Error: HA Force Sync failed and Operation timedout in state POST_CONFIG_VIX during HCX deployment

Products

• VMware HCX

Issue/Introduction

When deploying or reconfiguring VMware HCX Network Extension (NE) or Interconnect (IX) appliances, the task fails during the configuration phase.
Symptoms: 

• HCX Manager task console shows: HA Group operation failed... error HA Force Sync failed.
• Detailed error logs indicate: Configuration Update Failed. Operation timedout in state POST_CONFIG_VIX.
• Appliances appear in vCenter inventory but lack IP addresses or show a status of "Down" in the Service Mesh.

Environment

• VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF)
• VMware HCX 4.x

Cause

This issue typically occurs due to one of the following:

• IP Pool Exhaustion: The Network Profile assigned to the Compute Profile has no remaining IP addresses to assign to new vNICs.
• DNS Mismatch: The HCX Manager resolves the ESXi host management IP differently than the vCenter Server.
• Asymmetric Routing: Management and Uplink traffic are configured on overlapping subnets without proper L3 separation.
• Resource Pool or vDS Mismatch: The deployment resource (Resource Pool or Distributed Switch) assigned to the Service Mesh is missing or misconfigured in vCenter.

Resolution

To resolve this issue, perform the following steps:

1. Check IP Availability: Navigate to Infrastructure > Interconnect > Network Profiles. Verify that the subnet used for the #### and #### networks has sufficient free IP addresses.
2. Verify DNS Resolution: Log in to the HCX Manager CLI and verify that nslookup for the target ESXi host matches the management IP recorded in vCenter.
3. Validate Network Isolation: Ensure that distinct traffic types (Management, vMotion, Uplink) are mapped to non-overlapping subnets to prevent routing loops.
4. Verify Deployment Resources: Ensure the Resource Pool and vSphere Distributed Switch (vDS) selected in the Compute Profile are valid and have not been moved or deleted.
5. Force Redeploy: If configurations are correct, navigate to Service Mesh > View Appliances and select the option to Redeploy using the Force check box.

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Additional Information

• Contact Broadcom Support if the timeout persists after verifying network connectivity.