When re-adding host to a vSAN cluster, File Services fails to be enabled: "Unable to enable the vSAN file service: FSVM does not exist from the beginning. "

Products

• VMware vSAN
• VMware vSAN 8.x

Issue/Introduction

• After removing a host from a vSAN cluster, the re-adding it (for troubleshooting, maintenance, etc.) the Remediate File Service Task receives the following error in the vSphere Client:

 

Environment

• vMware vSAN 8.x

Cause

• The vSAN cluster was originally configured with Quickstart.   When the host was re-added back to the cluster, it was not done using Quickstart.

 

Verification:

• Verify if there are any host that need to be configured in Cluster  -> Configure -> Quickstart
• The vmware-vsan-health-summary-result.log on vCenter shows the following:
   
  Group hcicluster health : yellow
    Test hosthciconfig health : yellow
   HostCompliance: Host  ConfiguredForCluster  DistributedSwitch  VmkernelAdapters  NtpSetting  LockdownModeSetting  Recommendation
   (Host-173131, No, --, --, --, --, Invoke"ConfigureServices"WizardToApplyTheHyperconvergedClusterConfigurationToThisHost),

Resolution

• Please perform the following steps:
  • Remove the host from the cluster.  See TechDocs: Removing a Host from a Cluster
  • Add the host back to the cluster using Quickstart.  See TechDocs: Use Quickstart to Add Hosts to a vSAN Cluster

Additional Information

• For more information on using Quickstart to configure and expand as cluster, see TechDocs: Using Quickstart to Configure and Expand a vSAN Cluster