Host-Based Replication Agent installation fails in vLCM (vSphere Lifecycle Manager) with image delta error

Products

• VMware vCenter Server

Issue/Introduction

Installation failed for the Host-Based Replication Agent for ESXi on a specific domain/cluster. The Site Recovery UI reported:

"The host Based Replication Agent for ESX can't be installed on 'domain-####'. The vLCM image has deltas that need to be applied."

Environment

• vSphere Replication: 9.0.5
• vCenter: 8.0.3 build 24853646 (8.0U3g)
• HBR Agent: 9.0.2

Resolution

To resolve the issue, force a refresh of the vLCM image configuration:

1. Navigate to the Cluster > Updates > Image page.
2. Click Edit on the Image setup.
3. Click Save without making changes.
4. Run Check Compliance and Remediate to apply the image and install the HBR agent.

Additional Information

If the simple edit/save does not resolve the delta error:

• Ensure no other VIBs or components are reporting as missing or non-compliant in the vLCM compliance report. Fix these deltas first (Site Recovery UI reports error "The Host Based Replication Agent for ESX can't be installed") 
• If the error mentions Live Patch, disable the Enforce Live Patch option in the vLCM remediation policy settings (Site Recovery UI reports error "The Host Based Replication Agent for ESX can't be installed") 
• If a higher version of the agent is already present (e.g., from a previous deployment), it may prevent automated installation. Manually remove the existing VIB using

  esxcli software vib remove -n vmware-hbr-agent

  and then re-run compliance (The Host Based Replication Agent for ESX can't be installed on 'domain-###'. The vLCM image has deltas that need to be applied.)