NSX Host Preparation fails in vLCM enable cluster - Failed to apply Component nsx-lcp-bundle(4.2.3.0.0-7.0...): an error occurred while enabling service nsx-datapath

Products

• VMware vCenter Server
• VMware NSX

Issue/Introduction

When configuring an ESXi 8.x host for NSX within a vSphere Lifecycle Manager (vLCM) managed cluster, the deployment fails. vCenter incorrectly attempts to install the ESXi 7.0 version of the nsx-lcp-bundle instead of the required version 8 bundle.

• Error Message in vCenter/NSX UI:

         Failed to install software on host. Solution Apply failed on one or more hosts in cluster '<CLUSTERNAME>'. Failed to apply Component nsx-lcp-bundle(4.2.3.0.0-7.0.24866350): an error occurred while enabling service nsx-datapath.

• The following logs indicate that vLCM is unable to find the required version 8 VIBs and is reporting an installation failure:
  
  Log Evidence (NSX Manager - /var/log/proton/nsxapi.log):
  
  failure_message {  value: "Waiting for fabric-node installation failure to be fixed: All NSX vibs were not found on the host in vLCM based host prep flow.\n"}...

YYYY-MM-DDTMM:SS:SS.106Z INFO [nsx@#### comp="nsx-manager" subcomp="manager"] Issue INSTALL_FAILED observed for node : [ID]. Msg : Failed to install software on host... Failed to apply Component nsx-lcp-bundle(4.2.3.0.0-7.0.24866350): an error occurred while enabling service nsx-datapath.
  
  
• vCenter System Error:

        A conflict in the software depot is identified in the vCenter logs or task view: A general System error occurred. Offline depot content already exists with ID B13##################0D02.

Environment

VMware vCenter Server
VMware NSX

Cause

This issue is caused by a Metadata State Mismatch in the vCenter Image Service. The vCenter database holds a stale "Offline Depot" registration that only indexes the ESXi 7.0 NSX bundle.

Because the unique Depot ID already exists in the vCenter database, the Image Service views any incoming synchronization from NSX (which contains both v7 and v8 bits) as a duplicate.

This conflict blocks vCenter from updating its metadata with the correct ESXi 8.0-compatible bundle, causing the system to fall back on legacy metadata (version 7) previously seeded in the cluster image.

Resolution

To resolve this, you must manually remove the conflicting depot registration and force a fresh metadata advertisement from NSX.

Step 1: Remove the Stale Depot Entry

1. Log in to the vCenter Server Appliance (VCSA) via SSH.
2. Utilize the Data Center CLI (dcli) to list and identify the stale depot: dcli com vmware esx settings depots offline list
3. Delete the stale depot(s) causing the conflict: dcli com vmware esx settings depots offline delete --depot [STALE_DEPOT_ID]

Step 2: Clean the ESXi Host

On the affected ESXi 8.0 host, manually remove the incompatible version 7 components to ensure a clean state for the next configuration attempt: nsxcli -c del nsx

Step 3: Force NSX Metadata Sync (Empty Cluster Method)

1. In the vSphere Client, create a new, temporary empty cluster and enable it for vLCM.
2. In the NSX Manager UI, navigate to System > Fabric > Hosts.
3. Locate the new empty cluster and select Configure NSX. Apply any available Transport Node Profile.

• Note: As the cluster is empty, no hosts are affected, but this triggers a fresh advertisement of the NSX depot to vCenter.

1. Monitor the task in vCenter; once completed, verify that the vLCM depot now contains the correct ESXi 8.0 VIBs 

Step 4: Remediate Production Hosts

Return to your production cluster in vLCM, run Check Compliance, and remediate the hosts. The correct vSphere 8 NSX VIBs will now be installed successfully.

Additional Information

NSX installation on host fails with error: "Failed to install software on host. Solution apply failed on host: 'hostname' Failed to apply Component nsx-lcp-bundle: an error occurred while enabling service nsx-datapath."