Troubleshooting a failed vCenter Server upgrade

Products

• VMware vCenter Server

Issue/Introduction

A vCenter Server upgrade can fail for variety of reasons, but there are some things you can check before completing the upgrade. This article provides steps to troubleshoot a failed vCenter Server upgrade.

Symptoms:

• vCenter Server upgrade generates an error before completion
• vCenter Server upgrade fails to complete
• Unable to complete vCenter Server upgrade
• Cannot install vCenter Server
• You see on or more of these errors:
  
  

  • Error 25060. Setup failed to execute sqlcmd.exe
  • This installation package is not supported by this processor type. Contact your product vendor.
  • re-configure your DSN to use one of the supported drivers
  • An error occurred, please try again in another vSphere session.
  • Database version id '<id>' is incompatible with this release of vCenter Server

upgrade-vcenter upgrade-vcenter-fails-error

Environment

VMware VirtualCenter 2.0.x
VMware VirtualCenter 2.5.x
VMware vCenter Server 4.0.x
VMware VirtualCenter 1.4.x
VMware vCenter Server 5.0.x
VMware vCenter Server 4.1.x

Resolution

Validate that each troubleshooting step below is true for your environment. The steps will provide instructions or a link to a document, for validating the step and taking corrective action as necessary. The steps are ordered in the most appropriate sequence to isolate the issue and identify the proper resolution. Please do not skip a step.

1. Verify that the minimum system requirements for vCenter Server are met. For more information, see Supported host operating systems for VMware vCenter Server installation (2091273).
   
   
2. Verify if you have followed any specific instructions outlined in the release notes. For more information, see Known issues when installing or upgrading vCenter Server (1003949).
   
   
3. Verify if the issue is caused by the installation media. For more information, see Checking media integrity for vCenter Server installations and upgrades (1003904).
   
   
4. Verify the health of the database server used for vCenter Server. If the hard drives are out of space, the database transaction logs are full, or the database is heavily fragmented, vCenter Server may not complete the installation. For more information, see Investigating the health of a vCenter Server database (1003979).
   

If your problem still exists after trying the steps in this article, please:

• Gather the VMware Support Script Data. For more information, see Collecting Diagnostic Information in a VMware Virtual Infrastructure Environment (1003689).
• File a support request with VMware Support and note this KB Article ID (1003903) in the problem description. For more information, see How to Submit a Support Request.
• Supply as much information about your environment as possible:
  
  • The version of vCenter Server you are upgrading from
  • The version of vCenter Server you are upgrading to
  • The type of database you are using (SQL or Oracle, Local or Remote)
  • A screenshot of any error message that may have been generated

Additional Information

For more information on installing or upgrading your ESX/ESXi host, see the VMware Documentation site.

Supported host operating systems for VMware vCenter Server installation (including vCenter Update Manager and vRealize Orchestrator)