NSX Host Preparation Install or Upgrade: Understanding the Spinning In Progress Message

As a virtualization engineer, I have encountered situations where NSX Host Preparation Install or Upgrade seems to hang forever without timing out and spinning the In Progress message. Recently, I faced this issue in one of our Zettagrid Labs, where we run NSX-v in #NestedESXi environments. After investigating the matter with the help of @santinidaniel, we discovered the root cause of the issue and found a solution to reset the NSX Web Client Status and stop it thinking that the VIB deployments are still in progress.

The Error Message:

When you encounter this issue, you will see an error message similar to the one below in the event log of vCenter against the host:

“VIB module for agent is not installed on host (_VCNS_xxx_Cluster_VMware Network Fabric)”. This error message is detailed in a couple of forum posts and in a VMwareKB here.

Causes of the Issue:

After conducting some research, we found that the issue is caused by Update Manager not being happy with a recent vCenter SSL certificate upgrade. In our case, the Update Manager required a repair to allow the new SSL cert. Once the Update Manager was sorted, the Host Preparation Tasks went through without any issues, and we were back on track.

The Importance of Supporting Infrastructure:

This experience highlights the importance of understanding the supporting infrastructure, even in Nested Lab environments. It is crucial to know your dependencies and requirements and ensure they are all in working order to avoid headaches along the way. In this case, the issue was caused by a recent SSL certificate upgrade, which we overlooked initially.

Solution:

To reset the NSX Web Client Status and stop it thinking that the VIB deployments are still in progress, you need to kill the install job from the ESX Agent Manager (thanks @santinidaniel). Once you do this, you will have the opportunity to resolve or uninstall the host modules again. After completing these steps, the NSX Web Client Status will be reset, and you can proceed with your Host Preparation Install or Upgrade without any issues.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, when you encounter the spinning In Progress message during NSX Host Preparation Install or Upgrade, it is essential to understand the underlying causes of the issue. In this case, the issue was caused by a recent vCenter SSL certificate upgrade, which affected Update Manager. Once we addressed the issue, the Host Preparation Tasks went through without any issues. Remember to always consider your supporting infrastructure and ensure they are all in working order to avoid similar headaches in the future.