Configuring vSphere HA on an image-based cluster fails.

Products

• VMware vCenter Server
• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

• Enabling vSphere HA on the cluster fails with the below errors

  "A general system error occurred: Installing HA Components failed on the cluster: domain-cxx".
  
  Cannot complete the configuration of the vSphere agent on the host. "Applying HA VIBs on the cluster encountered a failure". Failed installing HA component on the host: host-xxxx.

• Error in /storage/log/vmware/vmware-updatemgr/vum-server/imageservice.log

  INFO imageService[140135426922048] [SoftwareSpecMgr 1368] Image validation result: {'info': [], 'warnings': [], 'errors': [{'id': 'com.vmware.vcIntegrity.lifecycle.EsxImage.ComponentNotFoundError', 'message': {'id': 'com.vmware.vcIntegrity.lifecycle.EsxImage.ComponentNotFoundError', 'default_message': 'Component vsphere-fdm cannot be found in depot.', 'args': ['vsphere-fdm']}, 'resolution': None, 'time': 'yyyy-mm-dd'}]}  vmware.esximage.Errors.ComponentNotFoundError: ('vsphere-fdm', '8.0.3-24022515', 'Could not find the component with name = vsphere-fdm, version = 8.0.3-24022515 in the depot.')

Environment

• VMware vCenter Server 8.x
• VMware vSphere ESXi 8.x
• VMware vCenter Server 7.x
• VMware vSphere ESXi 7.x

Resolution

1. Take snapshot of vCenter VM (Powered off snapshot of all vCenter Servers if in ELM)
2. SSH to vCenter Server with root credentials
3. Enter the shell with below command

   shell

4. Stop the update manager service

   service-control --stop updatemgr

5. Access the postgres DB

   su updatemgr -s /bin/bash

   psql -U vumuser -d VCDB

6. View the below two tables before deleting the required entries

   table pm_software_desired_states;

   table pm_software_compliances;

7. Delete the entries from the same two tables

   DELETE FROM pm_software_compliances;

   DELETE FROM pm_software_desired_states;

8. Quit and exit from the DB:

   \q

9. Start the update manager service

   service-control --start updatemgr

10. Rebuild the cluster image from UI and enable the vSphere HA.