VCF greenfield deployment failing at vCenter deployment stage due to host seeding error - Failed to get transaction lock
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VCF greenfield deployment failing at vCenter deployment stage due to host seeding error - Failed to get transaction lock

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Article ID: 443692

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Updated On:

Products

VMware SDDC Manager / VCF Installer

Issue/Introduction

  • The Installer workflow fails at vCenter deploy stage
  • Seed host using an OEM custom image
  • vCenter OVA deploys with no issue and powers on
  • Deployment rolls back and retries 3 times before ultimate failure

/var/log/vmware/vcf/domainmanager/domainmanager.log on the SDDC:

2026-06-10T11:44:21.605+0000 DEBUG [vcf_dm,6a294a8300fab4cccfae458c07182633,ab09] [c.v.e.s.c.util.LocalProcessService,dm-exec-67]  Local command execution with timeout period 3 completed.
2026-06-10T11:44:21.610+0000 ERROR [vcf_dm,6a294a8300fab4cccfae458c07182633,ab09] [c.v.e.s.o.model.error.ErrorFactory,dm-exec-67]  [L0T3CV] VCF_VSPHERE_VCENTER_INSTALLATION_FAILED vCenter installation failed. Check logs under /var/log/vmware/vcf/domainmanager/ci-installer-10-06-26-11-29-63 for more details.
com.vmware.vcf.common.util.VsphereRuntimeException: vCenter installation failed. Check logs under /var/log/vmware/vcf/domainmanager/ci-installer-10-06-26-11-29-63 for more details.
        at com.vmware.vcf.common.util.VsphereContractActionUtils.deployVC(VsphereContractActionUtils.java:291)
        at java.base/jdk.internal.reflect.DirectMethodHandleAccessor.invoke(DirectMethodHandleAccessor.java:103)
        at java.base/java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Method.java:580)

  • The /var/log/vmware/vcf/domainmanager/ci-installer-xx-xx-xx-xx-xx-xx log indicates that a process lock is preventing the seeding operation:

2026-06-10 11:44:21,301 - vCSACliInstallLogger - INFO - ================ [FAILED] Task: Running vSphere vLCM: Creating vSphere vLCM managed cluster. execution failed at 11:44:21 ================
2026-06-10 11:44:21,301 - vCSACliInstallLogger - DEBUG - Task 'Running vSphere vLCM: Creating vSphere vLCM managed cluster.' execution failed because [Host seeding failed:(vmodl.MethodFault) {
   dynamicType = <unset>,
   dynamicProperty = (vmodl.DynamicProperty) [],
   msg = 'MethodFault.summary',
   faultCause = <unset>,
   faultMessage = (vmodl.LocalizableMessage) [
      (vmodl.LocalizableMessage) {
         dynamicType = <unset>,
         dynamicProperty = (vmodl.DynamicProperty) [],
         key = 'com.vmware.vcint.error_from_vlcm',
         arg = (vmodl.KeyAnyValue) [
            (vmodl.KeyAnyValue) {
               dynamicType = <unset>,
               dynamicProperty = (vmodl.DynamicProperty) [],
               key = 'vlcm_error',
               value = 'Error:\n   com.vmware.vapi.std.errors.error\nMessages:\n   com.vmware.vcIntegrity.lifecycle.ExtractDepotTask.HostExtractDepotFailed<Extraction of image from host <seed-host_FQDN> failed.>\n   com.vmware.vcIntegrity.lifecycle.EsxImage.LockingError<Remediation cannot begin because another process is updating the host.>\n'
            }
         ],
         message = "An internal error occurred: 'Error:\n   com.vmware.vapi.std.errors.error\nMessages:\n   com.vmware.vcIntegrity.lifecycle.ExtractDepotTask.HostExtractDepotFailed<Extraction of image from host <seed-host_FQDN> failed.>\n   com.vmware.vcIntegrity.lifecycle.EsxImage.LockingError<Remediation cannot begin because another process is updating the host.>\n'"
      }
   ]

 

  • The /var/run/log/lifecycle.log on the seed host indicates an issue with the /var/vmware/lifecycle/hostSeed/reservedVibs directory:

026-06-05T14:21:25Z -INFO lifecycle 2345323 [esx@4413] HostImage:268 Installers initiated are {'quickpatch': <esximage.Installer.QuickPatchInstaller.QuickPatchInstaller object at 0x47b2daf0d0>, 'live': <esximage.Installer.LiveImageInstaller.LiveImageInstaller object at 0x47b442e910>, 'boot': <esximage.Installer.BootBankInstaller.BootBankInstaller object at 0x47b2de6c10>, 'locker': <esximage.Installer.LockerInstaller.LockerInstaller object at 0x47b3045ed0>}
2026-06-05T14:21:25Z -DEBUG lifecycle 2345323 [esx@4413] HostSeeding:1089 BaseImage details : 9.1.0.0.25370933
2026-06-05T14:21:25Z -DEBUG lifecycle 2345323 [esx@4413] HostSeeding:1102 AddOn details : DEL-ESXi, 9100.25370933-A00
2026-06-05T14:21:25Z -DEBUG lifecycle 2345323 [esx@4413] HostSeeding:1197 Creating directory /var/vmware/lifecycle/hostSeed
2026-06-05T14:21:25Z -ERROR lifecycle 2345323 [esx@4413] imagemanagerctl:402 Extract depot failed.
2026-06-05T14:21:25Z -ERROR lifecycle 2345323 [esx@4413] imagemanagerctl:125 [NotADirectoryError]
2026-06-05T14:21:25Z +ERROR lifecycle 2345323 [esx@4413] [Errno 20] Not a directory: '/var/vmware/lifecycle/hostSeed/reservedVibs'
2026-06-05T14:21:25Z -ERROR lifecycle 2345323 [esx@4413] imagemanagerctl:130 Traceback (most recent call last):
2026-06-05T14:21:25Z -ERROR lifecycle 2345323 [esx@4413] imagemanagerctl:130   File "/usr/lib/vmware/lifecycle/bin/imagemanagerctl.py", line 400, in depots
2026-06-05T14:21:25Z -ERROR lifecycle 2345323 [esx@4413] imagemanagerctl:130     HostSeeding.InstalledImageInfo().extractDepot(task)
2026-06-05T14:21:25Z -ERROR lifecycle 2345323 [esx@4413] imagemanagerctl:130   File "/lib64/python3.11/site-packages/vmware/esximage/ImageManager/HostSeeding.py", line 1215, in extractDepot
2026-06-05T14:21:25Z -ERROR lifecycle 2345323 [esx@4413] imagemanagerctl:130     resVibCache = ReservedVibCache()
2026-06-05T14:21:25Z -ERROR lifecycle 2345323 [esx@4413] imagemanagerctl:130   File "/lib64/python3.11/site-packages/vmware/esximage/ImageManager/HostSeeding.py", line 1333, in __init__
2026-06-05T14:21:25Z -ERROR lifecycle 2345323 [esx@4413] imagemanagerctl:130     self._loadCachedVibs()
2026-06-05T14:21:25Z -ERROR lifecycle 2345323 [esx@4413] imagemanagerctl:130   File "/lib64/python3.11/site-packages/vmware/esximage/ImageManager/HostSeeding.py", line 1390, in _loadCachedVibs
2026-06-05T14:21:25Z -ERROR lifecycle 2345323 [esx@4413] imagemanagerctl:130     for fn in os.listdir(cachePath):
2026-06-05T14:21:25Z -ERROR lifecycle 2345323 [esx@4413] imagemanagerctl:130 NotADirectoryError: [Errno 20] Not a directory: '/var/vmware/lifecycle/hostSeed/reservedVibs'

  • It is clear that the VCF Installer does nosee the /var/vmware/lifecycle/hostSeed/reservedVibs directory as a directory but sees it as a file.
  • All subsequent attempts to deploy the VCSA by the installer fails with process lock errors:

2026-06-10T11:41:22Z -ERROR lifecycle 2174307 [esx@4413] LockFile:160 Failed to acquire lock /var/run/.esximg.pid: the file is currently locked by PID 2102197.
2026-06-10T11:41:27Z -ERROR lifecycle 2174307 [esx@4413] LockFile:160 Failed to acquire lock /var/run/.esximg.pid: the file is currently locked by PID 2102197.
2026-06-10T11:41:32Z -ERROR lifecycle 2174307 [esx@4413] LockFile:160 Failed to acquire lock /var/run/.esximg.pid: the file is currently locked by PID 2102197.
2026-06-10T11:41:37Z -ERROR lifecycle 2174307 [esx@4413] LockFile:160 Failed to acquire lock /var/run/.esximg.pid: the file is currently locked by PID 2102197.
2026-06-10T11:41:42Z -ERROR lifecycle 2174307 [esx@4413] LockFile:160 Failed to acquire lock /var/run/.esximg.pid: the file is currently locked by PID 2102197.
2026-06-10T11:41:47Z -ERROR lifecycle 2174307 [esx@4413] LockFile:160 Failed to acquire lock /var/run/.esximg.pid: the file is currently locked by PID 2102197.
2026-06-10T11:41:52Z -ERROR lifecycle 2174307 [esx@4413] LockFile:160 Failed to acquire lock /var/run/.esximg.pid: the file is currently locked by PID 2102197.
2026-06-10T11:41:57Z -ERROR lifecycle 2174307 [esx@4413] LockFile:160 Failed to acquire lock /var/run/.esximg.pid: the file is currently locked by PID 2102197.
2026-06-10T11:42:02Z -ERROR lifecycle 2174307 [esx@4413] LockFile:160 Failed to acquire lock /var/run/.esximg.pid: the file is currently locked by PID 2102197.
2026-06-10T11:42:07Z -ERROR lifecycle 2174307 [esx@4413] LockFile:160 Failed to acquire lock /var/run/.esximg.pid: the file is currently locked by PID 2102197.
2026-06-10T11:42:12Z -ERROR lifecycle 2174307 [esx@4413] LockFile:160 Failed to acquire lock /var/run/.esximg.pid: the file is currently locked by PID 2102197.
2026-06-10T11:42:17Z -ERROR lifecycle 2174307 [esx@4413] LockFile:160 Failed to acquire lock /var/run/.esximg.pid: the file is currently locked by PID 2102197.
2026-06-10T11:42:22Z -ERROR lifecycle 2174307 [esx@4413] HostSeeding:1163 Extract depot failed. Failed to get transaction lock: Another process is updating the ESX image. Please try again later.
2026-06-10T11:42:22Z -ERROR lifecycle 2174307 [esx@4413] imagemanagerctl:402 Extract depot failed.
2026-06-10T11:42:22Z -ERROR lifecycle 2174307 [esx@4413] imagemanagerctl:125 [LockingError]
2026-06-10T11:42:22Z +ERROR lifecycle 2174307 [esx@4413] Another process is updating the ESX image. Please try again later.
2026-06-10T11:42:22Z -ERROR lifecycle 2174307 [esx@4413] imagemanagerctl:130 Traceback (most recent call last):
2026-06-10T11:42:22Z -ERROR lifecycle 2174307 [esx@4413] imagemanagerctl:130   File "/lib64/python3.11/site-packa1.

Environment

VCF 9.1.0

Cause

  • Host-seeding is failing because "/var/vmware/lifecycle/hostSeed/reservedVibs" exists on the host as a plain file instead of a directory. The seeding expects this path to be a directory containing VIBs and fails when it is not.
    All subsequent seeding attempts are blocked because the first failure left a stale process lock file on the host. Every retry hits this lock and fails immediately without even attempting the seeding operation.
  • This can be caused by low level corruption on the image used

Resolution

  • Re-image the seed host with a newly downloaded/created image and retry the deployment

 

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