vLCM and D&P HCL checks fail on vCenter 9.1.0.0 when ESXi hosts are on versions earlier than 8.0 Update 2

Products

• VMware vCenter Server

Issue/Introduction

Users will encounter failures when performing vLCM HCL check or D&P HCL check if the vCenter Server is running version 9.1.0.0 and the ESXi hosts are running a version earlier than 8.0 Update 2.

Symptoms:

• vLCM HCL Check: Fails with the error: "There was a problem connecting to the hosts in the cluster."
• vLCM Remediation: If the option "Prevent remediation if hardware compatibility issues are found" is enabled, remediation will fail to proceed on vSAN clusters due to the failed vLCM HCL check.
• D&P HCL Check: Fails with the error: "There is a problem connecting to the host 'host-XX'. Make sure that the vCenter Server Appliance has network connectivity to the ESXi host." Each of the symptoms will be present if the respective operation is performed.

Environment

vCenter Server: 9.1.0.0 ESXi Hosts: Any version prior to 8.0 Update 2 

Resolution

Users must manually verify hardware compatibility. Consult the Broadcom Compatibility Guide (BCG) to verify host hardware against the intended version. Ensure the correct guide is selected, based on whether the cluster is vSAN-enabled To unblock remediation: Once compatibility is manually confirmed, edit the remediation settings to uncheck "Prevent remediation if hardware compatibility issues are found" and proceed with the update.