Unable to configure HA due to Firewall being disabled on the DNS client of the Host

Products

• VMware vCenter Server

Issue/Introduction

• /var/log/vmware/vpxd/vpxd.log

2025-07-21T07:20:10.435Z info vpxd[136168] [Originator@6876 sub=vpxLro opID=m82ufwsg-7645279-auto-4jv4w-h5:70751502-26-01] [VpxLRO] -- FINISH task-232524
2025-07-21T07:20:10.435Z error vpxd[136168] [Originator@6876 sub=Default opID=m82ufwsg-7645279-auto-4jv4w-h5:70751502-26-01] [VpxLRO] -- ERROR task-232524 --  -- Malaysia-vSAN -- DasConfig.ConfigureCluster: :vim.fault.DasConfigFault
--> Result:
--> (vim.fault.DasConfigFault) {
-->    faultCause = (vmodl.MethodFault) null,
-->    faultMessage = (vmodl.LocalizableMessage) [
-->       (vmodl.LocalizableMessage) {
-->          key = "com.vmware.vcIntegrity.lifecycle.EsxImage.MetadataDownloadError",
-->          arg = (vmodl.KeyAnyValue) [
-->             (vmodl.KeyAnyValue) {
-->                key = "1",
-->                value = "http://VC_FQDN/vum/repository/hostupdate/__micro-depot__vendor-vmw__metadata-73__index__.xml"
-->             }
-->          ],
-->          message = <unset>
-->       },
-->       (vmodl.LocalizableMessage) {
-->          key = "com.vmware.vcIntegrity.lifecycle.ClusterApplyHATask.ApplyHAToHostFailed",
-->          arg = (vmodl.KeyAnyValue) [
-->             (vmodl.KeyAnyValue) {
-->                key = "1",
-->                value = "host-26xx4"
-->             }
-->          ],
-->          message = <unset>

• /var/log/vmware/vmware-updatemgr/vum-server/vmware-vum-server.log

2025-07-21T07:19:59.241Z info vmware-vum-server[13682] [Originator@6876 sub=Telemetry] [TelemetryManager 261] Sending telemetry data: {"@type":"pman_error_report","taskId":"ec80c7abxxxxxxxf06-c5eb8df2ba70|520a9aaa-5fdb-xxxxxxe8-fe984a6d138b","entityId":"ec80c7ab-33d3-4f15-bf06-c5eb8df2ba70|domain-c2vv333","parentTaskId":"ec80c7ab-33d3-4f15-bf06-c5eb8df2ba70|52da01da-d3ad-4b98-3e84-43314660eba2","errorMessageId":"com.vmware.vcIntegrity.lifecycle.EsxImage.MetadataDownloadError","errorMessage":"An error occurred while downloading depot metadata from http://VC_FQDN/vum/repository/hostupdate/__micro-depot__vendor-vmw__metadata-73__index__.xml.","errorTime":"2025-07-21T07:19:59.102493Z"}
2025-07-21T07:19:59.381Z info vmware-vum-server[13682] [Originator@6876 sub=Telemetry] [TelemetryManager 261] Sending telemetry data: {"@type":"pman_error_report","taskId":"ec80c7ab-33d3-4f15-bf06-c5eb8df2ba70|52da01da-d3ad-4b98-3e84-43314660eba2","entityId":"ec80c7ab-33d3-4f15-bf06-c5eb8df2ba70|host-262973","parentTaskId":"","errorMessageId":"com.vmware.vcIntegrity.lifecycle.ClusterApplyHATask.ApplyHAToHostFailed","errorMessage":"Failed installing HA component on the host: host-262973","errorTime":"2025-07-21T07:19:59.102746Z"}

 

• Unable to ping the vCenter FQDN from the hosts
• Unable to nslookup the vCenter FQDN
• The DNS configuration on all the hosts and vCenter are correct
• Port 53 is open as well

 

Environment

VMware ESXi 8.x

VMware vCenter 8.x

Cause

Incoming traffic to the DNS Client service was in disabled state on the hosts

Resolution

• Select the Host
• Click on Configure Tab -> Click on Firewall
• Click on Incoming -> EDIT 
• Look for "DNS Client" in Quick filter 
• To enable it -> Check the box 
• Click on OK