ESXi host restore with obstacles

Unable to re-join EVC cluster after restore of ESXi system

Changing boot media of ESXi hosts (unfortunately) has become a routine job. It is based on the fact, that many flash media have a limited lifespan. To be fair, I need to point out that many customers use (cheap and dirty) USB flash sticks as boot media. But what is good in a homelab, turns out to be a bad idea in enterprise environments.

The usual procedure for media replacement is fairly simple:

  • export host configuration
  • evacuate and shut down host
  • prepare fresh boot medium with installation ISO that has the same or lower patchlevel as the old installation
  • boot freshly installed host
  • apply (intermediate) IP address if no DHCP available
  • restore host configuration
  • re-connect to cluster
  • apply patches if neccessary

So far so good. But last week I had a nasty experience with a recovered ESXi host. Continue reading “ESXi host restore with obstacles”