Error: "filename 'var/db/payloads/boot/useropts' not found" when attempting to uninstall ESXi vib

Products

• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

• ESXi has been recently patched to ESXi.
• Removing a vib component fails with this error:

     "filename 'var/db/payloads/boot/useropts' not found" Please refer to the log file for more details.

• useropts.gz file is missing from the path /bootbank/basemisc.tgz:

     

Environment

• ESXi 7.0.x
• ESXi 8.0.x

Cause

The error indicates that the file named 'var/db/payloads/boot/useropts' is missing. This is likely because the basemisc.tgz file located in the /bootbank/ directory is corrupted.

Resolution

Replace the corrupted basemisc.tgz file with a working version from the same ESXi version. This can be done by obtaining a good copy of the file from another identical ESXi installation or by downloading it from Broadcom's official support site.