VCF Workload Domain Creation Fails to List Patch/EP (9.0.0.0100.24813472) Version for ESXi Cluster Image Selection

Products

VMware SDDC Manager VMware Cloud Foundation VCF Operations

Issue/Introduction

When attempting to create a new Workload Domain (WLD) in VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) or add a new cluster to an existing WLD, the VCF UI workflow for image selection may filter out available patch (EP) ESXi versions from the Image Catalog, listing only the latest available General Availability (GA) version.
ESXi version 9.0.0.0100.24813472 (an EP version) is intended to use for the new WLD/Cluster but was only offered the GA version 9.0.0.0.24755229.

This occurs even when the desired patch version is correctly available in the Image Manager and specified in the application-prod.properties file.

less /opt/vmware/vcf/lcm/lcm-app/conf/application-prod.properties | grep -i install.version

esx.install.version=9.0.0.0100.24813472
vcenter.install.version=9.0.0.0.24755230
nsxt.install.version=9.0.0.0.24733063

Observed Symptoms:

The VCF "Image selections" screen displays a filtering message:
```
"Showing only images with ESXi version 9.0.0.0.24755229."
```

The VCF UI does not list 9.0.0.0100.24813472 for selection, despite the entry existing in the LCM database as a PATCH bundle:

psql -h localhost -U postgres -d lcm -c "select * from image"

3033####-####-####-####-########9f69 19######################################################36 1.1.1-12345 3033####-####-####-####-########9f69/3033####-####-####-####-########9f69/VMware-VMvisor-Installer-9.0.0.0100.24813472.x86_64.iso PATCH ESX 671506432 9.0.0.0100.24813472

The LCM logs (/var/log/vmware/vcf/lcm/lcm-debug.log) confirm the desired WLD Bill of Materials (BOM) is being constructed correctly from the configuration override:

DEBUG [vcf_lcm,0############7,9df1] [c.v.e.s.l.s.i.ImageManagementServiceImpl,http-nio-127.0.0.1-7400-exec-3] The determined version compliance matrix for VI is {"domainType":"VI","versionMatrices":[{"productVersions":[{"productType":"VCENTER","version":"9.0.0.0.24755230"},{"productType":"ESX","version":"9.0.0.0100.24813472"},{"productType":"NSX_T_MANAGER","version":"9.0.0.0.24733063"}]}]}

A related, but potentially misleading, error about missing install versions may appear in the logs (though the BOM is correctly determined later):

ERROR [vcf_lcm,1############a,ffbf] [c.v.e.s.l.s.i.ImageManagementServiceImpl,http-nio-127.0.0.1-7400-exec-3] The Install version set mentioned in the property file has a missing entry for either of VCENTER, ESX, NSX

Environment

VMware Cloud Foundation 9.0

VCF Operations 9.0

Cause

This behavior is by design when adding clusters to an existing Workload Domain (or using the "Create WLD" workflow which utilizes cluster addition logic for initial setup).
VCF's Lifecycle Management (LCM) enforces a compliance rule for adding new clusters. By default, VCF attempts to provision new clusters using an ESXi image that is equal to currently running ESXi version across all existing clusters within that specific WLD.
When the WLD/Management Domain's highest ESXi version is the GA version (9.0.0.0.24755229), VCF's UI will filter available cluster images at that version.
Since the desired version, 9.0.0.0100.24813472, is considered a patch (PATCH) bundle in the Image Catalog, the workflow may not automatically select or display it unless a host in the domain is already running at least the same version.
Even with the application-prod.properties override (esx.install.version=9.0.0.0100.24813472), the UI still applies the filtering rule based on the existing cluster's version before allowing the override to take effect for the full domain BOM.

Relevant LCM Log Snippet (Illustrating the design logic):

INFO [vcf_lcm,f#############f,fd47] [c.v.v.l.r.a.c.v.c.CompliantVersionsController,http-nio-127.0.0.1-7400-exec-8] get compliant versions for a ProductType ESX, scope DOMAIN, clusterId null, domainId e790####-####-####-####-########f0cf

By design we allow cluster addition to the domain based on latest ESX version (across clusters) within the domain.

Resolution

To successfully create a new WLD or add a cluster using a specific patch version (like 9.0.0.0100.24813472) when the existing domain is running a lower GA version (9.0.0.0.24755229), you must establish the desired patch level within the domain first.

The solution is to manually upgrade at least one existing ESXi host or cluster in the WLD to the desired patch version. This updates the domain's "latest ESX version" baseline, allowing the VCF workflow to offer the patched image for subsequent cluster creation/addition.

Steps to Resolve:

Stage and Validate: Ensure the desired ESXi patch image (e.g., 9.0.0.0100.24813472) is correctly staged and appears in the SDDC Manager Image Catalog.
Perform Host Upgrade: Use the SDDC Manager Update/Upgrade workflow to upgrade at least one existing ESXi cluster or a few hosts within an existing cluster in the WLD to the target version 9.0.0.0100.24813472.
Verify Domain Baseline: Once the hosts are upgraded, the WLD's highest reported ESXi version will be 9.0.0.0100.24813472.
Re-attempt Workflow: Re-initiate the Create Workload Domain or Add Cluster workflow. The system will now use the new, higher baseline, and the desired image version 9.0.0.0100.24813472 will be available for selection and used for the new vSAN cluster deployment.