VCF CLI Initialization Times Out with Error "Get https://projects.packages.broadcom.com/v2/: dial tcp ##.##.##:443: i/o timeout" in Air-Gapped Environments
Article ID: 450758
Updated On:
Products
Issue/Introduction
When running any command with vcf (for example, vcf context list) in an air-gapped or internet-restricted network environment, you observe long initialization delays followed by a network timeout error:
[x] The initialization encountered the error: error running the 'Central Config Initializer' global initializer: unable to fetch the inventory of discovery 'default' for plugins: plugins discovery image resolution failed. Please check that the repository image URL "projects.packages.broadcom.com/vcf-cli/plugins/plugin-inventory:latest" is correct: error getting the image digest: Error while preparing a transport to talk with the registry: Unable to create round tripper: Get "https://projects.packages.broadcom.com/v2/": dial tcp ##.##.##.##:443: i/o timeout
Environment
VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) 9.x
VCF CLI
VMware vSphere Kubernetes Service
Cause
By default, the VCF CLI plugin discovery engine is configured to query an external public repository (projects.packages.broadcom.com) over HTTPS (port 443) during initialization to refresh its plugin inventory cache.
In an air-gapped or restricted network lacking outbound internet connectivity, these network requests fail to establish a connection. The CLI retries multiple times until a socket I/O timeout occurs, causing significant performance delays before falling back to local processing.
Resolution
When running VCF CLI using local plugin installations in a restricted environment, active remote discovery sources are unnecessary. You can resolve this issue using the following method:
Delete the Default Remote Discovery Source:
Removing the default remote discovery source stops the CLI from attempting outbound network lookups and forces it to rely exclusively on locally installed plugins.
1. List the configured plugin discovery sources:
vcf plugin source list
2. Delete the default discovery source pointing to the public registry:
vcf plugin source delete default
3. Verify that the command executes immediately without delay:
vcf context list
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