Installation of legacy Dell EMC RecoverPoint Splitter VIB fails with "esxupdate exit status: 14" after ESXi 8.x upgrade

Products

• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

• Attempts to update or install a VIB on an ESXi host fail.
• The vSphere Client or ESXi task console displays the following error: An error occurred during host configuration: /usr/sbin/esxupdate returned with exit status: 14.
• In the /var/log/esxupdate.log file, you see entries similar to: esximage.Errors.DependencyError: On platform embeddedEsx, VIB EMC_bootbank_RP-Splitter_RPESX-00.5.3.3.0.0.m.328.000 requires esx-version << 7.0.4, but the requirement cannot be satisfied within the ImageProfile.
• In the /var/log/vpxa.log file, the following fault is recorded: (vim.fault.PlatformConfigFault) { text = "/usr/sbin/esxupdate returned with exit status: 14" }
• The ESXi host is running on a Dell server, but the most recent upgrade/update was performed using a standard VMware image instead of the Dell-customized OEM image.

Environment

VMware ESXi 8.x

Cause

The issue occurs because the version of the Dell EMC RecoverPoint Splitter VIB being installed has a metadata constraint requiring an ESXi version older than 7.0.4 (esx-version << 7.0.4). When this VIB is installed on ESXi 8.x or later versions of ESXi 7.x, the dependency check fails, causing esxupdate to exit with status 14.

Resolution

To resolve this issue, you must install a version of the RecoverPoint Splitter VIB that is certified for your specific ESXi version.

1. Identify Compatible VIB: Consult the Dell EMC RecoverPoint Compatibility Matrix to identify the splitter version required for ESXi 8.x (e.g., RecoverPoint 5.3.4 or higher).
2. Download VIB: Download the correct Offline Bundle or VIB file from the Dell Support portal.
3. Install Updated VIB:
   • Upload the VIB to a datastore accessible by the host.
   • Run the following command via SSH: esxcli software vib install -v /vmfs/volumes/datastore_name/compatible_vib_name.vib
4. Reboot: Reboot the ESXi host to apply the changes.