bundle, esxcli software vib install will not be able open the zip and find the needed driver zip bundle.  It must be extracted first from the download package.
• The permissions on the folder where the .zip file resides are insufficient for the ESXi host to access and open the file.

Resolution

To resolve this issue, ensure to use the full path to the zip bundle.

For example, use a command similar to:

# esxcli software vib install -d /vmfs/volume/<datastoreUUID>/<FILENAME>.zip

Note : To determine the Datastore UUID using the vSphere Client:

1. Navigate to Configuration > Storage.
2. Select the datastore.
3. View Location under Datastore Details.
   
   The Datastore UUID appears similar to /vmfs/volumes/<datastoreUUID> where <datastoreUUID> is the UUID.

 

Notes:

• For detailed instructions on how to install drivers and offline bundles in ESXi 5.x and 6.x, see Download and install async drivers in VMware ESXi.
• For more information on installing async drivers, please do also see the vendor documentation.

To identify if the offline zip is not extracted from the download zip bundle, run ls command to the zip file

e.g in above error snippets:

ls /vmfs/volumes/<Sample-UUID>/ISO/Broadcom-bnxt-Net-RoCE_232.0.254.0-1OEM.800.1.0.20613240_24436849-package.zip

If you find a single .zip file inside this zip file, you need to extract this file and use the zipped file which was available inside the original zip.

Once done, update the VIB with the internal zip file.

Additional Information

Download and install async drivers in VMware ESXi