Error "Logs for this object cannot be exported at this time. Another log export might be in progress" when trying to export logs of the ESXi host from vSphere Client.

Products

• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

Symptoms:

• When using the vSphere client to export ESXi Host logs, it gives the error "Logs for this object cannot be exported at this time. Another log export might be in progress".
  
  
• ESXi host Support Log export works fine via the Host Client or Host command line.
• ESXi host certificates are found to be expired.
  
  Refer KB # 374032 for more details. 

Environment

VMware vCenter Server 7.x
VMware vCenter Server 8.x

Cause

• The certificate mode on the vCenter Server is configured as "Thumbprint".
  
  VCenter Server > Configure > Advanced Settings > vpxd.certmgmt.mode is set to Thumbprint


  
  
• In case the hosts aren't using custom certificates, hosts managed by the vCenter server should have their certificate authority as "VMCA", which means that the vCenter server's certificate mode should be set to "VMCA". Thumbprint mode is not the recommended mode and is only used as a fallback option.
  
  Refer below screenshot which confirms the vCenter's vpxd.certmgmt.mode is set to correct value i.e. vmca 
  
  
  
  For more details, see tech doc- Change the Certificate Mode

Resolution

Follow below steps to resolved the ESXi host log collection issue. 

1. Change the Certificate Mode to "VMCA" from "Thumbprint" for the impacted ESXi host via advance settings.
   
   
2. The detailed instructions on how to do the same can be found in the following tech doc- Change the Certificate Mode

Workaround : 

1. We can obtain diagnostic information for a VMware ESXi host using the vm-support command line utility.
   
   
2. The detailed procedure is documented here - Collecting diagnostic information for VMware ESX/ESXi using vm-support command