ESXi host cannot install VIBs - shows non-compliant after performing baseline/image remediation.

Products

• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

You attempt to remediate a host to install new VIBs, but after remediation, the host shows non-compliant. The host does not show any errors in the UI.

Environment

ESXi 8.0
ESXi 7.0

Cause

If your ESXi hosts store thier bootbanks on external storage, and contact with the external storage is lost to the host, your host will no longer be able to install new VIBs as they need the bootbanks to be accessible to install.

 

In the below example, the bootbank storage devices have gone PDL, and the only way to fix the issue is to reboot the host if a storage rescan fails. If the external storage device is still disconnected it must be reconnected first, otherwise the host will need to undergo a redeployment.

Resolution

IMPORTANT: Any configuration changes made to the host since the bootbanks became inaccessible will be LOST upon reboot.

How to perform a rescan of the storage on an ESXi host

If the above fails, reboot the host.