SDDC task to remove host from cluster fails with message "Unable to remove hosts since only a dead host can be force removed.."

Products

• VMware vSAN

Issue/Introduction

This article explains why the "Unable to remove hosts since only a dead host can be force removed" error occurs during host decommissioning in SDDC Manager.

Decommissioning a host from a vSAN cluster satisfies all the criteria described in article Permanently Decommissioning a node from vSAN Cluster.

SDDC is unable to remove the host from cluster followed by this error:

Environment

VCF 5.x

VCF 9.x

Cause

The SDDC Manager removal task is designed for hosts that are powered down. This error is expected if the host is powered on and the cluster has reached the FTT (Failures to Tolerate) threshold.

Resolution

1. Place the host in Maintenance Mode with full data migration.
2. Power off the host.
3. Remove the host from the vCenter Server Inventory.
4. Decommission the host from the SDDC Manager UI.
5. If the task still fails, ensure the host is truly powered off and retry.