ESXi host hangs indefinitely at the following stage on the DCUI: activating: system-storage

Products

• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

During the ESXi boot process (typically after a fresh installation or upgrade), the host hangs indefinitely at the following stage on the DCUI:

• activating: system-storage

Environment

ESXi 8.0

Cause

This issue occurs if the underlying ESXi boot LUN is corrupt or inaccessible. The kernel enters an infinite I/O retry loop while attempting to mount the system storage partitions (such as the locker or scratch volumes) from the corrupted boot media.

Resolution

To resolve this issue, the host must be pointed to a new, healthy boot target.

1. Identify the current boot LUN in your storage array or SAN management console.
2. Provision a new LUN of the same or greater size for the ESXi boot volume.
3. Remap the host's HBA/IQN to the new boot LUN.
4. Re-install ESXi on the new LUN.
5. If using a Cisco UCS or similar blade system, ensure the boot policy is updated to reflect the new LUN ID/WWPN.

 

Additional Information

For general boot hangs involving HPP or MTU, see Stuck at HPP Loaded succesfully activating: system-storage.