VVF 9 deployments fails during the validation phase with error "NTP should be configured on the host".

Products

• VMware vSphere Foundation

Issue/Introduction

• The UI display the error: "NTP should be configured on the hosts."
  
  
• VVF 9 deployment does not proceed past the pre-check or validation stage.
• NTP validation fails for ESXi hosts.

Environment

VMware vSphere Foundation 9.x

Cause

• NTP was not configured on the ESXi hosts.
• Although the NTP server was updated and became reachable from vCenter Server, the ESXi hosts themselves did not have NTP servers configured or NTP service enabled.
• VVF 9 requires proper NTP configuration on all ESXi hosts for time synchronization as part of deployment prerequisites.

Resolution

To resolve this issue, configure and start the NTP service on all ESXi hosts in the scope of the deployment.

Method 1: Via ESXi Host Client (UI)

1. Log in to the ESXi host using the Host Client (https://<ESXi-FQDN-or-IP>/ui).
2. Navigate to Manage > System > Time & Date.
3. Click Edit NTP Settings.
4. Select Use Network Time Protocol (enable NTP client).
5. In the NTP Servers text box, enter the IP address or FQDN of the NTP server(s).
6. Set the NTP Service Startup Policy to Start and stop with host.
7. Click Save.
8. Navigate to Manage > Services.
9. Select the ntpd service and click Start.

Method 2: Via SSH (CLI)

1. Log in to the ESXi host as root via SSH.
2. Configure the NTP server(s):

   esxcli system ntp set --server=<NTP_Server_IP>

3. Enable the NTP service to start automatically:

   esxcli system ntp set --enabled=true

4. Start the NTP service immediately:

   /etc/init.d/ntpd start

5. Verify the NTP status:

   esxcli system ntp get

Once NTP is configured on all hosts, return to the VVF 9 deployment wizard and click Retry to pass the validation.

Additional Information

For reference: Configure Network Time Protocol (NTP) on the ESXi