vCenter deployment fails while copying files to the ESXi host.
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vCenter deployment fails while copying files to the ESXi host.

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Article ID: 423570

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Updated On:

Products

VMware vCenter Server VMware vSphere ESXi 8.0

Issue/Introduction

 vCenter Server Deployment fails at 8% during Stage 1 in Air-Gapped Environments:

  • Stage 1 of the vCenter Server Appliance (VCSA) deployment fails consistently at 8%. with this error "Failed to send file [###.vmdk] to the host [####.host], please check the network connection

  • The installer fails while transferring VMDK files to the target ESXi host.

  • Air-gapped/Offline deployment using a mounted ISO.

  • Host and deployment machine are on the same subnet; no VLAN tagging is in use.

  • The networking on the ESXi host is configured correctly and DNS resolution is configured and working as expected.

  • The error suggests checking the network connection, but this is at times triggered by the installer being unable to read a corrupted block from the source ISO.

 

 

Environment

 

 

 

Cause

ISO File Corruption (MD5/Checksum Mismatch) The cause of the deployment failure at 8% is a corrupted vCenter Server Appliance installer ISO. Because Stage 1 involves transferring large VMDK (Virtual Machine Disk) files to the ESXi host, any data corruption within the ISO prevents the installer from completing the task.

In air-gapped environments, this is frequently caused by:

  • Interrupted downloads before moving to the secure network.

  • Data degradation during transfer via USB or external media.

  • Incomplete "copy-paste" operations across management workstations.

Resolution

To resolve this issue, verify the integrity of the installation media before attempting the deployment:

  1. Verify Source Integrity: Calculate the MD5 (or SHA256) checksum of the ISO on the deployment machine.  

  2. Compare Checksums: Compare the resulting hash against the official checksum provided on the VMware/Broadcom Download Portal.

  3. Re-acquire Media: If the hashes do not match, re-download the ISO and transfer it to the air-gapped environment using a verified, storage medium.

  4. Restart Deployment: Once the checksum is validated, mount the new ISO and restart the Stage 1 deployment.

Additional Information

How to perform a get-filehash, md5sum, or sha256sum for product binaries obtained from the download portal

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