ScratchConfig.CurrentScratchLocation is set to /scratch after upgrading to ESXi 6.x

Products

• VMware vSphere ESXi 6.0

Issue/Introduction

Symptoms:
After upgrading an ESXi host using a custom image, you experience these symptoms:

• The ScratchConfig.CurrentScratchLocation is set to /scratch
• You see warnings such as:System logs on host [] are stored on non-persistent storage. and No scratch partition has been configured. Recommended scratch partition size is {} MiB." (Syslog.global.logdir = /scratch/log).
• Changing the ScratchConfig.CurrentScratchLocation does not persist between reboots

Environment

VMware vSphere ESXi 6.5
VMware vSphere ESXi 6.0
VMware vSphere ESXi 6.7
VMware vSphere 6.7.x

Cause

This issue is due to the Emulex driver that is included in the Dell EMC and HP customized images for ESXi.

Resolution

To resolve this issue, see:

• VMware vSphere 6.5.x on Dell EMC PowerEdge Servers Release Notes
• Advisory: HPE ProLiant Servers- "ScratchConfig.CurrentScratchLocation" May Default to "/scratch" After Configuring iSCSI With VMware ESXi 6.5

Workaround:
If the Emulex driver cannot be upgraded to a version higher than 11.2.x, use any of the workarounds below:

• Downgrade the elxiscsi driver manually from the 11.2.x to 11.1.x
• Disable the 11.2.x elxiscsi driver
• Remove the 11.2.x elxiscsi driver 
• Redeploy the ESXi host using a fresh installation