Q: What does the Hardware compatibility - vSAN HCL DB Auto Update test do?

A: This health check verifies that the vSAN HCL DB auto updater works normally and can download and update the vSAN HCL DB from the VMware HCL release website. This check is performed periodically at fixed intervals.

Q: What does it mean when it is in an error state?

A: If this check returns a warning, it means that vSAN cannot download and update its HCL DB automatically. The most likely reason is the that the vSAN health service in the vCenter server cannot connect to the vSAN HCL release site. This check will not return an error.

Note: In the vSphere 6.5.0d release and later, the health check states have been updated:

• Report green if the vSAN health service can download and update its HCL database.
• Report Skipped by default if there is no Internet connectivity or the vSAN HCL DB auto update is not enabled. Warning is shown if user has removed this health check from the silent health check list in this situation.
• Report Warning if the HCL database cannot be auto updated for any other reason like cannot connect VMware HCL release website, fail to download latest HCL DB or fail to update the local HCL DB.
   

Q: How does one troubleshoot and fix the error state?

A: To troubleshoot this issue, verify that the vCenter server can access the VMware HCL release site at the following location:

http://partnerweb.vmware.com/service/vsan/all.json
Note: If testing potential firewall issues, make sure ports 80 & 443 are open to vmware.com.

If the vCenter server cannot access the HCL release site, you can set up a proxy:

• vSAN 6.6 and later: Cluster > Configure > vSAN > General > Internet Connectivity
• vSAN 6.5 and earlier: Cluster > Configure > Virtual SAN > General > Internet Connectivity
• vSAN 6.7 and later: vCenter > Configure > vSAN > Internet Connectivity