Cannot remove failed "Emulex HBA Manager" plugin in vSphere Client (Local Plugin Deprecation)

Products

• VMware vSphere ESXi
• VMware vCenter Server

Issue/Introduction

When viewing the Client Plugins list in the vSphere Client (HTML5), you observe the following:

• The Emulex HBA Manager (or similar legacy plugin) is listed with a status of "failed."

• The Remove button is greyed out or fails to function when clicked.

• A blue notification banner appears at the top of the screen stating:

  "Local plugins are deprecated in vSphere. To learn more about the new remote plugin architecture, please read the dedicated KB article."
  
  
  

Environment

VMware vCenter Server 8.x

Cause

This issue occurs because the plugin utilizes the "Local Plugin" architecture, where plugin files are hosted directly on the vCenter Server.

• vSphere 7.x: Local plugins are deprecated and may function intermittently or display warnings.

• vSphere 8.x: Local plugins are formally unsupported and blocked by the vSphere Client, resulting in a "Failed" state.

Because the plugin cannot load, the vSphere Client UI is often unable to process the standard uninstall request, requiring manual removal via the Managed Object Browser (MOB) and file system.

Resolution

Prerequisites: Backup and Snapshot

WARNING: This procedure involves modifying the vCenter Server database.

1. Check for Enhanced Linked Mode (ELM): Verify if your vCenter is part of a linked domain.

2. Take Snapshots:

   • Standalone vCenter: Take a standard snapshot of the vCenter VM.

   • Linked Mode (ELM): You must power off  all linked vCenter nodes and take offline snapshots of all nodes before proceeding. Failure to do so can corrupt the replication database if a revert is required.

Step 1: Unregister the Extension via MOB

1. Open a web browser and navigate to: https://<vcenter_fqdn>/mob

2. Log in with administrator credentials (e.g.).

3. Click on the Content link (Value: content).

4. Locate the row extensionManager and click the link in the value column (Value: ExtensionManager).

5. (Optional) Click Properties to verify the extension key name. For Emulex, this is typically com.emulex.ocmplugin.ocmplugin or com.emulex.onecommand.

6. Return to the ExtensionManager page and locate Methods at the bottom.

7. Click UnregisterExtension.

8. In the extensionKey field, enter the exact key name:

9. com.emulex.ocmplugin.ocmplugin

10. Click Invoke Method. Verify the result is void.

Step 2: Clean up Cached Files (SSH)

1. Connect to the vCenter Server Appliance via SSH as root.

2. Enter the Bash shell

3. Navigate to the cached plugin directory:
   
   cd /etc/vmware/vsphere-ui/vc-packages/vsphere-client-serenity/

4. List the directories to confirm the folder name:
   
   ls -l | grep emulex

5. Remove the plugin directory (ensure you match the folder name exactly):
   
   rm -rf com.emulex.ocmplugin.ocmplugin-12.8.330.0

Step 3: Restart vSphere Client Service

To clear the UI cache and remove the entry from the list, restart the HTML5 client service:

service-control --restart vsphere-ui

Note: The vSphere Client will be inaccessible for a few minutes while the service restarts.

Additional Information

• vSphere Client local plugins are deprecated.