PowerCLI ImageBuilder Export Fails Validation in vCenter LCM due to vcfVersion attribute

Products

• VMware vCenter Server

Issue/Introduction

When attempting to import a custom ESXi image created via PowerCLI ImageBuilder into the vCenter Lifecycle Manager (LCM), the import fails. The image is flagged as invalid.

 

In the imageservice.log file, you will observe an error message similar to the following:

2025-12-04 14:54:38,113 ERROR imageService[139768138561216] [imageService 348] Failed to validate depot: ('ESXi:9.0.1-0.24957456', 'baseimage', "Two baseimages share the same releaseID: ESXi:9.0.1-0.24957456, but have different attributes: versionSpec ('<VersionSpec version: 9.0.1-0.24957456; uiString: 9.0.1.0.24957456; vcfVersion: 9.0.1.0.24957456>' != '<VersionSpec version: 9.0.1.0.24957456; uiString: 9.0.1.0.24957456>')")

Environment

PowerCLI 13.3

Cause

This issue occurs because recent vanilla ESXi depot images include a new attribute tag called vcfVersion.

Legacy versions of PowerCLI (such as PowerCLI 13.3 and earlier) do not recognize or carry forward this specific attribute during the New-IsoImage or Export-EsxImageProfile process. When the resulting image is uploaded to vCenter LCM, a validation mismatch occurs because the vcfVersion metadata is missing or inconsistent compared to the expected schema for ESXi 9.x.

Resolution

To resolve this issue, you must upgrade your PowerCLI environment to a version that supports the new metadata attributes.

1. Uninstall the current version of PowerCLI.

2. Install PowerCLI 9.0 (or the latest version compatible with your vSphere environment).

3. Restart your PowerShell session.

4. Re-run the ImageBuilder process to recreate the custom ISO or offline bundle.

5. Import the newly created image into vCenter Lifecycle Manager.