Failed to create a virtual machine : A specified parameter was not correct: nicsettings:adapter:ip

[theirpuppet]

SUMMARY

With VMware Customization Spec Network/NIC1 set to 'Prompt User', this error message appears and the build process fails.

ISSUE TYPE

• Bug Report

COMPONENT NAME

vmware_guest

ANSIBLE VERSION

$ ansible --version
ansible 2.9.16
  config file = /etc/ansible/ansible.cfg
  configured module search path = ['/home/[email protected]/.ansible/plugins/modules', '/usr/share/ansible/plugins/modules']
  ansible python module location = /usr/lib/python3.6/site-packages/ansible
  executable location = /bin/ansible
  python version = 3.6.8 (default, Aug 24 2020, 17:57:11) [GCC 8.3.1 20191121 (Red Hat 8.3.1-5)]

CONFIGURATION

$ ansible-config dump --only-changed
DEFAULT_HOST_LIST(/etc/ansible/ansible.cfg) = ['/etc/ansible/hosts']
DEFAULT_ROLES_PATH(/etc/ansible/ansible.cfg) = ['/etc/ansible/roles']

OS / ENVIRONMENT

$ cat /etc/redhat-release 
CentOS Linux release 8.3.2011
$ rpm -qf /usr/lib/python3.6/site-packages/ansible/modules/cloud/vmware/vmware_local_role_info.py
ansible-2.9.16-1.el8.noarch

VMware ESXi, 6.7.0 vCenter Server 6.7.0

STEPS TO REPRODUCE

Customization Spec - Network set to Custom / NIC1 set to IPv4 = Prompt User, IPv6 = Not used

fatal: [drtest]: FAILED! => {
    "changed": false,
    "invocation": {
        "module_args": {
            "annotation": null,
            "cdrom": [],
            "cluster": "XXX-REMOVED",
            "convert": null,
            "customization": {
                "dns_servers": [
                    "VALUE_SPECIFIED_IN_NO_LOG_PARAMETER",
                    "VALUE_SPECIFIED_IN_NO_LOG_PARAMETER"
                ],
                "hostname": "VALUE_SPECIFIED_IN_NO_LOG_PARAMETER"
            },
            "customization_spec": "CentOS_7",
            "customvalues": [],
            "datacenter": "XXX-REMOVED",
            "datastore": "XXX-REMOVED",
            "disk": [],
            "esxi_hostname": null,
            "folder": "EMS-LD8/vm/",
            "force": false,
            "guest_id": null,
            "hardware": {
                "boot_firmware": "BIOS",
                "hotadd_cpu": "HotAddCPU",
                "hotadd_memory": "HotAddRAM",
                "hotremove_cpu": "HotRemoveCPU",
                "memory_mb": 1024,
                "num_cpu_cores_per_socket": 1,
                "num_cpus": 1
            },
            "hostname": "XXX-REMOVED",
            "is_template": false,
            "linked_clone": false,
            "name": "VALUE_SPECIFIED_IN_NO_LOG_PARAMETER",
            "name_match": "first",
            "networks": [
                {
                    "connected": true,
                    "device_type": "vmxnet3",
                    "gateway": "10.1.1.1",
                    "ip": "10.1.1.203",
                    "name": "XXX-REMOVED",
                    "netmask": "255.255.255.0",
                    "start_connected": true,
                    "type": "static"
                }
            ],
            "password": "VALUE_SPECIFIED_IN_NO_LOG_PARAMETER",
            "port": 443,
            "proxy_host": null,
            "proxy_port": null,
            "resource_pool": null,
            "snapshot_src": null,
            "state": "poweredon",
            "state_change_timeout": 0,
            "template": "CENTOS7-TMPL-LD8",
            "use_instance_uuid": false,
            "username": "XXX-REMOVED",
            "uuid": null,
            "validate_certs": false,
            "vapp_properties": [],
            "wait_for_customization": true,
            "wait_for_ip_address": true
        }
    },
    "msg": "Failed to create a virtual machine : A specified parameter was not correct: nicsettings:adapter:ip"
}

EXPECTED RESULTS

VM to be deployed, VMware Guest OS Customisation to proceed and configure the networking as set in the ansible playbook.

ACTUAL RESULTS

See above.

See above.

[theirpuppet]

https://gist.github.com/theirpuppet/3395d4987c8f125a33522050c7765cdc

[theirpuppet]

I get the same result in two different vSphere environments. Both, however, have the same version / configuration of ansible.

Environment A: vCenter Server: 7.0.1, 17327586 ESXi: 7.0.1, 17168206

Environment B: vCenter Server: 6.7.0, 16046713 ESXi, 6.7.0, 14320388

[ansibullbot]

cc @Akasurde @Tomorrow9 @goneri @lparkes @nerzhul @pdellaert @pgbidkar @warthog9 click here for bot help

[jsonp80]

try this fix: https://github.com/ansible/ansible/pull/61329

[wombelix]

try this fix: ansible/ansible#61329

Was unfortunately never completed nor merged, I created a new PR https://github.com/ansible-collections/community.vmware/pull/1252 based on the approach described in https://github.com/ansible/ansible/pull/61329 with some adjustments. First deployments in my Environment were successful but further testing necessary.

[mariolenz]

@theirpuppet @wombelix ansible 2.9 is quite old and the VMware modules are pretty outdated. Do you use them, or did you install this collection via galaxy? If so, what version of community.vmware do you run?

If you use the VMware modules that come with 2.9, could you please test if you run into the same issue with Ansible 5 or 2.9 plus a current version of this collection?

[wombelix]

ansible 2.9 is quite old and the VMware modules are pretty outdated. Do you use them, or did you install this collection via galaxy? If so, what version of community.vmware do you run?

Agree but unfortunately I have to use 2.9 a little longer until we finished the migration from AWX 15 to latest.

If you use the VMware modules that come with 2.9, could you please test if you run into the same issue with Ansible 5 or 2.9 plus a current version of this collection?

I tried the ansible 2.9 vmware module first but using the community module now, both behave identical in regards to customization_specs. I provided more details as response in the PR: https://github.com/ansible-collections/community.vmware/pull/1252#discussion_r825348451

ansible: 2.9.27 community.vmware: 2.1.0

[mariolenz]

I tried the ansible 2.9 vmware module first but using the community module now, both behave identical in regards to customization_specs. I provided more details as response in the PR: #1252 (comment)

ansible: 2.9.27 community.vmware: 2.1.0

Thanks for the clarification!