ESXi installation or patching fails with MetadataDownloadError: "Unable to find index.xml"

Products

• VMware vSphere ESXi 8.0

Issue/Introduction

When attempting to install an ESXi patch or a third-party VIB (e.g., PowerPath) via an offline bundle .zip file using the esxcli command, the task fails during metadata extraction.

Error Message:

[MetadataDownloadError] Could not download from depot at zip:/vmfs/volumes/.../patch.zip?index.xml Error extracting index.xml: "There is no item named 'index.xml' in the archive"

Environment

 

• VMware ESXi 7.0.x

• VMware ESXi 8.0.x

 

 

Cause

This issue occurs when the .zip file targeted by the esxcli command is a distribution package (nested archive) rather than a valid Offline Depot.

The esxcli software vib install -d command expects a specific directory structure containing index.xml and vendor-index.xml at the root of the archive.

If the provided file contains sub-zip files or is simply a compressed folder of individual VIBs, the metadata download will fail.

Resolution

To resolve this, you must identify and target the actual installation bundle or the individual VIB files.

1. Extract the Source File: Download and extract the main .zip file on your local machine to verify its contents.

2. Identify the Correct Bundle: Check the extracted folder for a sub-zip file that is explicitly labeled as an "Offline Bundle" or "Depot."

3. Verify Content Structure: A valid depot zip will contain an index.xml file when viewed in a compression tool (like 7-Zip or WinZip).

4. Retry Installation:

   • Upload the correct sub-zip to the ESXi datastore.

   • Execute the installation command using the verified offline bundle: esxcli software vib install -d /vmfs/volumes/[Datastore_ID]/[Correct_Bundle].zip

Alternative (VIB Installation): If the package only contains individual .vib files, use the -v (viburl) flag instead of the -d (depot) flag: esxcli software vib install -v /vmfs/volumes/[Datastore_ID]/[Folder_Name]/[Specific_VIB].vib