"Failed to extract image from the host: no store copy available for inactive VIB" error while converting to an image from baseline for vSphere 8.0

Products

• VMware vCenter Server
• VMware vSphere ESXi 8.0

Issue/Introduction

1. The following error is seen on the vCenter UI while converting from baseline to image:

• Extraction of image from host <hostname> failed.
• Failed to extract image from the host: no stored copy available for inactive VIB VMW_bootbank_###_#.#.#.##-#vmw.###.#.##.########

 

2. Reviewing the logs, the following errors are seen on ESXi host  in /var/run/log/lifecycle.log:

Er() lifecycle[] HostSeeding:1136 Extract depot failed: ('<vib>', 'Failed to add reserved VIB <vib>: not found in the reserved VIB cache storage')
Er() lifecycle[] imagemanagerctl:399 Extract depot failed.
Er() lifecycle[] imagemanagerctl:122 [ReservedVibExtractError]
Er() lifecycle[] imagemanagerctl:127 esximage.ImageManager.HostSeeding.VibNotInCacheError: VIB <vib> is not available in cached locations

Environment

• VMware vCenter Server 8.x
• VMware vSphere ESXi 8.x

Cause

The issue is triggered by a specific sequence of events during an ISO-based upgrade.

• Prior to upgrading, higher-version VIBs are installed onto an ESXi host, replacing the ones that came with the base image. This action causes the original, lower-version VIBs to be marked as "reserved" and cached in the /var/vmware/lifecycle/hostSeed/reservedVibs/ directory.
• The ESX host is upgraded using an ISO image. The target ESXi version in the ISO still contains the older versions of the VIBs.
• During the ISO upgrade, the installer logic deletes the entire reservedVibs directory, permanently losing the VIBs that were reserved in Step 1.
• The installer then copies the reserved VIBs from the target ISO's resvib.tgz archive if one exists. This archive may contain a different set of reserved vibs than the ones that got deleted.
• After the upgrade, the host's image profile is inconsistent. When a process like host seeding is initiated, it fails because it cannot find the expected reserved VIB files.

Resolution

The issue can be resolved by either of the following methods.

Resolution 1: Set up an image manually:

Start using vSphere Lifecycle Manager images for an existing cluster or host that uses baselines by setting up an image manually.

1. In the vSphere Client, navigate to a cluster or host managed with baselines and baseline groups. 
2. On the Updates tab, click Image.
3. Click the Set up image manually button.
4. To validate the image, click the Validate button.
5. Validate an image to check for missing dependencies and component conflicts.
6. Click Save.
7. Saving the image triggers an automatic compliance check. All hosts in the cluster or the standalone host are checked against the image.
8. In the Convert to an Image pane, finish the image setup.
9. Click the Finish image setup button. In the Finish image setup dialog box,
10. Click Yes, finish image setup.

For detailed process, refer to option 3 in the following document Convert a Cluster or a Host That Uses Baselines Into a Cluster or a Host That Uses vSphere Lifecycle Manager Images

 

Resolution 2 : Re-Image the Host.

This method involves reinstalling the ESXi host and is more disruptive.

1. Reinstall the ESXi host using the target custom ISO image (e.g., the HPE custom image).
2. After the installation and first reboot, manually install the higher-version components that are required for per environment. This will require a second reboot.
3. Proceed with the host image extractions, Management domain deployment, or other host seeding operations.

 

Resolution 3: Recover a Host in the Failed State.

This method recovers the host without requiring a full reinstallation.

1. Determine the component(s) that were causing issues from the log entries in lifecycle.log.
2. Obtain the .vib files for the components that were originally in the base image. These files can be found in the offline depot .zip file for the original ESXi version.
3. Copy the required .vib files to the reserved VIBs directory on the affected ESXi host: /var/vmware/lifecycle/hostSeed/reservedVibs/
4. Retry the failed operation. No reboot of the ESXi host is required.

 

Note: Determining the problematic components may require multiple host seeding tries as the operation stops at the first failure. Users need to repeatedly run all 4 steps until it succeeds.

Additional Information

Refrence : Convert a Cluster or a Host That Uses Baselines Into a Cluster or a Host That Uses vSphere Lifecycle Manager Images