NSX will not prepare ESX hosts in a VCF environment with the message "Error: Transport Node Collection cannot be updated or deleted for a vSphere Configuration Profiles (VCP) managed cluster. Please do the same via VC VCP workflows. (Error code: 26248)"

Products

• VMware NSX
• VCF - MCOE - SDDC

Issue/Introduction

• You are attempting to do a brownfield import of a domain (management or workload) into VCF 9.x.
• The import/sync task times out after a few hours
• In the NSX Interface, you see one of the following messages on the cluster:
  • Error: Transport Node Collection cannot be updated or deleted for a vSphere Configuration Profiles (VCP) managed cluster. Please do the same via VC VCP workflows. (Error code: 26248)
  • Preparing host is pending: Waiting for VCP actions on cluster <clusterID>.  Please drive the config remediation from VC VCP.
    

Environment

• VMware NSX
• VCF

Cause

The vCenter Server feature vSphere Configuration Profile (VCP) is enabled on the vCenter cluster, but there is no cluster-level configuration applied.

Resolution

There are 2 workarounds for resolving this message:

1. Build a proper and complete VCP for the cluster and ensure all hosts in the cluster are compliant with it.
2. Bypass the VCP by:
   1. Create a new cluster without enabling VCP:
      
   2. Move the hosts to this new, VCP-free cluster.
   3. NSX can now properly prepare the hosts per the transport node profile (TNP) applied to the cluster.
   4. Via VCF Fleet Management, perform an inventory sync to receive the new information and update the cluster. The task will take several minutes to complete.

Additional Information

• The VCP feature is not a requirement according to Import an Existing vCenter to Create a Workload Domain, but is supported for onboarding a workload domain into SDDC.
• Once VCP is enabled, it cannot be disabled per the official documentation Using vSphere Configuration Profiles to Manage Host Configuration at a Cluster Level  - "You cannot deactivate vSphere Configuration Profiles."
• Migrating to a new cluster may trigger and entity retrieval error in VCF 9.x.  See VCF Installer: Entity ClusterComputeResource:domain-c###### not found , The object 'vim.ClusterComputeResource:domain-c#####' has already been deleted or has not been completely created for more information.