Error: Cluster Agent VM is missing on cluster (vCLS) in VMware vSphere 8.0
Article ID: 395903
Updated On:
Products
VMware vCenter Server 8.0
Issue/Introduction
The vSphere cluster reports errors indicating that Cluster Agent VMs are missing, affecting the health of cluster services.
- In vCenter Server events, the following error appears:
Cluster Agent VM is missing on cluster (vCLS), Event Type IDcom.vmware.vim.eam.issue.cluster.agent.vmNotDeployed.
- The vSphere Cluster Services health status is reported as Degraded.
- In
/var/log/vmware/eam/eam.log,the following entries repeat every 30 seconds:ERROR | cluster-agent-0 | AuditedJob.java | JOB FAILED: DeployVmJob(ClusterAgent(ID: )) com.vmware.eam.job.DeployVmJob$DeployVmJobFailure: Can't provision VM for ClusterAgent(ID: ) due to lack of suitable datastore.
- Starting with vSphere 8.0 U3, Embedded vCLS is introduced. If any ESXi host in the cluster is upgraded to 8.0 U3, the cluster vCLS mode changes from External vCLS to Embedded vCLS.
Environment
- VMware vCenter Server 8.0 U3
- VMware vSphere ESXi 8.0 U3
Cause
This issue occurs when the ESX Agent Manager (EAM) service remains stuck in a retry loop attempting to deploy External vCLS VMs on a cluster that has already transitioned to Embedded vCLS (introduced in vSphere 8.0 U3).
Resolution
To resolve this issue, perform a Retreat Mode toggle to force a fresh reconciliation by following below steps. Note that vSphere HA and DRS functionalities are impacted while the cluster is in Retreat Mode.
- Navigate to the Cluster > Configure > vSphere Cluster Services > Edit Settings.
- Change the vCLS mode to Retreat Mode and select OK.
- Confirm that the vSphere Cluster Services health shows Degraded and any stale vCLS VM records are removed.
- Return to the settings and change the mode to System Managed.
- Verify the Embedded vCLS VMs deploy successfully in the cluster Summary tab.
Additional Information
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