vCenter API api/esx/hosts/host-<HOST NUMBER>/software/installed-components comes up blank i.e. {}

Products

• VMware vCenter Server

Issue/Introduction

When trying to list host software installed components via vCenter API you get the following results

curl -k -X GET -H "vmware-api-session-id:<session ID number>" https://<vCenter FQDN or IP>/api/esx/hosts/host-<host number>/software/installed-components

{}

ESXi host logging

/var/run/log/lifecycle.log

<DATE> lifecycle: : imagemanagerctl: ERROR Get Software Info Failed: Getting software info and depot extraction are not supported on a stateless host.

Environment

Host is using stateless auto deploy 

Resolution

None.  This is working as designed as stateless auto deploy does not populate installed components the way stateful or default ESXi hosts will.