RHEL 9 template fails to deploy with "Customization command failed with stderr: '/bin/cat: /etc/machine-id: No such file or directory" error

Products

• VMware vCenter Server

Issue/Introduction

RHEL 9 template fails to deploy with "Customization command failed with stderr: '/bin/cat: /etc/machine-id: No such file or directory" error

In the guest tools deploy pkg logs , Log location: /var/log/vmware-imc/toolsDeployPkg.log you will see similar to.

 

[YY-MM-DDTTT:MM:SS.904Z] [   error] Customization command failed with stderr: '/bin/cat: /etc/machine-id: No such file or directory.
[YY-MM-DDTTT:MM:SS.904Z] [   error] Customization process returned with error.
[YY-MM-DDTTT:MM:SS.904Z] [   debug] Deployment result = -1.
[YY-MM-DDTTT:MM:SS.904Z] [    info] Setting 'unknown' error status in vmx.
[YY-MM-DDTTT:MM:SS.906Z] [    info] Transitioning from state 'INPROGRESS' to state 'ERRORED'.
[YY-MM-DDTTT:MM:SS.906Z] [    info] ENTER STATE 'ERRORED'.
[YY-MM-DDTTT:MM:SS.906Z] [    info] EXIT STATE 'INPROGRESS'.
[YY-MM-DDTTT:MM:SS.906Z] [   debug] Setting deploy error: 'Deployment failed.The forked off process returned error code.'.
[YY-MM-DDTTT:MM:SS.906Z] [   error] Deployment failed.The forked off process returned error code.
[YY-MM-DDTTT:MM:SS.906Z] [    info] Launching cleanup.
[YY-MM-DDTTT:MM:SS.906Z] [   debug] Command to exec : '/bin/rm'.
[YY-MM-DDTTT:MM:SS.906Z] [    info] sizeof ProcessInternal is 56
[YY-MM-DDTTT:MM:SS.906Z] [    info] Returning, pending output from stdout
[YY-MM-DDTTT:MM:SS.906Z] [    info] Returning, pending output from stderr
[YY-MM-DDTTT:MM:58.006Z] [    info] Process exited normally after 0 seconds, returned 0
[YY-MM-DDTTT:MM:58.006Z] [    info] No more output from stdout
[YY-MM-DDTTT:MM:58.006Z] [    info] No more output from stderr
[YY-MM-DDTTT:MM:58.006Z] [    info] Customization command output:
''.
[YY-MM-DDTTT:MM:58.006Z] [    info] sSkipReboot: 'false', forceSkipReboot 'false'.
[YY-MM-DDTTT:MM:58.006Z] [   error] Deploy error: 'Deployment failed.The forked off process returned error code.'.
[YY-MM-DDTTT:MM:58.006Z] [   error] Package deploy failed in DeployPkg_DeployPackageFromFile
[YY-MM-DDTTT:MM:58.006Z] [   debug] ## Closing log

 

Environment

vCenter Server 8.x

Cause

'dbus-uuidgen' command is provided by dbus-tools package. The package dbus-tools is missing due to which new machine id is not getting generated.

Resolution

Make sure dbus-tools package is present in the template. If the package is missing then install the package.

Additional Information

Refer this KB for additional details: Guest Customization on Minimal Install RHEL Not Completing

The 'dbus-uuidgen' command is provided by the 'dbus-tools' package in RHEL 9. As the 'dbus-tools' package is not found on minimal installation RHEL 9, a new machine ID is not being generated. Make sure dbus-tools package is present in the template.
This issue has been confirmed on RHEL 9.