Autodeploy custom image creation issue

[dbutch1976]

Hello,

I am attempting to create a custom image using PowerCLI in order to add the Community Network Driver for ESXi to the image. I have run the following commands:

Add-EsxSoftwareDepot "https://hostupdate.vmware.com/software/VUM/PRODUCTION/main/vmw-depot-index.xml"
Export-EsxImageProfile -ImageProfile "ESXi-8.0U3b-24280767-standard" -ExportToBundle -FilePath c:\depot\80U3bcust.zip
New-EsxImageProfile –CloneProfile "ESXi-8.0U3b-24280767-standard" –Name "80U3bcust" -Vendor "VMWARE"

After the New-EsxImageProfile command I get a flood of errors as seen below:

New-EsxImageProfile : File path of '/lib64/python3.11/site-packages/vmware/esximage/ESXioImage/DpuCliHandler.py' is claimed by multiple non-overlay VIBs: {'VMware_bootbank_esxio-update_8.0.3-0.35.24280767', 'VMware_bootbank_esx-update_8.0.3-0.35.24280767'}
At line:1 char:1
+ New-EsxImageProfile –CloneProfile ESXi-8.0U3b-24280767-standard –Name ...
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : InvalidData: (VMware.ImageBuilder.Types.ImageProfile:ImageProfile) [New-EsxImageProfile], Exception
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : EsxImageProfileValidationError,VMware.ImageBuilder.Commands.NewImageProfile
 
New-EsxImageProfile : File path of '/lib64/python3.11/wsgiref/simple_server.pyc' is claimed by multiple non-overlay VIBs: {'VMware_bootbank_esxio-base_8.0.3-0.35.24280767', 'VMware_bootbank_esx-base_8.0.3-0.35.24280767'}
At line:1 char:1
+ New-EsxImageProfile –CloneProfile ESXi-8.0U3b-24280767-standard –Name ...
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : InvalidData: (VMware.ImageBuilder.Types.ImageProfile:ImageProfile) [New-EsxImageProfile], Exception
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : EsxImageProfileValidationError,VMware.ImageBuilder.Commands.NewImageProfile
 
New-EsxImageProfile : File path of '/bin/false' is claimed by multiple non-overlay VIBs: {'VMware_bootbank_esxio-base_8.0.3-0.35.24280767', 'VMware_bootbank_esx-base_8.0.3-0.35.24280767'}
At line:1 char:1
+ New-EsxImageProfile –CloneProfile ESXi-8.0U3b-24280767-standard –Name ...
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : InvalidData: (VMware.ImageBuilder.Types.ImageProfile:ImageProfile) [New-EsxImageProfile], Exception
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : EsxImageProfileValidationError,VMware.ImageBuilder.Commands.NewImageProfile
 
New-EsxImageProfile : File path of '/lib64/python3.11/gevent/monkey.py' is claimed by multiple non-overlay VIBs: {'VMware_bootbank_esxio-base_8.0.3-0.35.24280767', 'VMware_bootbank_esx-base_8.0.3-0.35.24280767'}
At line:1 char:1
+ New-EsxImageProfile –CloneProfile ESXi-8.0U3b-24280767-standard –Name ...
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : InvalidData: (VMware.ImageBuilder.Types.ImageProfile:ImageProfile) [New-EsxImageProfile], Exception
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : EsxImageProfileValidationError,VMware.ImageBuilder.Commands.NewImageProfile
 
New-EsxImageProfile : File path of '/etc/vmware/secpolicy/domains/hostdProbeDom' is claimed by multiple non-overlay VIBs: {'VMware_bootbank_esxio-base_8.0.3-0.35.24280767', 'VMware_bootbank_esx-base_8.0.3-0.35.24280767'}
At line:1 char:1
+ New-EsxImageProfile –CloneProfile ESXi-8.0U3b-24280767-standard –Name ...
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : InvalidData: (VMware.ImageBuilder.Types.ImageProfile:ImageProfile) [New-EsxImageProfile], Exception
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : EsxImageProfileValidationError,VMware.ImageBuilder.Commands.NewImageProfile
 
New-EsxImageProfile : File path of '/lib64/python3.11/site-packages/lxml/usedoctest.pyc' is claimed by multiple non-overlay VIBs: {'VMware_bootbank_esxio-base_8.0.3-0.35.24280767', 'VMware_bootbank_esx-base_8.0.3-0.35.24280767'}
At line:1 char:1
+ New-EsxImageProfile –CloneProfile ESXi-8.0U3b-24280767-standard –Name ...
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : InvalidData: (VMware.ImageBuilder.Types.ImageProfile:ImageProfile) [New-EsxImageProfile], Exception
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : EsxImageProfileValidationError,VMware.ImageBuilder.Commands.NewImageProfile
 

Google unfortunately has been no help. Does anyone know what this error refers to?

[dbutch1976]

Here's an update, this issue does not appear to be affecting anything other than esxi 8. I was able to successfully run the exact same commands with an esxi7 image:

Add-EsxSoftwareDepot "https://hostupdate.vmware.com/software/VUM/PRODUCTION/main/vmw-depot-index.xml"
Export-EsxImageProfile -ImageProfile "ESXi-7.0U3q-23794027-standard" -ExportToBundle -FilePath C:\depot\70U3Qcust.zip
New-EsxImageProfile -CloneProfile "ESXi-7.0U3q-23794027-standard" -Name "70U3Qcust" -Vendor "LBERINE"

Name                           Vendor          Last Modified   Acceptance Level    
----                           ------          -------------   ----------------    
70U3Qcust                      LBERINE         2024-05-21 1... PartnerSupported    

I haven't really been able to find any reason why I can't clone esxi8 images, surely I'm not the first person to encounter this???  All I can find is this link:
google.ca/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjdw5_Ii4aJAxWHMtAFHVfsDbYQFnoECBIQAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fknowledge.broadcom.com%2Fexternal%2Farticle%2F344817%2Fesxcli-software-profile-installupdate-co.html&usg=AOvVaw1aODgPHUaGBQAfVAvRZeOq&opi=89978449

Although the issue isn't directly related, the thing that stands out from the link is this:

"ESXi 8.0 and later image profiles that contain the new ESXio contents. Older ESXi does not understand ESXio contents."ESXi 8.0 and later image profiles that contain the new ESXio contents. Older ESXi does not understand ESXio contents.

Can someone attempt to reproduce this issue and see if you get the same problem?

[dbutch1976]

If anyone else is struggling with this, I believe I needed up upgrade my version of Vmware PowerCLI within Powershell, commands below:

Install-Module -Name VMware.PowerCLI -Scope CurrentUser
#Update Powershell to a newer version (if required)
Install-Module -Name VMware.PowerCLI -Scope CurrentUser -Force -SkipPublisherCheck -AllowClobber
#Install Image builder to create custom installs of esxi 8
Install-Module -name VMware.ImageBuilder -Scope CurrentUser -Force -SkipPublisherCheck -AllowClobber
#Make sure that Python version 3.7.1 - 3.12 is installed and that you have set the path to the Python executable by using Set-PowerCLIConfiguration -PythonPath 
#download python from here:  https://www.python.org/downloads/windows/
#REBOOT REQUIRED
#after reboot
python.exe -m pip install --upgrade pip
pip install six pyopenssl psutil lxml

After this you should be able to create custom images, this add the USB NIC driver fling below as an example, download that from the fling site in advance:

Add-EsxSoftwareDepot https://hostupdate.vmware.com/software/VUM/PRODUCTION/main/vmw-depot-index.xml
New-EsxImageProfile –CloneProfile "ESXi-8.0U3b-24280767-standard" –Name "80U3Busb" -Vendor "LEBRINE"
Add-EsxSoftwareDepot "C:\depot\ESXi803-VMKUSB-NIC-FLING-76444229-component-24179899.zip"
Add-EsxSoftwarePackage –ImageProfile "80U3Busb" –SoftwarePackage vmkusb-nic-fling
Export-EsxImageProfile –ImageProfile "80U3Busb" –ExportToISO –FilePath C:\depot\80U3Busb.iso