Resolving vLCM Compliance Issues with Missing VIBs
After adding a new ESXi host to a vLCM-managed cluster, the compliance status shows 'Non-Compliant'. All other hosts in the cluster are compliant. The cluster uses a custom image. Which is the most likely cause of the non-compliance?
⚠ Common exam trap
VCP-DCV often tests the misconception that adding a host to a vLCM cluster automatically makes it compliant, when in fact the host must be remediated to match the cluster image.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The host's software inventory differs from the cluster image.
In vSphere Lifecycle Manager (vLCM), a cluster image defines the exact desired software specification (ESXi base image, firmware add-ons, and components) for all hosts. When a new host is added, vLCM compares its actual software inventory against the cluster image. If any installed VIB, driver, or component version differs from the image, the host is marked Non-Compliant. Since all other hosts are compliant, the cluster image itself is valid and properly applied; the new host simply hasn't been remediated to match the image yet. Therefore, the most likely cause is that the host's software inventory differs from the cluster image.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
The cluster image has not been exported to the host.
Why it's wrong here
vLCM pushes the cluster image directly to the host during remediation; no manual export step exists, and the other hosts prove the image is available. The notion is tempting because it sounds like distributing software to a new machine, but vLCM applies images through the cluster's desired-state mechanism, not file transfer.
- ✗
The host profile is not attached to the host.
Why it's wrong here
Host profiles are a separate vSphere feature used for host configuration compliance; vLCM clusters remediate against an image, and the cluster's image specification is what the new host must match. Host profiles are tempting because they also report compliance, but they are not the mechanism vLCM uses here.
- ✗
The cluster image is corrupted.
Why it's wrong here
A corrupted cluster image would render every host non-compliant, yet the other hosts remain compliant, so the image itself is intact. Corruption is tempting because it explains widespread drift, but the fault here is isolated to the newly added host, pointing to its own image or configuration divergence.
- ✓
The host's software inventory differs from the cluster image.
Why this is correct
A newly added host retains its original software inventory, so any divergence from the cluster image's specified components, drivers or firmware triggers Non-Compliant status. vLCM compares each host's actual software against the image's desired state; because the other hosts already match, only this host's differing inventory explains the result.
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official VMware exam blueprint
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