vCenter Server 7.0.0b | JUN 23 2020 | ISO Build 16386292

Check for additions and updates to these release notes.

What's in the Release Notes

The release notes cover the following topics:

What's New

  • New alarms in vCenter Server: vCenter Server 7.0.0b adds a Replication State Change alarm to the vCenter Server Appliance that displays when a replication state changes to READ_ONLY. The alarm resolves when the state changes to Normal.
    The Replication Status Change alarm reports replication issues between nodes. The alarm resolves when the connection between nodes restores.

  • Show only rollup updates - With vCenter Server 7.0.0b, you can use the Show only rollup updates toggle button to filter and select patches that you want to include in a baseline when using the vSphere Lifecycle Manager. The button is available in the Updates tab on the Lifecycle Manager pane, Menu > Lifecycle Manager, which is the vSphere Lifecycle Manager home view in the vSphere Client. The button is also available in the Select Patches Manually page on the Baselines tab in the Create Baseline wizard, which opens when you select New > Baseline.

  • The vCenter Server 7.0.0b release addresses issues documented in the Resolved Issues section.

  • For VMware vSphere with Kubernetes updates, see VMware vSphere with Kubernetes Release Notes.

Earlier Releases of vCenter Server 7.0

Features and known issues of vCenter Server are described in the release notes for each release. Release notes for earlier releases of vCenter Server 7.0 are:

For internationalization, compatibility, installation, open source components and product support notices, see the VMware vSphere 7.0 Release Notes.

Patches Contained in This Release

This release of vCenter Server 7.0.0b delivers the following patch. See the VMware Patch Download Center for more information on downloading patches.

Patch for VMware vCenter Server Appliance 7.0.0b

Product Patch for vCenter Server Appliance containing VMware software fixes, security fixes, and third-party product fixes.

This patch is applicable to vCenter Server.

Download Filename VMware-vCenter-Server-Appliance-7.0.0.10400-16386292-patch-FP.iso
Build 16386292
Download Size 4713.4 MB
md5sum 58ba4c903755611c03fe53e894a532d8
sha1checksum bb29e854487b8b9ce186f4371f6c643404f84420

Download and Installation

You can download this patch by going to the VMware Patch Download Center and selecting VC from the Select a Product drop-down menu.

  1. Attach the VMware-vCenter-Server-Appliance-7.0.0.10400-16386292-patch-FP.iso file to the vCenter Server Appliance CD or DVD drive.
  2. Log in to the appliance shell as a user with super administrative privileges (for example, root) and run the following commands:
    • To stage the ISO:
      software-packages stage --iso
    • To see the staged content:
      software-packages list --staged
    • To install the staged rpms:
      software-packages install --staged

For more information on using the vCenter Server Appliance shells, see VMware knowledge base article 2100508.

For more information on patching the vCenter Server Appliance, see Patching the vCenter Server Appliance.

For more information on staging patches, see Stage Patches to vCenter Server Appliance.

For more information on installing patches, see Install vCenter Server Appliance Patches.

For issues resolved in this patch see Resolved Issues.

For more information on patching using the Appliance Management Interface, see Patching the vCenter Server Appliance by Using the Appliance Management Interface.

Resolved Issues

The resolved issues are grouped as follows.

Security Issues
  • Update to the SQLite database

    The SQLite database is updated to version 3.31.1.

  • Update to the dom4j library

    The dom4j library is updated to version 2.1.3.

  • Migrating or cloning encrypted virtual machines across vCenter Server instances fails when attempting to do so by using the vSphere Client

    If you try to migrate or clone an encrypted virtual machine across vCenter Server instances by using the vSphere Client, the operation fails with the following error message: The operation is not allowed in the current state.

    This issue is resolved in this release.

  • Update to the libxml2 library

    The libxml2 library is updated to version 2.9.10.

  • Update to the Apache Tomcat server

    The Apache Tomcat server is updated to version 8.5.51.

  • Update to cURL

    cURL in the vCenter Server Appliance is updated to 7.69.1.

  • Update to the Python library

    The Python library is updated to version 3.5.9 and Freetype Python to 2.9.

  • Update to VMware Postgres

    VMware Postgres is updated to version 11.7.

  • Update to OpenJDK 1.8.0.252

    Open-source JDK is updated to version 1.8.0.252.

Auto Deploy Issues
  • Creating an image profile might fail with an error Invalid Fault: ThrowableProxy.cause 'name'

    After you import an image depot storing earlier versions of ESXi VIBs and try to export an image profile to an ISO or an offline bundle by using the Image Builder workflow in the vSphere Client, you might see an error, such as
    Invalid Fault: ThrowableProxy.cause 'name’.
    Starting with vSphere 7.0, VMware uses components, an updated form of bulletins, for packaging VIBs. Legacy bulletins cause failure as they do not contain component information.

    This issue is resolved in this release.

vSphere Lifecycle Manager Issues
  • Update to Eclipse Jetty

    Eclipse Jetty is updated to version 9.4.26.

  • If a web browser fails to access an address by using ports 9087 or 9084, the error page might display the name and version of the web server

    If a web browser cannot access an address by using vSphere ports 9087 or 9084, the 404 NOT FOUND error page might display the name and version of the web server.

    This issue is resolved in this release.

Upgrade Issues
  • Patching witness or passive nodes of environments with VMware vCenter Server High Availability enabled might fail

    In environments with vCenter Server High Availability enabled, patching a witness or passive node might fail with a message similar to:
    ​RuntimeError: unidentifiable C++ exception.

    This issue is resolved in this release.

  • Upgrading to vCenter Server 7.0 fails with the message that an error has occurred while starting service 'sps'

    If a storage provider is in a faulty state, upgrades from vCenter Server 6.7.x to vCenter Server 7.0 fail. In the vSphere Client, you see a message, such as:
    An error occurred while starting service 'sps'
    VMware vSphere Profile-Driven Storage Service failed to start
    .

    This issue is resolved in this release. For more information, see VMware knowledge base article 78900.

  • A VMware vSphere with Kubernetes cluster might stay long in a configuring state after a vCenter Server upgrade

    In the vSphere Client, you might see an error such as A general system error occurred during the reconfiguration of a VMware vSphere with Kubernetes cluster after a vCenter Server upgrade. The VMware vSphere with Kubernetes cluster might stay in configuring state for up to four hours.

    This issue is resolved in this release.

  • You cannot open the vCenter Server Appliance installer app in Linux virtual machines by double-clicking it

    Linux file managers do not recognize the PIE format that some upgraded components of the vCenter Server Appliance installer app use. As a result, you cannot open the vCenter Server Appliance installer app in Linux virtual machines by double-clicking it.

    This issue is resolved in this release. To avoid opening the vCenter Server Appliance installer app by using the Linux terminal, vCenter Server 7.0.0b introduces an installer-linux.desktop file that opens by a double-click in the same way as the original installer.

  • You can still see Updates Available in the Summary tab of the vSphere Client after updating your vCenter Server system

    When you log in to the vSphere Client for the first time after updating your vCenter Server system to vCenter Server 7.0.0a, you might still see Updates Available in the Summary tab.

    This issue is resolved in this release.

  • If the vCenter Single Sign-On or machine SSL certificate of a vCenter Server machine contain a mix of uppercase and lowercase characters, migration or upgrade prechecks fail

    If the DNS or Common Name (CN) in a vCenter Single Sign-On or machine SSL certificate of a vCenter Server machine contain a mix of uppercase and lowercase characters, the migration or upgrade precheck fails.

    This issue is resolved in this release.

  • If multiple DNS entries exist in a vCenter Single Sign-On or machine SSL certificate of a vCenter Server machine, and the Common Name (CN) does not match the vCenter Server PNID, migration and upgrade prechecks fail

    If multiple DNS entries exist in a vCenter Single Sign-On or machine SSL certificate of a vCenter Server machine, and the CN does not match the vCenter Server PNID, migration or upgrade prechecks fail.

    This issue is resolved in this release.

Virtual Machine Management Issues
  • The VM storage compliance monitoring service might not trigger recomputation of compliance status

    The VM storage object compliance monitoring service might not raise corresponding events in the vCenter Server system for a compliance state change or might not trigger recomputation of compliance status.

    This issue is resolved in this release.

  • vCenter Server does not report compatible datastores when datastores are mounted on multiple data centers

    If you have ESXi hosts across different data centers that use the same VMware vSphere Virtual Volumes datastore, you do not see compatible datastores when you run the Get-SpbmCompatibleStorage PowerCLI command or use the storage policy editor in the vSphere Client.

    This issue is resolved in this release.

  • The third level of nested objects in a virtual machine folder is not visible

    Perform the following steps: Navigate to a data center and create a virtual machine folder. In the virtual machine folder, create a nested virtual machine folder. In the second folder, create another nested virtual machine, virtual machine folder, vApp, or VM Template. As a result, from the VMs and Templates inventory tree you cannot see the objects in the third nested folder.

    This issue is resolved in this release.

vCenter Server and vSphere Client Issues
  • Migration of virtual machines between vCenter Server instances fails with an error

    Migration of virtual machines between vCenter Server instances with vMotion when you try to migrate the virtual machine storage and host information to a different vCenter Server instance, fails with an error: The operation is not allowed in the current state. 

    This error appears in the UI wizard after the Host Selection step and before the Datastore Selection step, in cases where the VM has an assigned storage policy containing host-based rules such as encryption or any other IO filter rule.

    This issue is resolved in this release.

Miscellaneous Issues
  • In VMware Cloud Director, uploading customization packages to a vApp might not succeed due to failure to acquire a generic service ticket

    In VMware Cloud Director, uploading customization packages to a vApp might not succeed due to failure to acquire a generic service ticket. As a result, you cannot power on the vApp.

    This issue is resolved in this release.

Storage Issues
  • Container Storage Interface (CSI) external provisioner fails to provision a PersistentVolumeClaim (PVC) in a vCenter Server testbed that uses a custom HTTPS port

    If a vCenter Server system has a custom HTTPS port, provisioning of new volumes by using a CSI external provisioner fails because the HTTPS port is originally hardcoded.

    This issue is resolved in this release. The fix is to get active HTTPS ports from the /etc/vmware-vsan-health/config.conf file as an SPBM service port instead of hardcoded ports. You can use different ports to connect to the SPBM service. At the loading configuration step in ConnectionFactory::init(), you can change HTTPS ports at /etc/vmware-vsan-health/config.conf to customize your port.

  • The Container Storage Interface (CSI) migration feature might be disabled by default

    The CSI migration feature might be disabled by default and you cannot enable it by using a graphic user interface.

    This issue is resolved in this release. The CSI migration feature is enabled by default.

vSphere High Availability Issues
  • When you have enabled VMware vSphere High Availability in a vSAN cluster that uses different subnets for traffic, timeouts in the networking layer cause incorrect vSphere HA status of some ESXi hosts

    When you have enabled vSphere HA in a vSAN cluster that uses different subnets for traffic, even if you provide a default gateway for inter-host communication, vSphere HA is enabled only on the elected primary node. Other nodes are not able to communicate with the primary and this causes timeouts in the networking layer. As a result, some ESXi hosts get incorrect vSphere HA status.
    For example, if a vSAN-tagged VMkernel adapter is active at the time of a network failover, the vSphere HA status of that vmnic displays as FDM Unreachable.

    This issue is resolved in this release.
    You can override the default gateway for VMkernel adapters in a vSAN cluster to provide a different gateway for vSphere HA.
    In the vSphere Client, you can change the vmkernel adapter setting by selecting Override default gateway for this adapter in the Networking tab.
    For more information, see Overriding the Default Gateway of a VMkernel Adapter and Configure the VMkernel Adapter Gateway by Using esxcli Commands.

  • Current Memory Failover Capacity metric displays above 100%

    The Current Memory Failover Capacity metric that is set under the Cluster Resources Reserved policy of vSphere HA, might display above 100% in environments where the total cluster level memory used exceeds 20 TB.

    This issue is resolved in this release.

Known Issues

The known issues are grouped as follows.

Virtual Machine Management Issues
  • NEW: You cannot deploy virtual machines by using a VM template after an upgrade to vCenter Server 7.0.0b

    After an upgrade to vCenter Server 7.0.0b, you cannot deploy virtual machines by using the Guest OS customization option and a VM template with computer name longer than 15 characters. The issue only occurs if the computer name of the VM template exceeds 15 characters.

    Workaround: Make sure that the computer name of the VM template has less than 15 characters. For more information, see VMware knowledge base article 81832.

Backup Issues
  • Microsoft Active Directory Federation Services (ADFS) logins might fail after restoring a vCenter Server Appliance

    If you manually add a certificate to the vCenter Server JRE truststore or modify the /etc/hosts file when setting up ADFS, the changes are not preserved after restoring and might cause ADFS logins to fail.

    Workaround: Add the ADFS certificate to the vCenter Server JRE truststore after restoring your vCenter Server Appliance. For more information, see Import the Trusted Certificate of an External Identity Provider. Add the necessary host name mappings back to the /etc/hosts file after restoring your vCenter Server Appliance.

Miscellaneous Issues
  • You see black or grey zones in the background of a parent window in the Direct Console User Interface (DCUI) after a child window closes

    In the DCUI, when you close a child window by pressing the ESC or Enter keys, or the Cancel or OK buttons, the parent window appearance might change. The background color changes to grey or black for some part of the parent window. However, all required information from the DCUI is properly displayed and all operations performed in the DCUI complete successfully.

    Workaround: Wait for 1 minute without refreshing the current window in the DCUI or pressing any key.

vSphere Lifecycle Manager Issues
  • After you upgrade to vCenter Server 7.0.0b, in the vSphere Lifecycle Manager home view in the vSphere Client, you do not see the Show only rollup updates toggle button

    In vCenter Server 7.0.0b, you can use the Show only rollup updates toggle button to filter and select patches that you want to include in a baseline when you use the vSphere Lifecycle Manager.
    The button is available in the Updates tab on the Lifecycle Manager pane, Menu > Lifecycle Manager, which is the vSphere Lifecycle Manager home view in the vSphere Client. The button is also available in the Select Patches Manually page on the Baselines tab in the Create Baseline wizard, which opens when you select New > Baseline.
    However, the Show only rollup updates toggle button might not be visible after you upgrade to vCenter Server 7.0.0b.

    Workaround: After an upgrade to vCenter Server 7.0.0b, restart the vSphere Client. For more information, see Start, Stop, and Restart Services.

  • The Show only rollup updates toggle button is always turned on when you open a tab in the vSphere Lifecycle Manager home view in the vSphere Client

    In vCenter Server 7.0.0b, you can use the Show only rollup updates toggle button to filter and select patches that you want to include in a baseline when you use the vSphere Lifecycle Manager.
    The button is available in the Updates tab on the Lifecycle Manager pane, Menu > Lifecycle Manager, which is the vSphere Lifecycle Manager home view in the vSphere Client. The button is also available in the Select Patches Manually page on the Baselines tab in the Create Baseline wizard, which opens when you select New > Baseline.
    However, the toggle button appears always turned on when you navigate to either of the Updates tab or the Select Patches Manually page. Even if you turn off the button when navigating away from the tab or page, it appears still turned on the next time you open them.

    Workaround: None

  • When you use the Update Planner, in the vSphere Client you might see Unexpected error occurred while fetching the updates

    When you use Update Planner, which is part of vSphere Lifecycle Manager, used to facilitate vCenter Server updates, you might see the following error in the vSphere Client:
    Unexpected error occurred while fetching the updates
    The issue occurs when you use a custom HTTPS port that prevents you from running interoperability reports by using the vSphere Client.

    Workaround: Manually invoke the API. For more information, see Create Task Discovery Interop Report.

    You also must provide the target version of the vCenter Server Appliance to which you plan to upgrade by following the internal format of 7.x releases. You can refer to the following mapping table:

    customer-facing name internal name
    7.0.0 GA 7.0.0.10100
    7.0.0a 7.0.0.10300
    7.0.0b 7.0.0.10400
    7.0.0c 7.0.0.10600
    7.0.0d 7.0.0.10700

    The API responds with a task ID. Use the task API to get the result: https://{api_host}/rest/cis/tasks/{task}.

    You can find the list of all APIs that are part of the LCM namespace at https://developer.vmware.com/docs/vsphere-automation/latest/vcenter/lcm/. Alternatively, look into API explorer page in the vSphere Client, https://<vcsa_addr>/ui/app/devcenter/api-explorer. Select vcenter in the Select API drop-down menu to get a list of the LCM APIs.

Upgrade Issues
  • After updating your system to vCenter Server 7.0.0b, you see systemd core dump in the /var/core folder

    After updating your system to vCenter Server 7.0.0b from either vCenter Server 7.0.0a or vCenter Server 7.0, in the /var/core folder you see systemd core dump, such as core.systemd-journal.393 and core.systemd-udevd.405. The core dump is harmless and can be removed.

    Workaround: None

  • After updating your vCenter Server system to 7.0.0b, the vCenter Server version is not updated in the Direct Console User Interface (DCUI)

    After updating your system to vCenter Server 7.0.0b from vCenter Server 7.0.0a or vCenter Server 7.0, you still see the previous vCenter Server version in the DCUI.

    Workaround: After you complete the update, to refresh the vCenter Server version, in the appliance shell, run the command /usr/lib/applmgmt/dcui/notify.

  • Update Planner fails with error Configured repository is not accessible due to network connectivity or incorrect URL

    If you use Update Planner, which is part of vSphere Lifecycle Manager used to facilitate vCenter Server updates, you might see the following error in the vSphere Client:
    Configured repository is not accessible due to network connectivity or incorrect URL. Verify the repository settings.
    The issue occurs when you use a custom local repository, such as https:///uploads/dpe/ or a DBC path, to store the extracted . If the custom repository for URL-based patching has an authentication policy, Update Planner might not be able to fetch the list of available updates.

    Workaround: Configure the custom repository such that authentication is not needed to access the custom repository URL.

  • After upgrading to vCenter Server 7.0.0b, you see vSphere HA errors on vSphere Lifecycle Manager Image based clusters

    After upgrading to vCenter Server 7.0.0b, on vSphere Lifecycle Manager Image based clusters that are configured with vSphere HA, you might see error messages about the vSphere HA configuration after logging in for the first time to the environment. In the vSphere Client, you see messages such as:
    Cannot complete the configuration of the vSphere HA agent on the host. or

    Applying HA VIBs on the cluster encountered a failure.

    The issue occurs because exports of the image depot might take long and cause a timeout of the task. In the/storage/log/vmware/vmware-updatemgr/vum-server/vmware-vum-server.log you see this message: ​Export taking too long (Failure case)

    Workaround: This is a transient issue that resolves in 10 minutes after the vCenter Server is up and running. The issue does not affect any functionality. vSphere HA on the affected clusters operates as expected. All operations related to virtual machines, such as power on and migration, work across the vSphere HA-enabled clusters while this error recovery is still in progress. 

Virtual Machine Management Issues
  • vSAN file services operations fail on vSphere Lifecycle Manager-enabled clusters

    During a change in the state of an ESXi host, vSAN file services operations might fail on vSphere Lifecycle Manager-enabled clusters due to a race condition with the vSphere ESX Agent Manager (EAM). The problem happens during upgrades and operations, such as power on or power off, booting, or when the host exits maintenance or standby mode. The race condition occurs when an endpoint has been unavailable before the change of state of the ESXi host. In such cases, the EAM starts a remediation process that cannot be resolved and fails operations from other services, such as the vSAN file services.

    Workaround: Restart the vSphere ESX Agent Manager.

Known Issues from Prior Releases

To view a list of previous known issues, click here.

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